Rugby’s New Era: Rising Fly-Half Stars For The 2024 Guinness Six Nations Leave a comment

That didn’t change in 2021, a year of which he earned a World Rugby Player of the Year nomination, and one could argue Hooper can feel hard done by that he wasn’t the outright winner of the award. Antoine Dupont needs no introduction, and few would disagree that he is the best player in the world right now. Not only can he display his skills on a 15s stage, but he has also started his 7s career with a bang, scoring a try on his debut for France. So far in his career, he has won the Six Nations with France and three top 14 titles with Toulouse.

Hugo Keenan (Ireland) & Finn Russell (Scotland) – 19.0 stars

Usually, the best rugby players in the world only gather in one place every four years when the Rugby World Cup tournament begins, but as the international rugby season is underway, it’s good time to get them together. The former captain Nayacalevu noted that this issue had a mental effect on the players. When preparing for the big games, the team wanted their minds to be focused on that game, rather than underlying pay disputes. They also expected transparency from FRU and everything to run smoothly, noting that this is not an issue that should be experienced in international rugby. Dragons wing Rio Dyer is proving himself to be a favourite with Wales head coach Warren Garland, and it’s not hard to see why, when he plays every game like it could be his last. He’s beaten 12 defenders so far, level with Ben Earl (who some pundits have even suggested should be played at centre).

Top 10 tries of the 2024 Rugby Championship

Like his clubmate, Costelow, Ioan Lloyd possesses a strong running game and a clever short- to mid-range kicking game that could work a treat with the dangerous Welsh backs. The 2024 Six Nations brings with it more change than just about any of the previous ten editions of rugby’s oldest international tournament. Over the past two seasons, when Papenhuyzen was cast into injury hell, when Munster and Grant grappled with the ravages of rep football and struggled for club consistency, it has been Hughes who bore the weight. Cronk arrived at the Storm as a true utility and player five-eighth, hooker and lock.

Connect with ABC News

Ordinarily, Ross Byrne would have been the choice here, but the rock-steady Leinster stalwart picked up an unfortunate early-season injury and has yet to return to action. 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. But now it is Hughes who stands tallest, Hughes who leads the way, Hughes who the Storm turn to the most. He does not crave the spotlight and he has never chafed at not receiving the same headlines, but the glory is upon him now because he has earned it many times over. He doesn’t play State of Origin, which means he misses out on the shine afforded to that arena and despite playing some great football for New Zealand that’s often not celebrated as much as it should be.

Other Wales players to watch

Born in Auckland and raised in Australia, Meafou has lived in France since 2018. Five years later, at the close of 2023, he was finally granted French citizenship. As a result, Meafou is now eligible to represent France on the international stage for the first time at the Six Nations. Sadly though, he may have to wait until after round one to make his debut. Unfortunately for him, he sustained an injury during Toulouse’s victory over Bath in the Champions Cup.

RG Snyman to make Leinster debut as Hugo Keenan returns to 15-a-side game

His wonderful performance against Argentina at the World Cup will go down in English Rugby history as one of the best individual performances in a white shirt. This is not meant to disparage Farrell’s contribution to English rugby, but his presence no doubt has hampered Ford. A master tactician with a sublime passing and kicking game, Ford is an old-school game manager in the best sense of the word. With his long-term teammate and friend now unavailable and seemingly on his way to the Top 14, Ford could prove to be both the first-choice fly-half and English captain this year. Despite featuring against Italy and France in the tournament, Williams did not crack the Welsh World Cup squad.

Cheslin Kolbe dominates Rugby Championship stat while several All Blacks lead the way despite Springboks’ triumph

Fiji will be against one of the best rugby teams in the world and it will be a difficult match as it always is – but they may be without some big names. Some of the well-known stars from the team last year came from England and France; they didn’t have to come and play for Fiji, their salaries in England and France are enough to make them millionaires in Fiji. Instead, they decided to play for their country, and the least that FRU could do is make sure they are compensated for their sacrifice.

Colombia set to climb World Rugby Women’s Rankings after record win.

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.

Spain secure seventh straight Rugby Europe Women’s Championship title

Clermont are the best sports fans in the World in any sport, never mind rugby. French fans generally are amongst the best in the World, so they are right up there. Anyone who has been to Buenos Aires will tell you how great Argentina is, with a real party atmosphere and passion that can’t be beaten. South Africa is always great and the vast majority of their fans are brilliant. I’ve been plucked from the crowd and invited into corporate boxes on several occasions.

