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10 of the most monstrous specimens at the World Rugby U20 Championship

Daniel Brennan. Vaauli Faamausili and Georges-Henri Colombe.

If you wanted evidence of the increasing size of players entering the ranks of professional rugby, you don’t have to go to far. The World Rugby U20 Championship which is currently being played out in Georgia has some giant specimens on show.

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In many respects it’s hardly surprising, as the bulk of players competing for Tier 1 sides in the competition are attached to professional sides: be it as part of an academy, on the verge of signing fully professional contracts, or some in cases fully fledged professionals already competing at the top level for their clubs. Both Kirwin Bosch at the Sharks and Zach Mercer at Bath spring to mind.

A few years short years ago if an U20s player tipped the scales at 130kg, it would have drawn considerable attention. Now – while not quite the norm – these monstrous teens are certainly more common place.

The tournament was in fact denied it’s largest specimen. 6’4, 145kg Vaauli Faamausili (that’s nearly 23 stone in old money) was part of the Wallabies U20s who competed in the Oceania U20s competition last month. The Rebels U20s giant is not however part of the squad that is competing in Georgia.

Yet he would not have been the only huge specimen at the tournament. Here’s a run down of the tournament’s largest man-children.

Argentina
Lucas Martin Paulos Adler
Lock
199cm
123kg

Australia
Gavin Luka
Prop
188cm
132kg

France
Daniel Brennan
Prop
192cm
130kg

France
Georges-Henri Colombe Reazel
193cm
133kg

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New Zealand
Alex Falani Fidow
Prop
187cm
128kg

Samoa
Suetena Asomua
Lock
197cm
125kg

Scotland
Fergus Bradbury
Prop
193cm
129kg

Scotland
Adam Scott Nicol
Prop
185cm
129kg

South Africa
Carlu Johann Sadie
Prop
180cm
126kg

South Africa
Gerhardus Steenkamp
Prop
194cm
128kg

Wales
Prop
Rhys Michael Timothy Carre
190cm
128kg

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SK 1 hour ago
The times are changing, and some Six Nations teams may be left behind

If you are building the same amount of rucks but kicking more is that a bad thing? Kicks are more constestable than ever, fans want to see a contest, is that a bad thing? kicks create broken field situations where counter attacks from be launched from or from which turnover ball can be exploited, attacks are more direct and swift rather than multiphase in nature, is that a bad thing? What is clear now is that a hybrid approach is needed to win matches. You can still build phases but you need to play in the right areas so you have to kick well. You also have to be prepared to play from turnover ball and transition quickly from the kick contest to attack or set your defence quickly if the aerial contest is lost. Rugby seems healthy to me. The rules at ruck time means the team in possession is favoured and its more possible than ever to play a multiphase game. At the same time kicking, set piece, kick chase and receipt seems to be more important than ever. Teams can win in so many ways with so many strategies. If anything rugby resembles footballs 4-4-2 era. Now football is all about 1 striker formations with gegenpress and transition play vs possession heavy teams, fewer shots, less direct play and crossing. Its boring and it plods along with moves starting from deep, passing goalkeepers and centre backs and less wing play. If we keep tinkering with the laws rugby will become a game with more defined styles and less variety, less ways to win effectively and less varied body types and skill sets.

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