PRO14 U23 squads: Which side's future is the brightest?
Following on from our recent look at the club-by-club strengths of emerging talent in the Gallagher Premiership, we now turn our attentions to the Guinness PRO14 U23 squads.
With the Italian and South African sides leaning heavily on feeder clubs, rather than their own internal academies, a few allowances have had to be made to get an entire XV, although they are still a strong indicator of the talent that is to come through those teams over the next few years.
Unsurprisingly, the Irish provinces all look in good shape, whilst there’s plenty of talent among the Welsh regions, should they be able to hang on to it rather than see another wave of exoduses to England and France.
Luca Sperandio, Michael Mba*, Andrea Bronzini, Marco Zanon, Monty Ioane (O23); Antonio Rizzi, Charly Trussardi; Michele Mancini Parri, Engjel Makelara, Marco Riccioni; Eli Snyman, Niccolo Cannone; Giovanni Pettinelli, Michele Lamaro, Lodovico Manni.
Mba is not currently a member of Benetton, but thanks to his impressive displays in the Italian U20 side and the close proximity of his club, Rugby Casale, to Treviso, he could well be filling this position in the years to come.
Trussardi arrives from Clermont to reform his age-grade partnership with Rizzi, whilst Riccioni, Zanon and Bronzini have all played integral roles in Benetton’s recent rise up the PRO14 table.
Cardiff Blues
Rhun Williams, Owen Lane, Harri Millard, Max Llewellyn, Ioan Davies; Jarrod Evans, Jamie Hill; Corey Domachowski, Liam Belcher, Dillon Lewis; Seb Davies, Ben Murphy; James Botham, Alun Lawrence, Shane Lewis-Hughes.
Williams and Lane star in an exciting back three for the Blues, whilst Evans provides ever-increasing experience and composure at fly-half.
The loss of Rhys Carre to Saracens is a significant blow, with the tight five otherwise looking in very strong shape thanks to the likes of Lewis and Davies. As with the other Welsh regions, producing the talented players is not the issue, retaining them is.
Cheetahs
Malcolm Jaer (O23), Rabz Mazwane, Aya Olihant, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Darren Adonis; Lubabalo Dobela, Ruben de Haas; Ox Nche, Joseph Dweba, Günther Janse van Vuuren; Walt Steenkamp, Sibablo Qoma; Abongile Nonkontwana (O23), Jaspier Wiese, Junior Pokomela.
The duo of Nche and Pokomela are potentially future Springboks if they keep developing, whilst Janse van Rensburg doesn’t lack for talent or ability either.
? Outstanding stuff from the @CheetahsRugby? ?
? Powerhouse Ox Nche turns on the gas and breaks through to go over ???
Watch live on @SkySports? and @SuperSportTV?.#GUINNESSPRO14 pic.twitter.com/CmLBmoFE8Y
— PRO14 RUGBY (@PRO14Official) January 20, 2018
Changing the perception in South Africa – and globally – that the Cheetahs and Southern Kings are not the secondary South African franchises, will go a long way to helping both sides retain talent and attract some of the best youngsters in the country.
Connacht
Colm de Buitléar, Stephen Fitzgerald, Kieran Joyce, Conor Fitzgerald, Oran McNulty; Conor Dean, Stephen Kerins; Matthew Burke, Dylan Tierney-Martin, Conor Kenny; Joe Maksymiw, Niall Murray; Cillian Gallagher, Paul Boyle, Sean Masterson.
In all honesty, the level and depth of talent at Connacht probably doesn’t run quite as deep as it does at the other three Irish provinces, but it is not without future difference-makers, something which is epitomised by the displays of hooker Tierney-Martin this season with Ireland U20s.
Gallagher, Boyle and Masterson are a strong back row trio, with Gallagher in particular one to keep an eye on as he continues to develop.
Dragons
Will Talbot-Davies, Jared Rosser, Tyler Morgan, Aneurin Owen, Rio Dyer; Arwel Robson, Dan Babos; Christian Coleman, Ellis Shipp, Leon Brown; Max Williams, Joe Davies; Taine Basham, Aaron Wainwright, Harri Keddie.
