Dafydd Jenkins will make history in 2024 by becoming the second youngest player to captain the Wales rugby team. The 21-year-old earned his first cap in 2022, when he came off the bench against Georgia. He was then named in the 2023 Six Nations squad and he made his first start against Scotland. ‘Industrious’ doesn’t begin to sum up the workrate of Azzurri captain Michele Lamaro, but it’s a good start. The back rower has made a breathtaking 55 tackles after three rounds of play – he also tops the dominant tackles list, with six – with Wales’ Tommy Reffell nine behind.
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“I’ve played footy for 15 years since I finished high school, now I’ve got to go out and get a proper job. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous and scared because you’re going into the real world now. Woods, along with fellow retirees, will be celebrated on grand final day.
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- Gets extra points for a one-on-one tackle on the much larger Tommy Freeman that saved a try early in the second half.
- ‘Industrious’ doesn’t begin to sum up the workrate of Azzurri captain Michele Lamaro, but it’s a good start.
- The sport continues to gain popularity and may eventually land players on the list.
- Making his senior debut for Leinster last season in the URC, he has begun to get more first-team opportunities this season.
- George has been picked by the England head coach for his tactical nous, ability to build relationships, and emotional intelligence.
- A strong scrummager and effective ball carrier, Furlong undoubtedly remains the best tighthead prop on the planet.
- He’s had a pretty impressive resume, of course being very heavily involved with the Munster captaincy and was skipper there for a long time, albeit he has just stepped down,” Robshaw said of the Ireland captain.
Nothing too flashy, he continued to find his close-in runners and – mostly – his areas when box kicking. 15 – Cameron Winnett – 8Didn’t merely catch high balls and hoof them back. He showed maturity and composure, looking up with the intent to impact the game.
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When I look at Goosen for example, he was overplayed badly back in his younger days and IMHO never really reached the heights he should have done. It’s a question every rugby fan has an answer for, but rarely are any two answers the same. Updates from the world of sport on TV, including news, views and how to watch it all live. In the last minute before the final try, teammate Kristi Kirshe said she just had to “stay in it.” It took until the very last play to secure their win, when Alex Sedrick stiff-armed her way past Australia’s defense and ended up converting her own kick — and she’s not a kicker.
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The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. In 2022 Ireland beat England, Wales and Scotland but didn’t win the Six Nations tournament overall. Ireland were crowned Six Nations Grand Slam champions in 2023 thanks to a bonus point win against England in Dublin. One of the most important rules of the sport is that the ball can only be passed backwards. Finally, a player is allowed to attempt a drop-goal in play for three points.
25 Premiership Rugby
Was too easily brushed off by Earl and perhaps needed a bit more grunt at times. 1 – Gareth Thomas – 6Won a big scrum penalty after a stodgy sequence when the game was scoreless, allowing Wales to scratch out a foothold. Sinned when he went early on another scrum when Wales had the feed on England’s line. 9 – Tomos Williams – 6.5It was his frenetic spark that turned the game against Scotland last week.
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Aki possess the rare skill of being able to generate tremendous power from a standing start, even against defence as robust as South Africa’s. Ben Earl is far and away England’s main man when it comes to carries. So much so, in fact, that he’s the only Englishman in the top ten here, and is the overall leader with 42. Fellow back rower Aaron Wainwright for Wales has also underlined his exceptional Championship – in an otherwise disappointing year for his country – with 38. Welsh fans may also be heartened by the precocious presence of fullback Cameron Winnett, who for many will have come from nowhere and sits third with 37 carries (see below for another impressive Winnett-related feat). Captain of two-time European Cup-winning Stade Rochelais, Alldritt is a key leader for the French national side.
