Five Of The Best For RWC 2015
Five Of The Best For RWC 2015
With international coaches already putting into action plans which aim to have their squads in optimum shape come the 2015 World Cup in England, now is the time to look at some of those players who could be household names in three years time...
1. George Ford - Leicester Tigers
The young fly-half certainly has a promising future ahead of him and comes from good rugby stock, the son of former England defence coach Mike Ford. Ford's talents were recognised globally last year when he was named IRB Junior Player of the Year, the first Englishman to ever win the award and also the first Englishman to have won international recognition in the IRB awards since Jonny Wilkinson was named IRB Player of the Year in 2003.
He clearly has a fan in Tigers' Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill, with the former England international trusting Ford with the number 10 shirt for Leicester's successful LV Cup campaign this season. The youngster is extremely accurate with the boot and has shown encouraging signs of being able to spark a back line with his distribution skills.
He has represented England at both Under-18 and Under-20 level and should he continue to improve as he has over the past season, there is no reason not to expect him to be challenging the likes of Owen Farrell for a position in the England team in the near future.
2. Paul Alo-Emile “ Melbourne Rebels
Although the Wallabies have never been known for their ability to develop elite scrummagers, Alo-Emile, who has Samoan heritage but was raised in Brisbane, bucks this trend. The young prop was a key component in Australia Under-20's third place finish at the IRB Junior World Championships in 2011.
In addition to being a destructive scrummager, Alo-Emile also has a surprisingly level of athleticism, not only displaying great strength, but also a good turn of pace for a man his size. Although Alo-Emile has yet to make his Super Rugby debut, it is hard to imagine that the Rebels will wait much longer before unleashing him on the rest of the league.
A very similar player to Leicester and England's Dan Cole, Alo-Emile will face a steep learning curve when he does eventually make his debut, as any young prop has to endure, but early signs indicate he has all the attributes required to live up to his vaunted potential.
3. TJ Perenara “ Hurricanes
Another star of the IRB Junior World Championships in 2011, Perenara has the potential to be the next long-term holder of the number nine shirt for the All Blacks. In addition to being tipped by many experts, including former New Zealand scrum-half Justin Marshall, to have a big future in the game, he burst onto the Super Rugby scene, scoring a hat-trick against Western Force in his Super Rugby debut this season.
Having taken big steps towards cementing his position as the first choice scrum-half over compatriot Chris Easton for the Hurricanes, Perenara seems to be head and shoulders above all other young scrum-halves in New Zealand and stands a good chance of making the All Blacks squad for the three match test series against Ireland in June.
4. Siya Kolisi “ Stormers
Competent on both the blindside and the openside, Kolisi has made giant steps towards making a reputation for himself by almost seamlessly stepping in for the renowned Schalk Burger. The flanker has deputised superbly for the injured Burger, and the biggest compliment you can pay him is that Burger's presence has not been missed by the Stormers who currently top the South African conference of Super Rugby.
Kolisi has been a vital part of the Stormers successful campaign so far and follows on from an exciting Currie Cup campaign for the player last season which saw him voted Western Province Most Promising Senior Player. Kolisi looks to be the latest in a long line of excellent South African loose forwards and will have the benefit of honing his game under the tutelage of Burger, one of the greatest in the professional era.
5. Elliot Daly “ London Wasps
Another star of the IRB Junior World Championships, Daly helped England to the runners up position and vastly improved his growing reputation at the same time. Although the 2011-12 Aviva Premiership season has been a tough one for Wasps, Daly has flourished with the extra game time that Wasps' injury crisis has afforded him.
Filling in for the injured Riki Flutey, Dominic Walduock and Chris Bell amongst others, Daly has shown an incisive ability in attack, solid defensive skills and a huge boot, landing several long distance penalties.
The increased game time and resulting developments in his game could see him feature for England prior to the World Cup in 2015, and it would take a brave man to bet against Daly, or his club colleagues Christian Wade and Joe Launchbury, being key components of the England squad by the time the next World Cup rolls around.