Remarkably, Morgan still qualifies for this XV, despite having been part of Wales’ Rugby World Cup plans back in 2015. He, Brown and Wainwright bring international quality to the side.
Keddie, Basham and Williams are gifted in the forwards, whilst Rosser and Dyer offer plenty of potential threat out wide. As it ever is with the Dragons, they have the raw materials in place, but can they be moulded into a winning senior side?
TOP 5: Speeds tracked at the #NZSevens featuring:@OfficialKRU @WelshRugbyUnion @RugbyCanada @fijirugby @USARugby pic.twitter.com/yD7JWezp2q
— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) January 27, 2019
Edinburgh
Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham, George Taylor, Chris Dean (O23), Jack Blain; Jason Baggott, Charlie Shiel; Jack Stanley, Cameron Fenton, Murray McCallum; Callum Hunter-Hill, Jamie Hodgson; Luke Crosbie, Jamie Ritchie, Magnus Bradbury.
There is no better U23 back three in the PRO14 than the one comprised by Kinghorn, Graham and Blain, the first two of whom have starred at international level already, whilst Blain was the pick of the Scotland U20 side this season.
Similarly, you’ll find it hard to find a better back row group than Crosbie, Ritchie and Bradbury, although the lack of playmakers in the half-backs and midfield could be a cause for concern.
Glasgow Warriors
Ross Thompson, Logan Trotter, Ollie Smith, Stafford McDowall, Robbie Nairn; Adam Hastings, Jamie Dobie; Murphy Walker, Mesu Dolokoto (O23), Zander Fagerson; Scott Cummings, Andrew Davidson; Bruce Flockhart, Matt Smith, Matt Fagerson.
Glasgow swooped to snap up scrum-half Dobie this summer and his long-term pairing with Hastings is one that should excite Warriors fans, just as the prospect of McDowall offering a hard-carrying threat outside them should also do.
The Fagerson brothers, Cummings and Smith bring quality to the pack, though Dave Rennie would love to have some of the resources in the back three that Edinburgh can currently call upon.
Leinster
Jordan Larmour, Jack Kelly, David Hawkshaw, Ciaran Frawley, Tommy O’Brien; Harry Byrne, Hugh O’Sullivan; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Jack Aungier; James Ryan, Oisin Dowling; Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Caelan Doris.
Arguably the strongest XV we have been able to assemble; Leinster’s pathway has few equals in terms of its productivity. Larmour, Porter, Ryan and Deegan are the understandable headliners.
A very happy birthday today to Jordan Larmour! ??? pic.twitter.com/isTcSt8Cvb
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) June 10, 2019
Beyond that quartet, Doris and Penny offer serious potential in the back row, Kelleher and Aungier are more adept than their positions on the senior squad depth chart show, and Byrne and Hawkshaw could be the nucleus of the next generation of Leinster’s back line.
Munster
Jake Flannery, Calvin Nash, Shane Daly, Sam Arnold, Jonathan Wren; Joey Carbery, Craig Casey; Josh Wycherley, Diarmuid Barron, Ciaran Parker; Fineen Wycherley, Sean O’Connor; Gavin Coombes, Jack Daly, Conor Oliver.
Munster have definitely benefited from this latest class of U20s, with Flannery, J Wycherley and Casey all taking their chances superbly. That trio were among the standout players in Ireland’s U20 Six Nations Grand Slam this year.
Arnold, Carbery and F Wycherley then bring established quality at the senior level, with Nash and Coombes surely knocking on Johann van Graan’s door for more playing time next season.
Ospreys
Ben Cambriani, Keelan Giles, Owen Watkin, Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler, Tom Williams; Luke Price, Reuben Morgan-Williams; Rhys Davies, Dewi Lake, Lewis Jones; Adam Beard, Will Griffiths; Morgan Morris, Will Jones, Guido Volpi.
Not too many midfields will match up to the duo of Thomas-Wheeler and Watkin, especially when you factor in a threat like Giles on the outside, creating space and drawing the defence’s attentions.
