ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the changes in rugby union since 1995 and looks at some of the main issues relating to player migration since the open professionalization of the sport. It describes the migration of coaches between the sports and across the border between Wales and England. The Severn Bridge structure (symbolically) connects Wales to England even though both sides of the bridge are actually located in England. In more recent years a number of Welsh players have joined Bristol Rugby, and many of these players continue to live in Wales and make the trip across the Severn Bridge on a daily basis. While the road to Wigan Pier had provided a well-trodden path for the migration of many Welsh rugby players over the previous century, in the period since 1995 people have witnessed an increased internationalization of both rugby codes and the movement of rugby players across numerous national boundaries.
