Content
- Former Wallabies assistant poised to take over as Fiji national coach
- England
- Andrew Porter – Ireland – Prop
- Related News
- South Africa – Simply Unmatched
- Other France players to watch
- Connor Bedard Was a Huge Draw As a Rookie. Will His Star Power Rise?
- Julian Montoya – Argentine – Hooker
- One Big Thing To Know About Every Round 3 Match in The URC
- Ex-Crusaders star singles out the All Black whose stock rose during Rugby Championship
- Defence – Paul Gabrillagues
- The ‘stark evidence’ which shows Rassie Erasmus’ Bok evolution as Springboks dominate Rugby Championship stats
- Other England names to watch
The once-intimidating aura of the All Blacks seems to have faded.They are by no means in crisis like the Wallabies, but at the moment, they aren’t performing at a level that puts them among the elite. The Wallabies finished last, with only a last-minute win against Argentina in South America to their name. Australian rugby is clearly feeling the effects of a disruptive tenure under Eddie Jones.Joe Schmidt has a massive job ahead of him. The Wallabies are in the doldrums and need a significant boost in quality in their forward pack, particularly in the tight five, as well as finding a flyhalf capable of controlling the game. The 2024 Rugby Championship was filled with thrilling encounters between four of the top rugby nations. Bet Central takes a look at how all the teams fared in this year’s competition.
Former Wallabies assistant poised to take over as Fiji national coach
His kicking game, especially his positional kicking, has improved out of sight. His versatility as a playmaker, like his ability to act as a first receiver, second receiver or sweep runner, makes him dangerous anywhere and everywhere. Melbourne Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes beats James Tedesco to the NRL Dally M Medal by one vote, while Roosters back rower Olivia Kernick is named the NRLW’s best player. Note that the “position” column lists the position at which the player made his Test debut, not necessarily the position for which he is best known. For example, Jonny Wilkinson made his Test debut off the bench as a Wing, but is more famous as a Fly-half.
England
The 23-year-old has won only eight caps “but this could be the campaign where he really makes a name for himself”, said Wales Online. The Scarlets’ playmaker “remains a work in progress” but is “highly regarded” by the Wales management, and seen as a player with an “extremely bright future on the international circuit”. Last year, with Ireland winning all their matches to secure the Grand Slam, they also won the Triple Crown. There’s not just the tournament winners title up for grabs, the Six Nations teams compete to win various other trophies.
Andrew Porter – Ireland – Prop
The captain behind South Africa’s World Cup success in 2019, Siya Kolisi’s influence and leadership within the Springboks squad was a significant reason behind their series triumph over the British and Irish Lions. It was also a major reason behind their exhilarating victory over the All Blacks on the Gold Coast, as was his exceptional defensive and breakdown work. It’s hard to imagine if the Springboks would be the world’s top-ranked side without Kolisi, who will no doubt be instrumental in their World Cup title defence next year. Wing Duhan van der Merwe is lethal with ball in hand and some space. Arguably his best try scored was against England in the 2023 Six Nations, where he beat five defenders and ran 55m.
Related News
Is there a team with more depth in world rugby right now than the Springboks? No team in the world can match the depth the Springboks have, and it was fully on display in the Rugby Championship, which they won after losing only once. The All Blacks are rarely second-best, let alone third-best, but this year they finished third in the tournament.
- 11 – Rio Dyer – 6.5This felt like a more senior, accomplished performance from Dyer.
- Ireland were crowned Six Nations Grand Slam champions in 2023 thanks to a bonus point win against England in Dublin.
- Samoan rugby is in shock after head coach and former Scarlets hooker Mahonri Schwalger was, according to local reports, charged with “multiple serious offences”, including “sexual conduct with a person under 16“.
- Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
- With his own future now secured, Woods advised the current and future crops of NRL players to “keep asking questions”.
- “It’s such a rollercoaster of emotions,” rugby player Stephanie Rovetti said.
South Africa – Simply Unmatched
With Manly bowing out of the premiership race, Woods enjoyed his last ‘Mad Monday’ as a professional rugby league player recently. It was “pretty tame” compared to when he first entered the NRL world. With game time now under the belt, ALB will be perfectly primed for a strong year as Waikato look to go one better, and will plenty on the line to play for with positions in the All Blacks starting XV open. Sharing the record with Telea with 12 tries last season, Codie Taylor is a formidable veteran at the head of a dangerous Crusaders pack. With 2024 NFL training camps on the horizon, the league’s true insiders made their voices heard.
