Greatest overseas signings for each Gallagher Premiership club
English rugby fans have been spoilt with the quality of talent that has flooded the domestic game since the beginning of the professional era in 1995.
Newcastle Falcons were named champions in 1998, attracting foreign stars in Inga Tuigamala, Doddie Weir and Pat Lam as they marched to the domestic title.
It was the Falcons’ first and only championship to date as Leicester Tigers quickly dominated the early Premiership era - an English core supplemented by the likes of Fritz van Heerden, Pat Howard, Geordan Murphy and World Cup Winner Joel Stransky.
We are gluttons for punishment here at The Flanker, so we have selected the best overseas signings for each club currently plying their trade in the top flight.
There will of course be honourable mentions, so don’t shout at us, but see who we have chosen below. It covers the professional era so players pre-1995 will not be eligible.
Bath - Francis Louw
The huge back-rower joined the West Country giants back in 2011, eventually captaining the club while juggling his international commitments to South Africa.
He scored a try on debut in a 46-13 victory over Worcester Warriors, also starting for Bath in their 16-28 Premiership Final defeat to Saracens back in 2015.
The Springbok made 141 appearances in the blue, black and white, displaying excellent breakdown skills alongside his ferocious tackling and ball carrying, while becoming a fan favourite at The Rec.
Louw was at the club for nine seasons, alongside earning 76 international caps for South Africa and a 2019 Rugby World Cup winners medal in the trophy cabinet.
He is now a financial advisor for Skybound Connect having previously completed a diploma with the London Institute of Banking and Finance.
Special mentions: Taulupe Faletau, Michael Claassens, Joe Maddock, Kevin Maggs, Rhys Priestland
Bristol Bears - Steven Luatua
The 6ft 4.5in (1.94m) and 17st 13lbs (114kg) forward covers every blade of Bristol grass for the Bears, constantly getting his hands on the ball and moving it over the gain line.
Luatua played for Samoa and New Zealand’s youth teams before winning senior caps for the All Blacks. He switched back to Samoa in 2022, featuring at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
When his signing was announced in February 2017, Bristol was a Premiership side - before being relegated at the end of the season with Luatua leading their charge back into the top flight.
Since joining Bristol from The Blues, he has won the club’s Player’s Player of the Season award in 2018-19 and 2019-20, and Supporters Player of the Season in 2020-21.
He has also been shortlisted for Gallagher Premiership Player of the Season in 2019-20 and 2020-21, showing his consistency of performance. Luatua shows no sign of slowing down either, with the 32-year-old penning a contract extension last March.
Special mentions: Semi Radrada, David Lemi, Agustin Pichot, Charles Piatau, Luke Morahan
Steven Luatua has been at Bristol Bears since 2017
Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
Exeter Chiefs - Nic White
“But where are the likes of Gareth Steenson, Phil Dollman and Don Armand?!” I hear you cry. And yes, they are Chiefs legends and deserve mention.
However, Steenson and Dollman joined them when they were in the Championship while Armand earned England honours so are excluded from this list. I don’t make the rules (except I do in this case).
In their place is a nuggety, uncompromising Aussie scrum-half who transferred to the Chiefs in 2017 from French Top 14 outfit Montpellier.
Two Premiership titles later - one won by his teammates after the Covid delay and White had returned home - the rest, as they say, is history.
With his nausing of the opposition, coupled with an outrageous moustache, it is safe to say White is cut from the same Australian larrikin sporting stock as Dennis Lillee, Shane Warne or former teammate Kurtley Beale.
It’s not all bravado however, White can certainly play. While behind an imperious Chiefs pack, he would dictate attacking moves with an accurate passing game coupled with a keen eye for the snipe around a ruck.
Special mentions: Dean Mumm, Santiago Cordero, Stuart Hogg, Ian Whitten, Jacques Vermeulen
Gloucester - Ludovic Mercier
Legendary South African Jake Boer joined from London Irish so he is ruled out as an overseas signing as is Akapusi Qera, who joined the club from Pertemps Bees - which has now reverted back to Birmingham & Solihull.