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The towering second rower was at his physically confrontational best as he narrowed in on a century of test matches throughout 2021. Epitomising what it takes to be a hard man at the elite level of the game, no opposition forward was safe from Etzebeth’s wrath as he stamped his authority to remain among game’s the elite locks. One half of an all-star French halves combination, Romain Ntamack continues to emerge as one of rugby’s most promising young players. Still only 22-years-old, Ntamack has acted as a pillar of France’s recent rejuvenation in test rugby, having starred in a variety of matches from the No 10 jersey.
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“In that circumstance you’ve got to realise it’s going to be different, there’s going to be some hardships, there’s going to be some good times but there’s a lot of people there to support you. “For some players it could be out of the blue and for other players they could be preparing for it … Levani Botia said that during his entire decade of playing Fiji, these behaviours exhibited by FRU were common. Far and away the most experienced option on this list, the 91 times capped George Ford likely would have been in a shootout with Farrell for the 10 shirt, had the England captain not stepped down. The biggest obstacle he is facing is a lack of consistent game time in the 10 shirt for Leinster, which has both Byrne brothers (Harry and Ross), as well as the next man on this list, Sam Prendergast. Working alongside fellow international Craig Casey in the Munster halfbacks is another feather in the cap of the man who looks set to be the first choice for the foreseeable future.
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Handrè Pollard is the definition of a clutch player – always there to depend on in the tough moments. Aaron Woods always wanted to be a rugby league player – but the talented media performer, unsurprisingly, would’ve been talking people’s ears off if he wasn’t one. For some of the boys playing in the national team, playing for the Flying Fijians is how food gets put on the table for their families and they can’t support their families if they don’t get paid. I wholeheartedly agree with Botia’s statement that FRU should not expect the best out of their players if they are not able to pay the players who decided to join them. He also noted that had FRU kept their promises, the players that represented their country would be more focused on the upcoming games rather than the payments that FRU had either failed or refused to give them.
- His significant size in the backrow opens up a whole world of possibilities at set piece for Los Pumas – in particular, his explosive power getting off the ground quickly for lineouts and kickoff receipts.
- He obliquely referenced Sexton’s incident with Peyper seemingly unaware that Ioane was citable under the exact same offence.
- The emergence of young loose forwards like Carlo Tizzano and Fraser McReight was a huge plus, while the growth of Harry Wilson was impressive.
- His wonderful performance against Argentina at the World Cup will go down in English Rugby history as one of the best individual performances in a white shirt.
- They also defeated Australia for the first time in 69 years, a major reason why the two-time World Cup winners didn’t make the quarter-finals for the first time.
- Slater retired at the end of 2018, Drinkwater won his job in the next pre-season only to be injured in the final trial and Hughes assumed the role.
Rugby World Cup hosts France have six players in the top 20, starting with full-back Thomas Ramos in 16th place with hooker Julien Marchand in 13th. Given the hoopla in NZ over O’Mahony sledging Cane, if Ireland had simlarly abused NZ players and supporters after one of the matches in the test series we can assume the uproar would have been heard from space. In short, NZ rugby did not take responsibility for the disrespect shown to Irish players, Irish supporters and Ireland. In a year where the All Blacks struggled to reach the lofty goals they expect of themselves, Ardie Savea stood head and shoulders above his peers as the best New Zealand had to offer. The unrelenting loose forward’s powerful ball-carrying, committed defence and immense work ethic have made him an integral player for the Kiwis, as reflected by his captaincy appointment for the Rugby Championship.
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Cam Winnett for Wales, Johnny Matthews for Scotland, Ciaran Frawley or Calvin Nash for Ireland, Nocolas Depootare for France and Feyi-Waboso or Cunningham-South for England. A link player of the highest order, Am’s eye for a gap and top notch skills to either finish or put a teammate away has revolutionized Springboks Rugby from an attacking standpoint. Finally you have lost the respect of a lot of the Irish rugby community.
- Eben Etzebeth is one of the first players that comes to mind when fans think of the Springboks jersey.
- Aaron Woods always wanted to be a rugby league player – but the talented media performer, unsurprisingly, would’ve been talking people’s ears off if he wasn’t one.
