Where are Wales internationals really made?

Where a player is born in only one part of the story – BBC sport traces the playing journey of Wales' 100 most recent internationals. Dewi Lake, Adam Beard and Jac Morgan all now ply their trade outside Wales Born in Wales, educated in one region, polished in another and given a professional debut somewhere else. The journey to a Wales jersey is rarely as straightforward as the badge on a player's shirt. For most, the answer is Wales. But that only tells a fraction of the story. BBC Sport has traced the past 100 men to make their Wales debuts – from where they were born, through junior clubs and schools, into academies, first professional appearances and the clubs they represent today.

It is a journey that starts on local playing fields, crosses the Severn Bridge and sometimes stretches halfway around the world. And with the future shape of Welsh professional rugby under scrutiny, it helps explain who does what in producing an international. The research divides each player's journey into five stages. Some classifications require judgement where pathways overlap; our full approach is explained in the methodology at the end of this article. Of the past 100 Wales debutants, 76 were born in Wales, 17 in England and seven elsewhere. That overseas group includes New Zealand-born Hadleigh Parkes