LONDON -- The message from NFL agent Jack Bechta is clear: he is at the Rugby World Cup to find the next sport-switching star.

A precedent of sorts is already there in Jarryd Hayne, the Australian rugby league hero who is taking his first tentative steps for the five-time Super Bowl champions, the San Francisco 49ers.

Hayne's journey has taken him from the Parramatta Eels to surprise back-up running back in just 11 months. That journey was guided by his agent, Bechta.

"I'm actively scouting and trying to identify three to five guys who potentially fit the profile of an NFL player," Bechta told ESPN.

"Rugby players are better-conditioned athletes than NFL players -- from a toughness, training standpoint they won't have any problems making the transfer."

Despite the success of Hayne, Bechta says the Australian is an exceptional talent in every sense of the word and not everyone who tries to make the switch from rugby league or union to the NFL will succeed.

But Bechta knows what it takes after seeing Dan Lyle make an impact in union after ditching his NFL career in the 1990s. The former American football college player was training with the Minnesota Vikings at the time but joined Bath, and the prospect of cross-code moves intrigued the agent.

After taking Hayden Smith, the Saracens lock, to the New York Jets for a year, Hayne is Betcha's latest project. Now he is on the lookout for more potential stars.

"I'd be respectful and contact their specific agents and do things the right way," he said. "But I don't see this massive migration from rugby to NFL. I could see three to five players a year trying out, maybe more.

Jarryd Hayne now plays for the San Francisco 49ers. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

"Only one out of every five or 10 will make it. It is a tough journey. It is more challenging than people think.

"It is the mental challenge of learning a new game. Under our CBA [collective bargaining agreement, which governs the players' relationship with the NFL itself] there are finite opportunities to practise and work with the coaches. It's very limited.

"In our last CBA the players asked for less training periods so that hurts young players and any players making the transfer.

"In Hayne's case, I hired the best NFL former coaches and surrounded him with former players and gave him a crash course on the basics before we decided to sign him to a team. You make a substantial investment as an agent into an athlete."

The same went for USA Eagles' Smith when he journeyed from Saracens to the Jets in April 2012. He played a season in New York but his NFL career as a tight end was curtailed after one campaign.

Bechta said: "I remember [USA Eagles back-row] Todd Clever marched him [Smith] into my office and I saw this kid who had all the right characteristics -- looked like a Rob Gronkowski [tight end for the New England Patriots and a superstar in his own right].