Content
- Mark Telea – New Zealand – Winger
- Where To Watch Summer Rugby Internationals 2024?
- Six Nations 2024: Leaders and rising stars
- The Flying Fijians are going to need more firepower to match it with the All Blacks
- Ireland in danger of dropping out of top 10 in World Rugby Women’s Rankings powered by Capgemini
- Connor Bedard Was a Huge Draw As a Rookie. Will His Star Power Rise?
- George Martin – England – Utility Forward
- Six Nations 2024: A guide to the teams and top players at rugby union’s big tournament
- The permutations that could see South Africa dethroned as world number one
- Israeli air strikes rock southern suburbs of Beirut and cut off a key crossing into Syria
- Spain secure seventh straight Rugby Europe Women’s Championship title
- The best TV and entertainment news in your inbox
Nicknamed the ‘Italian wonder kid’, Ange Capuozzo will compete at his third Six Nations in 2024. Seemingly unstoppable, Italian fans have high hopes that he will soon become one of their best Six Nations players of all-time. Ringrose achieved new heights at the 2023 Six Nations, scoring Ireland’s winning try against France. Commenting on his performance, O’Driscoll praised Ringrose’s ability to disrupt and halt oncoming attacks. But which players could make their mark at this year’s Six Nations?
Mark Telea – New Zealand – Winger
We got insight from one of Scotland’s all-time greats, Chris Paterson, who was quick to praise Toulouse star Blair Kinghorn. Rugby is a collision sport, which means that power in contact is a bare minimum for players. However, some players are physical beasts on the pitch, and we got insight from ex-England back-rower Nick Easter about who the most powerful player in the 2024 Six Nations is. Planet Rugby teamed up with Two Cents Rugby, eToro and a host of former players and coaches to answer that question.
Where To Watch Summer Rugby Internationals 2024?
- But which players could make their mark at this year’s Six Nations?
- A force on both sides of the ball, the 23-year-old will be looking to transfer his impressive form for Benetton onto the Test arena.
- However, in essence, the RugbyPass Top 100 is a celebration of the stars who shone the brightest on rugby’s biggest stage last year.
- At just 20 years old, Cunningham-South is already forging a fierce reputation.
- A quasi backrow-cum-center in the front row, Toulouse star Mauvaka is a new hooker who would slot into any team in world rugby.
He made 10 clean breaks, beat 30 defenders, made 28 tackles and scored five tries at the tournament. Aki has won two Six Nations titles with Ireland and the Pro12 with club Connacht. “I always asked a thousand questions and a lot of times some coaches took it the wrong way, even when I was a leader or a media player,” he explained. “We’ve always been that rugby league player where people have done our health insurance and our pay and all that sort of stuff. If you haven’t looked into that while you were playing now you’ve got to go out and really get to know what the real world is all about. This issue is quite concerning for the Flying Fijians as they are one of the best Tier 2 nations in World Rugby and, quite frankly, don’t deserve to be labelled as such.
Six Nations 2024: Leaders and rising stars
One of the standout All Blacks of 2023, Roigard is looming as the perfect successor to Aaron Smith in Scott Robertson’s starting side. Scoring nine tries last year, he’ll be in stiff competition with teammate TJ Perenara for starting caps in both Wellington and the national side. Along with Fraser McReight and Jordan Petaia, Tate McDermott is set for a critical season at the Reds. Scott Robertson won’t be disheartened, though, as there were many positives. However, his Achilles’ heel was the bench’s inability to close out games as well as they started.
- Being central to such a significant comeback after years of dormancy deserves recognition, hence why Dupont has claimed top spot in the RugbyPass Top 100.
- This issue is quite concerning for the Flying Fijians as they are one of the best Tier 2 nations in World Rugby and, quite frankly, don’t deserve to be labelled as such.
- The return of Len Ikitau also provided much-needed defensive strength and attacking creativity.
- A contender for player of the 2023 World Cup by the end of the group stage because of his barnstorming runs, power in the tackle and work over the ball.
- The Springboks have an established way of playing that continues to yield results.
- Wales had the upper hand on a few metrics, but their engine doesn’t have the requisite torque to boss around the fringe.
- The veteran lock was a shining light in England’s below-par Six Nations campaign to become a regular test starter for the British and Irish Lions on their tour of South Africa.