Beard is an established force in the pack, although the absence of others does go to show that the Ospreys rely on a fairly veteran group of forwards at present. Lake and W Jones could help provide more balance in the coming seasons.
Scarlets
Tomi Lewis, Ryan Conbeer, Corey Baldwin, Morgan Williams, Ioan Nicholas; Dan Jones, Dane Blacker; Kemsley Mathias, Taylor Davies, Alex Jeffries (O23); Jac Price, Morgan Jones; Josh Macleod, Dan Davis, Jac Morgan.
The two Jacs, Price and Morgan, had good campaigns with the Wales U20 side and will be hopeful of pushing their claims for playing time next season, whilst Davis is one of the countless talented opensides currently coming through in the country.
The x-factor to this XV undoubtedly lies in the back line, where Baldwin and Conbeer offer exciting attacking potential, and Blacker and Jones could form a complementary pairing in the half-backs.
Southern Kings
Courtney Winnaar, Yaw Penxe, Sherwin Slater*, Erich Cronje, Michael Botha; Bader Pretorius, Josh Allderman; Alulutho Tshakweni, Tango Balekile, NJ Oosthuizen; Bobby de Wee (O23), Jerry Sexton (O23); Lusanda Badiyana, CJ Velleman (O23), Brandon Brown (O23).
Hopefully the arrival of private ownership and much-needed funds in the Eastern Province will allow the Southern Kings to retain their talented youngsters and attract some of the more coveted youngsters in the country.
Penxe has shown his ability repeatedly in the PRO14, whilst loosehead Tshakweni has plenty of talent and could develop into a formidable scrummager with the right coaching and opportunities. We have had to lean heavily on O23s to complete the XV and Slater is currently with the EP Elephants in the Currie Cup First Division.
Ulster
Michael Lowry, Rob Lyttle, Jacob Stockdale, Angus Curtis, Robert Baloucoune; Bill Johnston, Jonny Stewart; Eric O’Sullivan, Adam McBurney, Tom O’Toole; Kieran Treadwell, Matthew Dalton; Nick Timoney, Marcus Rea, Greg Jones.
Ulster can field a superb back line at this level and that’s without even including other young stars such as Hayden Hyde, Aaron Sexton and Stewart Moore. If Johnston can realise his potential at 10 following his move from Munster, the sky is the limit for this group.
There’s not quite the same production up front, although O’Toole has shown flashes and if consistency comes as he matures, that could be the toughest position in the forward pack to find a solid operator at filled.
Zebre
Junior Laloifi (O23), Pierre Bruno, Ludovico Vaccari, Enrico Lucchin (O23), Jacopo Trulla***; Michelangelo Biondelli, Nicolo Casilio; Danilo Fischetti, Massimo Ceciliani, Giosue Zilocchi; Leonard Krumov, Samuele Ortis; Iacopo Bianchi, Renato Giammarioli (O23), Giovanni Licata.
A similar situation to Benetton here, with Trulla coming in to fill the troublesome wing position, despite not being on the Zebre roster. He plays in Padova which is closer to Treviso than Parma, although he is further west than Mba and could slot in with Zebre.
Fischetti and Licata are among the standouts from the pack and, locks aside, there is a steady stream of talent being developed and pushing on for international recognition in Zebre’s group of forwards. If Davide Ruggeri makes the move down from Rugby Como, he could fill the openside spot without having to lean on an O23.
Watch: Current Wales coach Warren Gatland is happy to be heading home after the Rugby World Cup
Comments on RugbyPass
The events at this year’s six nations should undermine many of the arguments made against promotion and relegation between the six nations and the REC. If Italy had been allowed to yo-yo between divisions it conceivably could have really hurt their development, but if Italy, Wales, and Scotland are all at risk of relegation, with none of them being relegated more often than once every 3 or 4 years, you’d have to back all of them to muddle on through it, especially when you factor in the likelihood they’ll still be guaranteed world league matches against tier 1 opponents. Another way of looking at italys resurgence would be to say that the development model of adding an extra team to the six nations has worked, and now must be done again. Georgia could join to make it a 7 team round robin, and if and when Georgia demonstrate an ability to consistently win games, Portugal can also be added to make it an 8 team 2 conference competition. Frankly at this point I think it falls to world rugby to demand that the 6N act in the interests of the game. If the 6N won’t commit to expansion then the 6N teams should be handicapped in world cup draws (i.e. world cup seedings would not be based on their ranking points, but on their ranking points minus a 5 point penalty).
