The coronavirus pandemic could be seen as a slight victory for New Zealand rugby, with cash-rich French sides looking to cut back on the number of overseas imports.
With European rugby among one of the many global sporting codes on indefinite hiatus due to the effects of Covid-19, the financial reserves of the club game are being tested with no source of income from the lucrative television audience.
Losses of over $180m are being predicted, should no rugby be played at all this season.
Speaking to England's Rugby Paper, CA Brive president Simon Gillham says the possible hit for French clubs will see a shift in focus of local talent over global stars.
"We're all going to have to sit down and say, 'How do we reconfigure this?'" Gillham says.
"There will be change. There'll be a lot of players on the market. Clubs will be looking again at salaries.
"Everybody has put an absolute brake on recruitment, on spending. Everyone's cutting back.
"There's going to be a lot more focus on 'local' – locally produced, homegrown. Rugby's going to be a part of that."
A number of former All Blacks are currently plying their trade in France's Top 14, including the likes of Ben Smith, Colin Slade, Tom Taylor and Luke Whitelock (Pau), Jerome Kaino and Charlie Faumuina (Toulouse), Seta Tamanivalu (Bordeaux), George Moala and Isaia Toeava (Clermont), Victor Vito and Tawera Kerr-Barlow (La Rochelle), Charlie Ngatai and Rudi Wulf (Lyon), Dominic Bird (Racing), Liam Messam, Nehe Milner-Skudder and Julain Savea (Toulon).
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