Six times rugby players smashed it on debut
Every professional player dreams of the perfect start to their career, be it for their club, country or even when switching from a different sport.
RugbyPass looks at six times that rugby players smashed it on their debut.
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WATCH: Huw Jones takes on Jack Carty and Jordi Murphy takes on Vakh Abdaladze in the remaining first round fixtures of ‘Rugbypass Fifa Pros’.
Lesley Vainikolo
While Lesley Vanikolo’s rugby union career did not blossom in the same way his one in league did, he certainly started his time with Gloucester with a bang in September 2007.
After racking up 149 tries in 152 games for the Bradford Bulls, the explosive winger bagged five tries in his first outing for the Cherry and Whites against Leeds Carnegie. He would go on to be capped by England later that season, but failed to cross the whitewash in his five Test outings.
Israel Folau
Another high profile convert from rugby league, Israel Folau was thrown in at the deep end for his Wallabies debut in 2013 in the first Test against the British and Irish Lions.
While there are others that have amassed better stats on debut, none have done it against opposition of this calibre. Playing on the wing, Folau scored two tries, including a world-class finish for his second, in which he beat three defenders. With his trademark aerial supremacy, the Wallaby gave a glimpse of the player he was going to be in the succeeding years.
Stefan Terblanche
Four tries in a Test match is always a remarkable feat, so it was all the more impressive for Springbok Stefan Terblanche on debut in 1998. The winger scored after three minutes, and left a trail of sprawling Irish defenders in his wake on the Bloemfontein turf all day, showing how evasive and hard to contain he was.
The South African was no stranger to the try line throughout his 37-cap international career, scoring 19 tries, which included five in a single match against Italy in 1999.
Julian Savea
The All Blacks’ Julian Savea started his Test career in the same way he intended to continue with a hattrick against Ireland in 2012. It was not necessarily the tries which made the surging winger’s debut special though, as he made his presence felt in all aspects of the game. The 21-year-old put in some bone-crunching tackles and caused havoc in all areas of the field with ball in hand.
The Toulon winger won his most recent cap in 2017, but still has a haul of 46 tries in 54 appearances for his country.
Dan Carter
There were signs in his very first All Blacks Test that Dan Carter was capable of being a player that could dominate the game and cement his place amongst the Pantheon of rugby greats.
Starting at inside centre, where he first made his name in black, against Wales in 2003, Carter scored the first 20 of his 1598 international points. This included one try, six conversions and a penalty, as well as an assist for Tana Umaga’s try.
George North
At the age of 18 years and 214 days, George North became Wales’ third youngest player in 2010, when he started against the reigning world champions the Springboks at the Millenium Stadium. He went over for his first try in the sixth minute, scything through a gap in the middle of the field, and added his second before the hour after being on the end of a crossfield kick.
At such a young age, he made a statement to the world, coming off his wing and imposing himself in the middle of the field all afternoon. It was the beginning of a Test career that is still going strong as he nears his century of caps.
Comments on RugbyPass
This sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
12 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
77 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
12 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
12 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
12 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
12 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
12 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to comments