- 9 – Tomos Williams – 6.5It was his frenetic spark that turned the game against Scotland last week.
- Blessed with speed, vision and footwork, it became common nature to see the young wing slide through and around defences to run in try after try – five of which were scored in a single test against Tonga.
- Melbourne Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes beats James Tedesco to the NRL Dally M Medal by one vote, while Roosters back rower Olivia Kernick is named the NRLW’s best player.
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The Centenary Quaich named after a Gaelic drinking dish, the ‘Quaich’ has been presented to the winners of the Ireland against Scotland since 1989 and won by Ireland in 2023. The four home nations also compete for various trophies, including the the Millennium trophy which has been given to the winner of the Six Nations match between England and Ireland since 1988. The trophy itself looks a little bit like a Viking helmet with horns. The Triple Crown is given to the team that defeats all the other original home nations and only England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are able to win it. A match is split into two 40-minute halves – the aim of the game is to score more points than the other team through tries, conversions, penalty kicks and drop goals. Scotland’s last championship title was the 1999 Five Nations and their last two World Cup campaigns have ended at the pool stage.
The first game of the tournament is between two sides tipped to win this year’s competition with France taking on Ireland in Marseille on Friday 2 February. Now, if he impresses new head coach Gonzalo Quesada, Varney could be the danger man as Italy look to fire in attack like they never have before to challenge the likes of Wales, England, and Scotland. Stephen Varney was brought up in Wales but opted to represent Italy to honour his grandparents. A good friend of newest NFL recruit Louis Rees-Zammit, Varney has been a consistent player in Italy’s squad since 2020. There has been a lot of change in the Italy camp heading into this tournament and so Michele Lamaro will want to be the consistent, guiding force as they look to try and finally avoid the wooden spoon.
His wonderful performance against Argentina at the World Cup will go down in English Rugby history as one of the best individual performances in a white shirt. This is not meant to disparage Farrell’s contribution to English rugby, but his presence no doubt has hampered Ford. A master tactician with a sublime passing and kicking game, Ford is an old-school game manager in the best sense of the word. With his long-term teammate and friend now unavailable and seemingly on his way to the Top 14, Ford could prove to be both the first-choice fly-half and English captain this year. Despite featuring against Italy and France in the tournament, Williams did not crack the Welsh World Cup squad.
- “So what I really wanted to do while I played but I just didn’t, I didn’t have enough time, was I’d love to open up a coffee shop and just get to meet people in the local area.
- Others are preparing to represent their countries at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris in the rugby sevens tournament.
- 10 – Ioan Lloyd – 7.5Dallied on the ball and, like a sacked quarterback, was monstered by Maro Itoje under his own sticks.
- There are quicker wings but few with the try-scoring finesse of the electric 27-year-old.
- Tadhg Beirne, Ollie Chessum and Scott Cummings are all level with Jenkins in third.
- One half of an all-star French halves combination, Romain Ntamack continues to emerge as one of rugby’s most promising young players.
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Flanker Tommy Reffell must be a nightmare to play against, such is his disruptive influence at the breakdown. Followers of Reffell since his fledgling days with the U20s and Leicester will say it was ever thus, and won’t be surprised to see him atop the list of turnovers won. Fellow back rower Sam Underhill is making up for lost time in the England jersey and has five turnovers, with Maro Itoje and Gianmarco Lucchesi behind him on four. Most surprising, perhaps, is the presence of Reffell’s former Tigers teammate George Ford among these turnover titans. Bendon recently undertook the daunting task of ranking the top 100 rugby players in the world. His annual salary of $900,000 establishes him as the fourth highest-paid rugby player.
Once he gets back on the park, expect him to make an impression quickly. Their most impressive performance was their win in New Zealand, closely followed by their dominant victory over Australia. Winning away from home against a team that hadn’t lost up to that point was mighty impressive from Felipe Contepomi’s side.