Italy climb World Rugby Women’s Rankings powered by Capgemini

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.

British Grand Prix Preview and Predictions – Max Eyes First Win At Silverstone

This will, of course, not be the role he wants to occupy long term, and he likely will push Crowley, if given an opportunity. The following players have received the Gallagher Premiership Player of the Month award during the 2024–25 season, as selected by a panel of media commentators, in addition to monthly public polls. Through sheer dedication, he mastered the fabric of rugby league on a technical level, bending by that iron will into the shape he required for his team to win.

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.

Ireland sitting ahead of Springboks shows rugby world rankings are ‘a load of nonsense’

The wing is truly prolific personified and a dangerous threat whether he crosses for a try or sets one up. Les Bleus are likely to win most of their games and Penaud is a shoo-in for top try scorer https://just-bet.org/mobile/ making him a very strong pick. Physically, the 26-year-old is a powerful defender and strong ball carrier, who, at the time of writing, looks to be the ultimate bench option given his versatility.

• Levani Botia said that during his entire decade of playing Fiji, these behaviours exhibited by FRU were common.
• Rounding out the top players are two more outstanding selections and stars that will likely be selected by a lot of fantasy players.
• 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.
• First held in 1883, it was originally called the Home Nations Championship, with England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales all taking part.
• One of the standout All Blacks of 2023, Roigard is looming as the perfect successor to Aaron Smith in Scott Robertson’s starting side.
• “A former Edinburgh player, plays in Toulouse and he is tall – six foot three/six foot four – with a long stride, and seriously quick with ball in hand.
• He reportedly earns $1.2 million as a key position player in sparking attacks.

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.

Eben Etzebeth is one of the first players that comes to mind when fans think of the Springboks jersey. 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. He has won the Rugby World Cup twice, and in the 2023 campaign he was key in turning momentum in South Africa’s favour in their quarter-final against hosts France. 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“. Growing up in Sydney, Woods concedes he “didn’t really have a plan B because I just wanted to be a rugby league player”.

‘I hope Clayton knows that’: Max Gawn’s message to wantaway star, as free agent deals start to roll in

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?

Antoine Dupont

Making his senior debut for Leinster last season in the URC, he has begun to get more first-team opportunities this season. Quite possibly, the most talented 20-year-old in professional rugby, Sam Prendergast dominated the U20 circuit for the past few seasons. Like Crowley, Cian Frawley is a versatile operator who can play fly-half, center and fullback to a high standard. However, he has looked best when wearing the No. 10 shirt and has been in Andy Farrell’s thinking regarding the fly-half berth.

• 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.
• He started on the Gold Coast, where he played Under 20s until he got one NRL game in 2013, before heading north to the Cowboys, where he eventually played another.
• 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.
• That’s why RugbyPass has undertaken a comprehensive deep dive into the last 12 months of test rugby to formulate an answer of our own.
• Also guilty for giving the ball away after a 24 phase move when he recklessly chucked an off-load from the ground.
• This year, he hit a new level entirely and the other three have all found something close to their best, which is why the Storm are back in the grand final.

Surrounded by other young exciting forward talent in the new England setup, Martin is perhaps the most exciting of the lot. Somewhat of a throwback in his style of play, Kremer is the enforcer in a gnarly Argentine pack that never takes a backwards step. A true headhunter on defense, the giant center smashes opponents with an unrelenting velocity, while in attack, he has the glint of the great Waisale Serevi about him.

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.

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.

• An agreement has been put in place which will prevent France’s best players from touring New Zealand in 2025.
• Wing Duhan van der Merwe is lethal with ball in hand and some space.
• Woods, along with fellow retirees, will be celebrated on grand final day.
• When preparing for the big games, the team wanted their minds to be focused on that game, rather than underlying pay disputes.
• He has won the Rugby World Cup twice, and in the 2023 campaign he was key in turning momentum in South Africa’s favour in their quarter-final against hosts France.
• Born in France, Capuozzo qualified for Italy through his paternal grandparents.
• 4 – Dafydd Jenkins – 4.5A totem at the line-out, he lacked enough grunt to punch holes through the rush defence.
• Praise is due for Cyril Baille as well, who is the solitary front rower in the top ten.

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.