The Flying Fijians are going to need more firepower to match it with the All Blacks
ESPN surveyed league executives, coaches and scouts to help us rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions, from quarterback to cornerback and all positions in between. This was the fifth edition of these rankings, and as usual, several players moved up or fell off last year’s lists. We got ex-England captain Chris Robshaw to speak about leadership, where he explained all the different leaders and captains in a rugby squad. The former back-rower picked out Ireland skipper Peter O’Mahony, who led his country to another Six Nations title in 2024. Russell is « a fly-half known for his attacking instincts », said Rugby World. He can produce a host of « kicks, flicks and tricks to create try-scoring opportunities for himself and his team-mates ».
Ireland in danger of dropping out of top 10 in World Rugby Women’s Rankings powered by Capgemini
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, https://just-bet.org/ 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 ».
Connor Bedard Was a Huge Draw As a Rookie. Will His Star Power Rise?
Having been among the world’s premier players for some time now, Maro Itoje enjoyed another fruitful season in 2021. The veteran lock was a shining light in England’s below-par Six Nations campaign to become a regular test starter for the British and Irish Lions on their tour of South Africa. Itoje then capped off his year with a string of standout showings as England swept the Wallabies, Springboks and Tonga in the Autumn Nations Series. Of equal importance to the Hurricanes is the performance of their star centre, Jordie Barrett. Head coach Warren Gatland has been forced to pick one of the youngest squads of his career following retirements, transfers and injuries to key players. Arguably only the second true utility player on this list alongside Levani Botia, former sevens specialty Smith is one of the best back row players in the world.
- Shining whenever given the opportunity, the little magician will return the All Blacks attack to scarily good levels this season.
- 13 – George North – 5.5Was mostly quiet but had the most penetrating run of any Welsh back looking to punch through England’s line.
- This will be a year of significant growth for the talented loose forward, with spots now wide open and a chance to impress his former coach, Scott Robertson.
- Seemingly unstoppable, Italian fans have high hopes that he will soon become one of their best Six Nations players of all-time.
- The 2024 Six Nations brings with it more change than just about any of the previous ten editions of rugby’s oldest international tournament.
- 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.
- Emmanuel Meafou will be looking to make a statement at the 2024 Six Nations.
George Martin – England – Utility Forward
When I look at Goosen for example, he was overplayed badly back in his younger days and IMHO never really reached the heights he should have done. It’s a question every rugby fan has an answer for, but rarely are any two answers the same. Updates from the world of sport on TV, including news, views and how to watch it all live. In the last minute before the final try, teammate Kristi Kirshe said she just had to « stay in it. » It took until the very last play to secure their win, when Alex Sedrick stiff-armed her way past Australia’s defense and ended up converting her own kick — and she’s not a kicker.
Six Nations 2024: A guide to the teams and top players at rugby union’s big tournament
- 12 – Nick Tompkins – 4Struggled to provide any strike force through midfield.
- Slotting into a star-studded Toulouse backline, the diminutive dynamo is one of the most exciting attacking talents in the world.
- With Louis Rees-Zammit making the shock decision to leave rugby and pursue a career in the NFL, there is no better time for Rio Dyer to cement himself as Wales’ fast man.
- Rangy runs, athletic grabs under high balls, he also offered a target at the line-out.
- NZ are responsible and accountable for the conduct of their players.
- This was the fifth edition of these rankings, and as usual, several players moved up or fell off last year’s lists.
- 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.
- It was a shame that Salesi Rayasi endured such mixed form in 2023, being kept out of the Hurricanes’ side due to injury for much of the year.
- Owen Farrell, fly-half of Racing 92, tops the list as the highest-paid rugby player in the world for 2024.
The first game of the tournament is between two sides tipped to win this year’s competition with France taking on Ireland in Marseille on Friday 2 February. Now, if he impresses new head coach Gonzalo Quesada, Varney could be the danger man as Italy look to fire in attack like they never have before to challenge the likes of Wales, England, and Scotland. Stephen Varney was brought up in Wales but opted to represent Italy to honour his grandparents. A good friend of newest NFL recruit Louis Rees-Zammit, Varney has been a consistent player in Italy’s squad since 2020. There has been a lot of change in the Italy camp heading into this tournament and so Michele Lamaro will want to be the consistent, guiding force as they look to try and finally avoid the wooden spoon.