- Aki possesses the rare skill of being able to generate tremendous power from a standing start, even against a defence as robust as South Africa’s.
- While France are currently blessed with a raft of talented youngsters who have thrust Les Bleus back to the peak of their powers, few wield the influence Dupont has on both his team and the matches he plays in.
- Showed that last week’s tricks weren’t just a consequence the hopeless situation.
- Their most impressive performance was their win in New Zealand, closely followed by their dominant victory over Australia.
- Respect for team-mates, opponents, match officials and those involved in the game is paramount.
As a result, several of the sport’s finest have cemented their reputation at the tournament. This includes rugby legends like Jonny Wilkinson, Alun Wyn Jones and Ronan O’Gara, whose names remain synonymous with the championship. Very few players, if any, throughout the world of rugby exude leadership, passion and dedication like Michael Hooper does whenever he plays for the Wallabies.
Nicknamed the ‘Italian wonder kid’, Ange Capuozzo will compete at his third Six Nations in 2024. Seemingly unstoppable, Italian fans have high hopes that he will soon become one of their best Six Nations players of all-time. Ringrose achieved new heights at the 2023 Six Nations, scoring Ireland’s winning try against France. Commenting on his performance, O’Driscoll praised Ringrose’s ability to disrupt and halt oncoming attacks. But which players could make their mark at this year’s Six Nations?
Russell signed for Bath in the English Premiership for $1 million in 2023. He’s also Scotland’s co-captain for their national squad and is a fly-half. An agreement has been put in place which will prevent France’s best players from touring New Zealand in 2025. Meanwhile, Hugo Keenan is the highest-ranked full-back, claiming 10th place overall; he is joined in the top 10 along with back-rower Caelan Doris (5th). Sensational outside back Will Jordan just cracks the top 20, taking the 20th place on the list.
He is the only Fiji star to make the list and one of three tier two players to make the top 50. No England players have been selected in a top 20 list of the world’s best rugby players ahead of the Rugby World Cup. Similarly, the impact that experienced Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth provides to South Africa cannot be questioned, especially given his output at international level last year.
His teammate, Ardie Savea, is the only other member of Ian Foster’s squad that makes the list, as he comes in at number three. McReight looked very good against the ABs but I think that’s the first time I’ve seen him excel against top opposition. Ioane also makes disrespectful gestures to the Irish crowd twice, https://just-bet.org/ which is a citable offense and misconduct under the same regulation that Sexton was disciplined for abusing Peyper. He was as fast as Christian Cullen, had a pass on him as good as Quade Cooper’s and a Roger Gould boot. His telling off of Sacha was very much the right thing but hopefully not too late.
Surrounded by other young exciting forward talent in the new England setup, Martin is perhaps the most exciting of the lot. Somewhat of a throwback in his style of play, Kremer is the enforcer in a gnarly Argentine pack that never takes a backwards step. A true headhunter on defense, the giant center smashes opponents with an unrelenting velocity, while in attack, he has the glint of the great Waisale Serevi about him.
We run through their team, rating each player out of a possible 10. Singled out as one to watch by Italy great Sergio Parisse, the uncapped Izekor is a colossus of a back row who stands 6’5 tall and weighs well over 17 stones. A force on both sides of the ball, the 23-year-old will be looking to transfer his impressive form for Benetton onto the Test arena. Owen Farrell’s absence presents an important moment to one of the brightest talents in English rugby, who should now be given an extended run at fly-half. Smith shows an instinct for attack and courage to play beyond any of his rivals for the jersey, but he must also prove he can guide England through choppier waters.
4 – Dafydd Jenkins – 4.5A totem at the line-out, he lacked enough grunt to punch holes through the rush defence. 11 – Rio Dyer – 6.5This felt like a more senior, accomplished performance from Dyer. His darting runs – like the one where he reached the safe ty of his 22 after collecting a pass under his own poles – weren’t just brave, they were calculated.