In the end, we’ve gone with Mercier as The Flanker is a sucker for a Frenchman with a silky left boot. The fly-half spent four seasons (2001-2003 and 2005-2007) with Gloucester, playing 105 games while scoring a whopping 1325 points.
He played in the 2002 Championship Trophy and 2003 Powergen Cup victories at Twickenham and the 2006 European Challenge Cup victory at The Stoop, his reliable kicking off the tee and out-of-hand key in all three trophy wins.
According to John Theyers at Gloucester Rugby Heritage, he had aspirations of becoming a goalkeeper before turning his focus to the oval ball.
His 23 points in the 28-23 Zurich Championship Final win over Bristol at Twickenham in 2002 saw him cement his place in Cherry and White folklore, with his kicking style getting so much elevation that the goalposts at Kingsholm had to be extended.
Special mentions: Olivier Azam, Terry Fanolua, Rory Lawson, Junior Paramore, John Afoa
Mercier kicks for touch against Saracens in 2005
Credit: glawster from flickr/Wikimedia
Harlequins - Nick Evans
There can only be one obvious option. With more than 200 Harlequins appearances to his name, Evans is the club's record scorer with 2,249 points after spending nine years with the club.
From kicking a touchline conversion to win the Amlin Challenge Cup in 2011 to contributing 20 points in the 2012 Aviva Premiership Final, the All Black is not just the best overseas signing for Harlequins but arguably in Premiership history.
Another memorable moment was slotting a last-minute drop goal against Stade Francais in the 2008 Heineken Cup pool stage following 29 phases.
The word “mercurial” springs to mind as the fly-half was a box of tricks, bringing an attacking verve to Quins while practically living on the gain line.
Take it from his former skipper Chris Robshaw, who previously said: “To me, I think Nick Evans changed the way that Harlequins played the game.
“The speed he brought – which he probably never got credit for – his accuracy and his composure. He definitely has had the biggest impact upon Harlequins in my time and potentially even the history of the club.”
Special mentions: Keith Wood, Ceri Jones, Andre Esterhuizen, Andre Vos, Laurent Cabannes
Leicester Tigers - Geordan Murphy
Mr Leicester Tigers. The Premiership’s most decorated player, Geordan Murphy ended his 16th and final season in a Leicester shirt in 2012/13 with the eighth league title of his career
Arriving as a teenager with just one senior season at Naas RFC in Ireland behind him, Geordan made his debut against Rotherham in November 1997 and the last of his 322 appearances in May 2013 against London Irish.
He scored 93 tries and 691 points for the club alongside 72 Tests for Ireland and seven - including games against Argentina and New Zealand - with the British & Lions.
Playing in four Heineken Cup Finals for Tigers, Geordan collected back-to-back winners’ medals in 2001 and 2002. He also starred in a record seven Premiership Finals for the club.
He is Leicester’s leading appearance-holder and tryscorer in the European Cup, and is 17th on the club’s all-time tryscorers chart. A reliable presence at fullback with a mean body swerve, at his best the Irishman would glide around the field with ball in hand.
Murphy’s Leicester journey manages to straddle the early days of professionalism right through to establishing the club as the go-to powerhouse of English club rugby. Just don’t mention his coaching efforts.
Special mentions: Martin Castrogiovanni, Marcos Ayerza, Aaron Mauger, Alesana Tuilagi, Pat Howard
Newcastle Falcons - Gary Armstrong
I know - no Inga “The Winger” Tuigamala. However, he was very well known to English audiences from his exploits in Rugby League with Wigan Warriors and actually joined Newcastle from London Wasps.
Wilkinson once said of the terrier of Gary Armstrong, who we have chosen: “Inside me at scrum-half I have one of the toughest players in the world. We call Gary Armstrong the Junkyard Dog.”
The former long-haul lorry driver was regarded as one of the best 9s in the world in the mid-90s while still working tough hours during the amateur era.
After leaving Scotland in 1995 to play seven seasons in Newcastle, winning the Premiership title in his first term, he joked that he only learned to pass off his left hand once he was paid to play.