Other France players to watch
Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast. Fans will disagree on who they believe would make the top 10, with all manner of factors to consider – with trophies, scoring ability and leadership skills all involved.
Connor Bedard Was a Huge Draw As a Rookie. Will His Star Power Rise?
4 – Dafydd Jenkins – 4.5A totem at the line-out, he lacked enough grunt to punch holes through the rush defence. 11 – Rio Dyer – 6.5This felt like a more senior, accomplished performance from Dyer. His darting runs – like the one where he reached the safe ty of his 22 after collecting a pass under his own poles – weren’t just brave, they were calculated.
Julian Montoya – Argentine – Hooker
Once he gets back on the park, expect him to make an impression quickly. Their most impressive performance was their win in New Zealand, closely followed by their dominant victory over Australia. Winning away from home against a team that hadn’t lost up to that point was mighty impressive from Felipe Contepomi’s side.
One Big Thing To Know About Every Round 3 Match in The URC
- Additionally, Will Hurd and Harry Paterson will make their debuts.
- Along with Fraser McReight and Jordan Petaia, Tate McDermott is set for a critical season at the Reds.
- With Manly bowing out of the premiership race, Woods enjoyed his last ‘Mad Monday’ as a professional rugby league player recently.
- Our round-up of the finest rugby union players in the world right now.
- The once-intimidating aura of the All Blacks seems to have faded.They are by no means in crisis like the Wallabies, but at the moment, they aren’t performing at a level that puts them among the elite.
- The main way is by scoring a try – carrying the ball over the opponent’s goal-line, which scores five points.
Nothing too flashy, he continued to find his close-in runners and – mostly – his areas when box kicking. 15 – Cameron Winnett – 8Didn’t https://just-bet.org/ merely catch high balls and hoof them back. He showed maturity and composure, looking up with the intent to impact the game.
Previous captain Owen Farrell is unavailable, saying he wants to “prioritise his mental wellbeing”, so Jamie George takes over the role, leading the squad as the new captain. Ireland, who won the Six Nations last year, come into this year’s tournament with something to prove, having gone into last year’s World Cup with high expectations, only to lose out in the quarter-finals. France joined the tournament in 1910, with five teams competing for 90 years until Italy were invited to join the competition in 2000. The latest edition of the men’s Six Nations is fast approaching, with the 2024 championship starting the first weekend of February. He is up there as one of the best No 8s in world rugby and will be key to Les Bleus navigating the tournament without Antoine Dupont.
- The lock has won more than 100 caps for his country, and continues to be one of, if not the best lock in the world.
- Five years later, at the close of 2023, he was finally granted French citizenship.
- Following the conclusion of the 2024 Six Nations, we rated all the players who featured in the Championship, next up, fifth-placed finishers, Gonzalo Quesada’s Italy.
- The 2024 Rugby Championship was filled with thrilling encounters between four of the top rugby nations.
- Historically, Ireland has steered clear of rushing players onto the international stage, but the 6’4” Prendergast is an exception.
He is the only Fiji star to make the list and one of three tier two players to make the top 50. No England players have been selected in a top 20 list of the world’s best rugby players ahead of the Rugby World Cup. Similarly, the impact that experienced Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth provides to South Africa cannot be questioned, especially given his output at international level last year.
Rugby World Cup hosts France have six players in the top 20, starting with full-back Thomas Ramos in 16th place with hooker Julien Marchand in 13th. Given the hoopla in NZ over O’Mahony sledging Cane, if Ireland had simlarly abused NZ players and supporters after one of the matches in the test series we can assume the uproar would have been heard from space. In short, NZ rugby did not take responsibility for the disrespect shown to Irish players, Irish supporters and Ireland. In a year where the All Blacks struggled to reach the lofty goals they expect of themselves, Ardie Savea stood head and shoulders above his peers as the best New Zealand had to offer. The unrelenting loose forward’s powerful ball-carrying, committed defence and immense work ethic have made him an integral player for the Kiwis, as reflected by his captaincy appointment for the Rugby Championship.
