Ten players to watch in the November Tests
The beginning of the autumn internationals proper are now just days away, as the southern hemisphere’s elite round off their seasons by taking on the best the northern hemisphere has to offer.
The All Blacks suddenly look fallible, the Wallabies are beginning to click, the Springboks are putting their annus horribilis behind them and the Pumas can’t seem to buy a win.
Meanwhile, in the north, England have just the one loss in two years of rugby, Ireland are intent on entrenching themselves as the number three side in the world, Wales and Scotland are jockeying for position in the chasing pack and Italy are looking to build on a positive start to the season from their clubs.
As for France, well, they are being typically French. The talent is there, they have the physical and technical ability, but as to how they will perform this month? Who knows?
We pick out one uncapped player or relative newcomer from each of these 10 nations to keep an eye on over the next few weeks and who could announce themselves as big parts of their respective nations’ Rugby World Cup preparations.
Asafo Aumua, New Zealand
The young hooker lit up the World Rugby U20 Championship in the summer, showcasing a skill set which already has people comparing him to his international teammate, Dane Coles. He made his first appearance for the All Blacks against the Barbarians at the weekend and may be limited to featuring in the midweek game against a France XV over the next month, but such is his talent, he warrants highlighting.
In addition to Coles and Aumua, New Zealand have also brought Codie Taylor and Nathan Harris to Europe with them and those more experienced players may well be preferred to take on France, Scotland and Wales in the Test matches proper.
Ellis Genge, England
The suspension to Joe Marler has opened the door for Genge, who has been in blistering form to start the season for Leicester Tigers. His bruising carries have caught the eye, as he has marauded his way through would-be tacklers, but he is also becoming a much more consistent scrummager.
In addition to Marler’s suspension for the Argentina game, Eddie Jones has spoken of his desire to rest some of his British and Irish Lions, which means Mako Vunipola’s minutes could be managed over the next month, creating further opportunities for Genge to play a central role in England’s autumn.
Lukhan Tui, Australia
The Wallabies’ engine room has been in flux for some time now and no player has come in and stamped their authority on the lock position. Tui could be the man to change that.
His impact off the bench in Australia’s win over New Zealand was eye-catching and reinforced what he had previously demonstrated in the U20s, but at a much higher level. Tui is certainly a more dynamic option in the row than Australia have been used to over the last few years and that is something their international rivals, such as New Zealand and England, have in abundance.
Jacob Stockdale, Ireland
Not since Shane Horgan have Ireland had someone of this size available on the wing. The Ulsterman isn’t all about the power, either, with the soft hands, ball-tracking and speed you wouldn’t always expect to find in a man of his dimensions.
With Simon Zebo excluded due to his impending move to France, there could be a new look to Ireland’s back three this month and Stockdale should play a prominent role. Joe Schmidt has never been one to shy away from building his back line with the kicking game strongly in mind and there’s no doubt Stockdale is a powerful aerial weapon for the Kiwi to utilise.
Lukhanyo Am, South Africa
No South African player may have boosted their profile this season as much as Am did with the Sharks. Playing a more open brand of rugby, the Sharks prospered with talented, ball-handling backs like Am, Jeremy Ward and Curwin Bosch, and Am has been justly rewarded with a place in the Springboks squad this November.
There are household names in contention for the Springbok midfield, such as Damien de Allende and Jesse Kriel, as well as the impressive Francois Venter, so his inclusion is far from a certainty, but if he gets the opportunity, his threat as a carrier and player on the gain-line will worry opposition teams.
Scott Cummings, Scotland
Cummings is a player new Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend knows well from his time at Glasgow Warriors and for whom that familiarity may well work in his favour this month. There is no Richie Gray in the squad, making the spot alongside Jonny Gray one that can be competed for.
Cummings has the set-piece ability, as well as more than making himself known in the loose and Townsend could look to involve him heavily, with one eye on the future. Grant Gilchrist and Tim Swinson are solid options, so Cummings will have to impress in training this week to put pressure on them in the Scotland 23.
Owen Watkin, Wales
If it were not for a serious knee injury, we’d likely have been talking about Watkin as one to watch last season, with Warren Gatland having had an eye on him for quite some time now. The 21-year-old is a frightening mix of size, speed and technical ability, and he has shown his class throughout the age-grades, as well as for the Ospreys at regional level.
He provides the power that Wales covet in their centres, but with a subtlety that they have not always had during the Gatland era. The Kiwi has spoken of wanting Wales to add a playmaker to the midfield, which typically means a fly-half-like skill set in the 12 jersey and though that wouldn’t precisely fit the Watkin mould, he does bring his own brand of game-breaking, play-creating ability to the inside centre spot.
Anthony Belleau, Toulon
Damien Penaud, Antoine Dupont, Anthony Jelonch. There is no shortage of choices here, but with France missing Camille Lopez through injury, there is a chance they could find their fly-half of the future – and the present? – in Belleau.
The diminutive fly-half is growing into his playmaking role at the Stade Mayol and showing few signs of being adversely affected by the giant shadows cast by the likes of Jonny Wilkinson and Matt Giteau. He is not immune to the kind of mercurial play that has so often blighted French standoffs in the professional era, but there is a sensible head on young shoulders with Belleau that many other young French 10s have lacked over the past decade.
Marcos Kremer, Argentina
With Tomás Lavanini a walking yellow card at times, Kremer’s rise couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for Los Pumas. Kremer brings the same physicality to the position and can assume a similar “enforcer” role if required, but he has a cooler head on his shoulders.
Having turned 20 just a few months ago, Kremer is already staring down the barrel of double-figure international caps by the end of November and with Argentina struggling at the moment, he is the kind of player they can look to build around, not only heading into the 2019 RWC, but also the next two tournaments after that.
Giovanni Licata, Italy
In recent years, the Azzurri have not been the best at identifying high-level talent at a young age and ensuring they are on the pathway to senior international involvement as soon as possible. The selection of Licata this month speaks to a trend change.
The young back-rower shone at the World Rugby U20 Championship this summer and comparisons have already been made to the talismanic Sergio Parisse. Those are almost impossibly large shoes to fill but Licata has shown shades of the 126-cap man, with a strong carrying game, great work rate and an eagerness to lead and communicate on the pitch.
Comments on RugbyPass
Exeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
29 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
29 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
85 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
85 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
29 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
11 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
11 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
11 Go to comments