He broke the mould for scrumhalf’s and often served Newcastle and Scotland as flanker in a 9 shirt, as much famed for his tough tackling as his ability to break through tackles.
Widely considered one of Scotland’s greatest-ever players, on the international stage he was part of the 1990 Grand Slam-winning side and earned over 50 caps for the national side.
Special mentions: Matt Burke, Jimmy Gopperth, Carl Hayman, Doddie Weir, Sinoti Sinoti
Gary Armstrong playing for Scotland
Credit: Gary Prior/Allsport
Northampton Saints - Bruce Reihana
Throughout the 2000s, it was commonplace for the cry of “Brrrruuuucccceee” to ring around Franklins Gardens whenever Reihana had his mits on the pill.
A utility player capable of featuring across the back three, he initially joined Northampton in 2002 from the Chiefs after representing the All Blacks.
An influential figure for the Saints, he won the 2003–2004 PRA Players' Player of the Year Award before being promoted to captain after the departure of Steve Thompson in 2007.
During a tough period for Northampton as a club, he sustained a serious knee injury in 2006/7 and the Saints were relegated from the Premiership in his absence.
However, he remained in the East Midlands and helped get them back into the top flight at the first time of asking - scoring his 1,000th point for the club against the Exeter Chiefs in November 2010.
A speedy, strong runner who was capable of breaking tackles and spotting space, Reihana was also a decent goalkicker and would be trusted with kicking duties before the emergence of Stephen Myler.
Bruce left the Northampton Saints at the end of the 2010–11 Premiership season to join the French team, Bordeaux, before moving into coaching with Bristol Bears.
Special mentions: Pat Lam, Garry Pagel, Brian Mujati, Samu Manoa, Tom Smith
Sale Sharks - Sebastian Chabal
Known as L’Homme des Cavernes by French rugby fans, the enormous forward only started to take rugby seriously when he was sixteen before being picked up by local club Bourgoin.
He moved to Manchester in 2004, becoming an immediate fan favourite among the Sale faithful. The Frenchman won the European Challenge Cup in his first season but lost their Premiership semi-final 43–22 against the eventual victors London Wasps - despite a try from Chabal.
The following season, they reached the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup but he started in the clubs finest hour - lifting the Premiership trophy in 2006 after defeating Leicester Tigers 45–20.
An ever-present in the national team during his time in England, the loose forward won 62 caps for Les Bleus and was part of a cosmopolitan Sale Sharks team in the mid-2000s.
By the time he departed for Racing Metro in 2009, it was reported that Chabal was the highest-paid rugby player in the world and earning a believed €1 million per year.
Combining destructive ball-carrying and ferocious tackling, it’s not hard to see why he earned the big bucks and left his mark on the Premiership.
Special mentions: Jason White, Faf de Klerk, Dwayne Peel, Juan Fernández Lobbe, Jono Ross
Saracens - Jacques Burger
A tough call given the roster of international talent that Saracens have been able to boast over the decade. Since the advent of professionalism in 1995, the club managed to lure greats such as Francois Pienaar, Michael Lynagh and Phillipe Sella in the late 1990s.
However, it brought no silverware and they were not able to establish themselves as one of the dominant forces in English rugby until the early 2010s.
Coinciding with that rise was the arrival of Burger, an absolute steal from the Blue Bulls where he was a bit part player in a back row that included Wikus van Heerden, Pierre Spies, Danie Roussouw and Deon Stegmann - among others.
Burger quickly earned a reputation as one of the toughest tacklers in the Premiership following his arrival, being named the Saracens Player of the Year in 2010/11.
In 2012, he suffered a serious knee injury – a high tibial osteotomy – and was out for more than two years. But, as a testament to the man, he fought his way back before retiring in 2016.
A fearless warrior who laid his body on the line whenever he crossed the whitewash, the Namibian helped usher in an era of Saracens success as he collected two Premiership titles during his time at the club - cementing his place as a club legend in the process.
Special mentions: Thomas Castaignède, Michael Lynagh, Schalk Brits, Neil de Kock, Glen Jackson