TOKYO: Michael Leitch is Japan’s poster boy, but like many other players at the Rugby World Cup he’s not representing his country of birth – he’s a product of New Zealand’s seemingly endless production line of talent.A country which has won three of the eight World Cups so far, and is among the favourites to add a fourth in Japan, puts rugby brawn and brains alongside dairy products and meat as a leading export.It has almost become a must-have accessory to have a New Zealand connection at the World Cup, where more than a third of the head coaches and 12.5 per cent of the players are from the rugby-obsessed land at the bottom of the world.For New Zealanders, it’s the game itself and not just the world-champion All Blacks that captures the imagination, and players and coaches who can’t crack the top team see joining cash-rich clubs abroad as the next best thing.Nick Evans, who played 206 games for the London Harlequins after 16 Tests for the All Blacks, says he “probably wouldn’t have gone overseas” if he hadn’t found his way to New Zealand’s 10 jersey barred by the great Dan Carter.Willie Heinz was so far down the…