4 Go to commentsSteve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
27 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
5 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
2 Go to commentsOver rated for a long time…exposed at scrum time too.
3 Go to comments“Firing me” should have been Gatland’s answer.
2 Go to commentsFinn Russell logic: “World” = 4 countries. Ireland may be at or near the top. FR’s bigger concern should be he and his fellow Scots (incl. the Bloemfontein ones) sliding back down to below top 10
42 Go to commentsMind games have begun. Ireland learned their lesson after saying they could beat England with 13 players or whatever. Still, if they win at Loftus, that would be impressive - final frontier etc.
58 Go to comments$950k for a Prop that isn’t fit enough to play 10 mins of rugby? Surely there is someone better to replace Big Mike with
3 Go to commentsFour Kiwis in that backline. A solid statement on the lack of invention, risk-taking and joy in the NH game; game of attrition and head- banging tedium. Longterm medical problems aplenty in the future!
5 Go to commentsGood article, I learnt quite a lot. A big sliding door moment was in the mid 00s when they rejected Steve Anderson's long term transformation and he wrote Ireland's strategy instead.
2 Go to commentsHi Dr Nick! I'm worried that I've started to enjoy watching England and have actually wanted them to win their last two games. What would you prescribe? On a more serious note, I've noticed that the standard of play in March is often better than early February. Do you think this is because of the weather or because the players have been together for longer?
27 Go to commentsMy question in all this brett is who is going to wear the consequences of these actions? Surely just getting the sack isn’t sufficient? A teenager working the till at woolies would probably get taken to court if they took $20 out of the till. You mean to tell me that someone can spend $2.6 million and get away with it? Where was it spent? What companies/people were the beneficiaries etc? How is it just being talked about as an ‘oopsie’ and we all just move on and not a matter of the court for gross negligence, fraud, take your pick…
20 Go to commentslove Manu too but England have relied on him coming back from injury for far too long and not sorted the position with someone else long term . It will be a blessing he has gone . Huge shame he was so injury prone . God speed Manu .
3 Go to commentsI agree with Ben Smith about Brett Cameron. The No. 6 position has to be a monster and a genuine lineout option, like Ollivon, Lawes (now Chessum), Du Toit, etc. The only player who fits that bill right now is Scott Barrett. A fit and fizzing Tuipolotu together with one of the young towers, Sam Darry or Josh Lord, would give Razor the freedom to play Barret at 6.
16 Go to commentsOutstanding article, Graham. Agree with all of it. And enjoy the style of writing too (particularly Grand Slap!).
3 Go to commentsI wouldn't pay a cent for that loafer. He just stands around, waiting for play to come his way. He won't make the Wallabies.
3 Go to commentsGood bit of te reo maori Nic. Or is that Niko or Nikora? On the theme of trees the Oaks v Totara. Game plan would be key. I have one but it would cost you.
27 Go to comments> Shaun Edwards’ You should not have to score 30 points to win a game, as exciting as it is. This statement was surprising to me. It is nonsensical .I guess it is a defence coach speaking. But head coach, defence and attacking coaches all work together. They are inseparable. You score more than the opposition to win. It only needs to be one score. You score whatever the game demands, whatever the opposition demand. You defend whatever it takes. The attack coach needs to be able to clock up 30pts if need be.
27 Go to commentsWho’d have thought, not having Farrell & Youngs kicking the ball at every possible opportunity and playing flat and allowing your centres to run and pass would pay off? No one could possibly have seen this coming. FML. It took a LONG time coming but at least that time has finally come. England need to find a backup to Lawrence. Freeman is the best candidate for me, I see no reason why he can't play 12. He's big, strong, fast and has great hands.
27 Go to comments