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U20 Six Nations - Players to Watch

By Alex Shaw
The U20 Six Nations, is also set to kick-off this weekend.

Whilst excitement levels are understandably peaking for the 2018 edition of the Six Nations, it’s younger counterpart, the U20 Six Nations, is also set to kick-off this weekend.

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It provides not only fans with a glimpse into the future of their respective national teams, but it is also a hugely important competition for coaches and rugby recruitment folks, who get an opportunity to see some of the most talented youngsters on the planet step up to a new level and witness how they cope in an environment different to the one they have been nurtured in as schoolboys and academy members.

England will be keen to defend the title they won last season and maintain their stranglehold on the tournament, having won it six out of the 10 times it has been contested, but there will be plenty of competition this season, with the Welsh and French squads looking particularly strong on paper.

We have picked out a player from each nation to keep an eye on over the next seven weeks.

 

Ben Loader, England and London Irish

People are well-aware of Ben Earl and Ben Curry thanks to their impact in senior rugby and Gabriel ibitoye was a Junior World Player of the Year nominee last season, so we have gone with a newcomer to the set-up in Loader.

This talented wing has already started to see senior rugby in the Challenge Cup, an impressive feat given that he is in his first year out of school, and has the perfect blend of size, agility and speed to develop into a well-rounded player at the senior level. He is also comfortable playing at full-back and the chemistry between him and fellow London Irish player Tom Parton, England’s incumbent full-back, could be something to watch this season.

Big and brutal ball-carriers Sam Moore and Tom Willis will be prominent in England’s back-row, too, whilst early impressions are that Marcus Street could be something special at tighthead prop, if he continues to develop.

 

Cameron Woki, France and Bordeaux Bègles

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There are certain trends that permeate nations at this level and one of those is that France will always have a cadre of talented scrum-halves. That is no different this year, with Arthur Coville particularly worth watching, but we’ve gone for a back-rower in Woki.

Another product of the RC Massy club, who helped develop Sekou Macalou, Yacouba Camara and Judicaël Cancoriet, Woki is similar in style to Macalou, with the speed to be dynamic in the loose and the height and reach to be a valued weapon at the lineout. That highly-prized combination has already seen him start to feature semi-regularly for Bordeaux in the Top 14 and Challenge Cup.

It’ll be an interesting couple of years for Woki, who will have to manage the requirements to put on more weight at the senior level, but who will hopefully not lose that dynamism he currently has. He is in a good situation at Bordeaux, in fairness, with the club having proven to be very trusting of younger players in the senior squad.

 

Ronan Kelleher, Ireland and Leinster

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Kelleher went a little under the radar last season, with the bigger talking point in Ireland being Tadgh McElroy’s omission from the World Rugby U20 Championship squad due to his impending move to Saracens, but that shouldn’t detract from what was an impressive season from Kelleher.

The hooker stepped up well in McElroy’s absence and took hold of the jersey out in Georgia and now returns in his second year, ready to make a statement and throw his hat into the mix as a prospect to compete with Niall Scannell, Rhys Marshall and the other senior hookers after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Look for a solid set-piece and bullocking runs from Kelleher to be at the heart of Ireland’s efforts this season.

The fly-half duel between Harry Byrne and Angus Curtis will also be something worth watching, as are powerful props James French and Jack Aungier.

 

Antonio Rizzi, Italy and Petrarca

Alongside tighthead Marco Riccioni and No 8 Giovanni Licata, Rizzi was one of the three standout players for Italy last season, pulling the strings at fly-half and helping make Italy look a more threatening proposition than they often are at this level.

Trying to find a genuine “franchise” fly-half has been a persistent issue for Italy since the days of Diego Domínguez and though you don’t want to put that kind of pressure on young shoulders, Rizzi is arguably the most polished-looking stand-off Italy have had at this age-grade. He needs to back up what he showed last season with another good campaign this year, but he must be a player well on the radar of Conor O’Shea and Mike Catt.

If he can exhibit an improved level of control in this tournament, a skill he will certainly need in senior rugby, it could go a long way towards Benetton or Zebre trusting him in a role at fly-half.

 

Callum McLelland, Scotland and Edinburgh

There are a lot of interesting inclusions in the Scotland side this year, including highly-rated South African prop Nathan McBeth, former Premiership U18 standouts Devante Onojaife, Charlie Chapman and Sam Yawayawa and the French-based pairing of Ewan Johnson and Charlie Gowling.

McLelland, though, has an interesting backstory of his own, converting from rugby league, where he was highly thought of at Castleford Tigers and previously represented England at age-grade levels. It’s a transition that usually occurs a little later in a player’s career but moving over early and getting the opportunity to learn his craft at this level seems like a wise move.

Honestly, we are taking a bit of a punt here on McLelland, with minimal knowledge of his ability in union, but it certainly makes him an interesting player to watch over the next seven weeks, not only to see how he is adapting to union, but also to see what skills he brings from the 13-man code.

 

Corey Baldwin, Wales and Scarlets

No shortage of players to mention here, particularly with standouts like Rhys Carre, Ryan Conbeer and Max Williams all returning from last season.

Wales have had no trouble whatsoever at producing physically-gifted back line players in recent years and if you combine that with the focus that the Scarlets put on technical ability and being comfortable playing at pace, the result is a player like Baldwin. He has already featured for the Scarlets this season in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the combination he should form with his regional teammate Conbeer could be electrifying at this level.

When Owen Watkin came through the U20 set-up a couple of years ago, you could see there was something different about him and that same combination of ability and self-confidence can be found in Baldwin, who will certainly make people sit up and take notice this year.

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J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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