Cam Winnett for Wales, Johnny Matthews for Scotland, Ciaran Frawley or Calvin Nash for Ireland, Nocolas Depootare for France and Feyi-Waboso or Cunningham-South for England. A link player of the highest order, Am’s eye for a gap and top notch skills to either finish or put a teammate away has revolutionized Springboks Rugby from an attacking standpoint. Finally you have lost the respect of a lot of the Irish rugby community.
- Planet Rugby have been going through the ‘Top 50’ over the last few weeks and they’ve finally named their all-important ‘Top 10’ with one Irish player making the cut.
- A good friend of newest NFL recruit Louis Rees-Zammit, Varney has been a consistent player in Italy’s squad since 2020.
- Before the World Cup even started, Fiji had gone undefeated in the Pacific Nations Cup and had beaten England for the first time in history.
- Now a first-choice selection on New Zealand’s team sheet, another big year beckons for Jordan in 2022 as he looks to maintain his immaculate strike rate.
- The fastest player ever to reach 40 tries in Super Rugby, Sevu Reece, in partnership with former Crusader Leicester Fainga’anuku, was a major reason behind their team’s insane ability to score tries.
- A host of rugby’s most gifted players will go head to head over the coming weeks in the 25th instalment of the Guinness Six Nations.
- Bendon recently undertook the daunting task of ranking the top 100 rugby players in the world.
- So, as the rugby world awaits the imminent squad announcements, here are three fly-half options for each nation who should get the first crack at the whip in 2024.
Wing Monty Ioane, who appears to be an ever-present across a number of categories, such is his potency in attack, is third with 10. Some of the best rugby players in the world are in the thick of their 2024 summer international season following a long professional season that just ended. A mountain of a man who has long been a vital component of Ireland’s recent successes, Tadhg Furlong is among the few players who is a guaranteed selection in any given World XV. A strong scrummager and effective ball carrier, Furlong undoubtedly remains the best tighthead prop on the planet. Apparently, this wasn’t the only time FRU decided to mess with the team.
Another pair of players that are unsurprisingly right up near the top of the most valuable list given how significantly they influence the clashes they feature in. A powerful duo assume the responsibility of being the top-ranked players in 2024 with Antoine Dupont unavailable. The 21-year-old arguably is Borthwick’s most viable long-term option, given his ability to combine what the England coach traditionally has favored with a strong running game.
International And Local Golf News And Tournaments
When England played to his style at the latter end of the World Cup it worked wonders and his kicking game could be pivotal in the Six Nations. George has been picked by the England head coach for his tactical nous, ability to build relationships, and emotional intelligence. With Owen Farrell opting to take a break from international duty and then signing for French side Racing 92, the time came for England to turn to someone new as their full-time captain. Additionally, with Antoine Dupont absent, Grégory Alldritt will steer the 2024 Six Nations squad. Widely regarded as one of the finest number eights in the modern game, fans will be eager to see how Dupont’s replacement performs.
“I’ve played footy for 15 years since I finished high school, now I’ve got to go out and get a proper job. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous and scared because you’re going into the real world now. Woods, along with fellow retirees, will be celebrated on grand final day.
Lowe has “rapidly become one of the most exciting wings in international rugby”, said Rugby All Star. His performances for Ireland have been marked by “blistering pace, deft handling, and an uncanny ability to find the try line”. And, as his impressive attacking stats prove, he is a player who can “turn a game on its head with a single moment of brilliance”.
With Biggar now retired from international rugby, and Gareth Anscombe playing his club rugby in Japan, Costelow is the last remaining fly-half option from Wales’ 2023 Rugby World Cup squad. An already established member of the All Blacks’ starting 23, Anton Lienert-Brown will be hoping to kick-start a stronger season in Waikato. Walking into their starting side with the likes of Lalomilo Lalomilo and Alex Nankivell departing the team, 2023 felt like like Lienert-Brown was still finding his feet again after an injury-ridden 2022 season. The fastest player ever to reach 40 tries in Super Rugby, Sevu Reece, in partnership with former Crusader Leicester Fainga’anuku, was a major reason behind their team’s insane ability to score tries. A ruthless finisher, Reece is still no less of a threat out on the wings for Canterbury, and many backlines will have their work cut out just trying to shut him down.