The permutations that could see South Africa dethroned as world number one
The captain of South Africa’s Rugby team, Siya Kolisi, makes the list at fifth. Kolisi plays for the French club Racing 92 for an estimated $800,000 to $850,000 a year. Ireland head into the World Cup as the number-one ranked side and have six players in the top 20. Defending World Cup champions South Africa have three entries, two of which are front rowers.
- We continue our countdown of the the 50 best players set to have a significant impact this year, based on previous form, talent and the potential impact they can have on their team’s season.
- Russell signed for Bath in the English Premiership for $1 million in 2023.
- Head coach Warren Gatland has been forced to pick one of the youngest squads of his career following retirements, transfers and injuries to key players.
- Aki has won two Six Nations titles with Ireland and the Pro12 with club Connacht.
- He has been the man, the one, a king with headgear for a crown, the very best of this whole damn sport.
- However, his Achilles’ heel was the bench’s inability to close out games as well as they started.
- 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.
- Quite possibly, the most talented 20-year-old in professional rugby, Sam Prendergast dominated the U20 circuit for the past few seasons.
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.
With Louis Rees-Zammit making the shock decision to leave rugby and pursue a career in the NFL, there is no better time for Rio Dyer to cement himself as Wales’ fast man. The current line-up is missing many of the team’s biggest names, with Leigh Halfpenny, Dan Biggar, Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric retiring in the last 12 months. Not to mention Louis Rees-Zammit, who has departed the squad for a career in the NFL.
He was a good footballer though, fast and tough and smart and brave, the kind of player who could play anywhere and find a way to do a good job of it, and that was more than enough. Plus Brodie Croft wasn’t really working at halfback and because Craig Bellamy is Craig Bellamy and he very rarely misses an opportunity, he got Hughes feeding the scrums a few weeks before the 2019 finals series began. Slater retired at the end of 2018, Drinkwater won his job in the next pre-season only to be injured in the final trial and Hughes assumed the role. Nathan Cleary, whose head-to-head battle with Hughes is the best individual showdown the grand final has to offer, thought so. The voting body is made up of a select group of ex-players only we don’t know which ones anymore because their names aren’t made public anymore, which was supposed to increase the integrity of the votes somehow. 6 – Alex Mann – 6.5Scored his Test second try after as many matches thanks to lovely supporting run for Williams after Tommy Reffell bust through a gap.
Spain secure seventh straight Rugby Europe Women’s Championship title
Italian Rugby’s crown jewel, Capuozzo is the sprinkling of magic dust that takes the Azzurri backline to another level whenever he is fit and firing. Argentina’s captain is a no-nonsense, blue-collar worker who does the dirty work so his teammates can shine. Joining his fellow Irish centers, Henshaw is a hybrid of Aki and Ringrose, with the ability to slot into both the 12 and 13 shirts seamlessly.
- He followed this by scoring a try during England’s semi-final against France at the World Rugby U20 Championship.
- The same goes for Lorenzo Cannone, another up-and-coming player whose powerful tackles have cemented his place in the Italian squad.
- This will be a year of significant growth for the talented loose forward, with spots now wide open and a chance to impress his former coach, Scott Robertson.
- Owen Farrell’s absence presents an « important moment to one of the brightest talents in English rugby », said Rugby Pass.
- Emmanuel Meafou will be looking to make a statement at the 2024 Six Nations.
- Seemingly unstoppable, Italian fans have high hopes that he will soon become one of their best Six Nations players of all-time.
- 13 – George North – 5.5Was mostly quiet but had the most penetrating run of any Welsh back looking to punch through England’s line.
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However, if the occasion calls for it, he is a more-than-able option in the centers or on the wing, making him a prized asset to the South Africa setup. Japan’s Rugby League One and France’s Top 14 have two players each among the top five highest-paid rugby players. One tier two player also makes the final cut, with Fiji’s outstanding centre-come-back-rower Levani Botia ranking 15th.
Despite representing England at age group level, Arron Reed will make his debut for Scotland at the upcoming Six Nations. The Sale Sharks winger had reportedly garnered the interest of Steve Borthwick before being snapped up by Gregor Townsend. Emmanuel Meafou will be looking to make a statement at the 2024 Six Nations. Standing at 6 foot 8 and weighing 145 kg, this commanding lock is a firm favourite amongst Toulouse fans. At just 20 years old, Cunningham-South is already forging a fierce reputation.