Tier 2 standouts set for stardom

The quarter-finals of Rugby World Cup 2015 are now set and although no Tier 2 sides were unable to escape from the pools, they have been the shining lights of the tournament so far.

From Japan’s historic victories over South Africa and Samoa to Georgia’s battling performances which have seen them lock up qualification for the 2019 edition of the cup in Japan, the Tier 2 sides have entertained us all with their ambition and skill over the last month.

We have taken a look at some of the more impressive individuals from these nations who are still plying their trade outside of the major, Tier 1 domestic competitions and shortlisted a number of players who could find themselves on a way to a club, franchise, region or province near you soon.

Tjiuee Uanivi, Namibia, Unattached

The former Brive lock was meant to be on his way to Worcester this summer but the deal fell through after the Warriors found an English-qualified player to bring on board instead, helping them meet the quotas set forth by the Aviva Premiership. Uanivi is also able to play across the back row and would be a versatile addition to any team’s squad.

His aerial display against New Zealand, where he secured clean lineout ball for his side and stole and disrupted a number of New Zealand throws, earned him many fans, whilst his displays in Namibia’s other pool matches were of a similarly high standard. Per ESPN, two Premiership clubs contacted Uanivi’s representatives following the game against New Zealand and it may not be long before English fans get to see Uanivi ruling the skies in the Premiership on a weekly basis.

Manasa Saulo, Fiji, Timisoara Saracens

The Fijian tighthead has been one of the stars of the tournament following dominant scrummaging performances against England, Australia and Wales. The trio of Joe Marler, Scott Sio and Gethin Jenkins were all powerless to stop Saulo as he spearheaded Pool A’s most effective scrum. A 10-week ban for stamping on Luke Charteris prevented Saulo from playing against Uruguay, but it’s not likely to be enough to detract from interest in Saulo from European clubs.

The Romanian club Saulo represents, Timisoara Saracens, are part of Saracens’ global network of clubs and it would not be at all surprising to see Saulo follow in the footsteps of Catalin Fercu and make the move to North London this season. The stock of tightheads at Allianz Park is impressive, even following James Johnston’s move to Wasps, but with Saulo just 26 years of age and having been so potent against Tier 1 scrums, Saracens may see him as too good of a prospect to turn down.

Amanaki Mafi, Japan, NTT Shining Arcs

Mafi plays in the Japanese Top League, where teams aren’t exactly short of a few yen, but he could be tempted to join his international colleagues Michael Leitch and Fumiaki Tanaka in Super Rugby. The moves have certainly paid off for that pair and Mafi’s dynamic and fast-paced style seems perfectly suited to the free-running pastures of the southern hemisphere. His constant gain line breaks were crucial to securing Japan’s win against South Africa, not least so because they set up the Blossoms’ winning try.

Mafi could, of course, have already signed up with the as yet unannounced Japanese Super Rugby franchise, the Sunwolves, but with reports circulating that they were struggling to prise players away from the Top League, a move to New Zealand or Australia may be more likely.

Vasil Lobzhanidze, Georgia, RC Armazi Tbilisi

The 18-year-old scrum-half, who is the youngest player to ever to take part in the RWC, should be a hot commodity following Georgia’s admirable third-place finish in Pool C. After coming to prominence in last season’s European Nations Cup, Lobzhanidze has gone from strength to strength and his guidance of the formidable Georgian pack was excellent throughout the RWC.

The half-back also impressed with both his distribution and his darting runs around the fringes, whilst his kicking game is something which should improve with experience and age. Given that Lobzhandize is a promising player and Georgian, it seems only a matter of time before a move to France happens, as well over 50% of the Lelo’s RWC squad currently ply their trade in the French league system.

Shota Horie, Japan, Panasonic Wild Knights

Able to quickly hook the ball when required, as well as being able to drive less disciplined opposition back, the Japanese scrum has been one of the stories of this year’s competition and no player has contributed as significantly towards that success as Horie. His relatively small size may be seen as a weakness by some, but it certainly hasn’t held him back on rugby’s biggest stage.

The hooker has experience with both Otago and the Melbourne Rebels and has potentially earned himself a move back to Super Rugby with an outstanding RWC under his belt. Don’t rule out a return to Melbourne, where his international teammate Keita Inagaki is contracted next season. Horie and Inagaki have been the standout loosehead-hooker tandem at the competition so far and would certainly add to an ever-improving Rebels side.

Harumichi Tatekawa, Japan, Kubota Spears

Unfortunately, Tatekawa is receiving widespread fame for being the player whose poor tackling position contributed to Alesana Tuilagi’s five-week ban (now reduced to two weeks), rather than for being the instinctive and impressive playmaker that he is. His play on and behind the gain line has been enjoyable to watch for Japan, whilst his versatility to play both fly-half and inside centre is something which is always welcomed by clubs. His tactical kicking and, surprisingly given the Tuilagi incident, defence have both also been good.

A spell with the Brumbies didn’t work out last year, but there’s no reason why Tatekawa couldn’t be a success in Europe or Super Rugby should he decide to leave the Top League. London Irish are a team crying out for fly-half help and it would be refreshing to see them pursue a player like Tatekawa, rather than opting for a second or third-choice New Zealander or Australian.

Honourable mentions

Whilst we unfortunately cannot go into depth on every impressive Tier 2 player, there are a number of guys who are due a mention and are certainly worthy of keeping an eye out for.

Canadian loosehead Djustice Sears-Duru was highly effective for the Canucks and has Tier 1 experience, having previously spent time with the Leicester Tigers academy. His teammate Nick Blevins was also impressive, as the centre was the less talked about, but perhaps more skilled, foil to Ciaran Hearn in the Canadian midfield.

Tonga’s Kurt Morath and Samoa’s Paul Perez (set to join Toulouse as a medical joker) could both be solid pickups for the right teams, with both players currently unattached or without a long-term contract, but Fiji’s Leeroy Atalifo, a firefighter in Suva, may be more in demand than either of them. The prop did a great job of carrying on from where Saulo left off and could bring impact and depth to most teams’ tighthead options.

We’ve already highlighted three Japanese players, but backs Kotaro Matsushima and Ayumu Goromaru are likely to also be the sources of much interest. Obviously Super Rugby is the usual destination for Japanese players due to logistical reasons and timing of respective domestic seasons, but Goromaru is a player who could thrive in Europe and there are plenty of teams who could use a man of his calibre at full-back.