Hayman's multimillion-dollar move to French club Toulon has been big news in France and was part of the reason for French reporter Stefan L'Hermitte and photographer Patrick Gripe making the long journey from Paris to New Zealand.
The duo was in Dunedin yesterday to talk to players and coaches who influenced Hayman early in his career.
The journalists work for L'Equipe sports magazine, which comes free with L'Equipe sports newspaper on Saturdays.
The daily edition has a circulation of about 400,000 right across France, the highest of any French newspaper.
Despite tough times in the industry, L'Hermitte said the newspaper still had funds to dispatch journalists all over the world.
The duo were also in New Zealand to look at what impact the All Whites' qualification for the football World Cup had on sport in the country and whether football was taking over from rugby.
L'Hermitte said everyone in France had heard of the All Blacks but perhaps not as much about the actual players.
"I think the All Blacks are a team that everyone supports and Carl is one of them.
But he is a bit of a mystery figure.
A big guy who is a bit quiet," L'Hermitte said.
"We've been to Opunake and they were all big guys there.
They'd shake your hand and they'd really make it hard."
Hayman, who spent his early years in the small coastal Taranaki town, would make a big impact in France, L'Hermitte said.
L'Hermitte said rugby was growing in France, and was especially strong in the south, but it still lagged behind football, although with no salary cap many rugby teams were spending lots of money.
"But they can't spend money that they haven't got."
He said the trip to New Zealand came about after reading about the All Whites' qualification for the World Cup, and how that name compared to the All Blacks.
"We thought that was funny ... and then we saw what was happening with football in New Zealand. With rugby having trouble - not doing that well in the Super 14 and not being able to hang on to their players - we wondered [whether] maybe football one day will take over from rugby."
But after being in the country a few days, he said that premise was "not true".
"We went to Auckland Grammar and talked to their principal [John Morris] who was an ex-All White, and he took over from an All Black [John Graham] so thought maybe they are taking over.
"But then we went to watch the football at the school and that was on at noon, with a few parents watching. Then the rugby started at 2.30pm. It was incredible. They had television there, a crowd of 3000, people wearing the uniforms, everyone was really involved."
The duo has visited an All Whites training camp, and would visit Wellington next and meet former All Black captain and NZRU board member Graham Mourie and also talk to Wellington Phoenix bosses.
