With the URC group stages behind us we thought we would take a look at the Next Generation of players who have come through this season.
This was no easy task with plenty of high quality players from across the league. In order to qualify a player must have been born after 1 January 1999.
Let us know in the comments section if you felt we missed anyone.
15) Quan Horn (Lions/South Africa)
Born: 27 June 2001
A school rugby star at centre for Paarl Boys and the South African schools team, Quan has established himself as one of the top young fullback talents in world rugby right now.
The move to the back was at the behest of coach Bafana Nhlkeo and Horn has not looked back since becoming a regular in the Lions team who despite disappointing this season have unleashed some young gems onto the scene.
Horn ranks in the top 100 in the URC season for:
Metres Gained (30th)
Turnovers Won (65th)
14) Ethan McIlroy (Ulster/Ireland)
Born: 10 August 2000
What a season it has been for the former Methodist College Belfast youngster. His unbelievable talent was noted at school level and he has delivered as a senior, there is little doubt about that.
The fact that he is a local lad as well and has stayed loyal to his Union means that if things continue not only are higher international honours likely but perhaps he can become one of the Ulster greats?
McIlroy ranks in the top 100 in the URC for :
Clean Breaks (13th)
Metres Gained (12th)
Offloads (75th)
Carries (24th)
13) Tommaso Menoncello (Benneton/Italy)
Born: 20 August 2002
We have said many times on our various platforms that Italy are a team to watch out for in the future. The quality of young player coming through the system is going to reap benefits in the near future and Menoncello is one of those who is set to become a household name in the near future.
Still a teenager he has set the URC alight with some exceptional displays from the midfield and has shown maturity way beyond his years. Keep a close eye on this young talent.
Menoncello ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Tries (17th)
Clean Breaks (9th)
Metres Gained (75th)
Tackle Success % (65th)
Turnovers Won (9th)
12) Rikus Pretorius (Stormers/South Africa)
Born: 15 January 1999
Pretorius is a literal human battering ram and has been that way since his school days at Springbok nursery Grey College.
He has however added more elements to his game over the years and is a testament to Dobson’s mentoring him over the last few years. Pretorius has always been a talent but now is the time for him to step things up even further and go on to achieve the highest honours that he is capable of.
Pretorius ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Tries (62nd)
Clean Breaks (43rd)
Offloads (48th)
11) Ryan Conbeer (Scarlets/Wales)
Born: 5 February 1999
The fact that Ryan Conbeer was called up to the Wales Under 20 squad at just 18 gives you a slight glimpse into the talent he possesses. The fact he made 23 appearances should indicate that the trajectory to the senior team is but a mere formality, especially after the season he has just had.
6 tries in his 11 appearances in the URC shows you his incredible strike rate but it is his work rate off the ball that shows how much effort he puts into his game. Wales have a real gem on their hands and no doubt he is going to achieve great things in the game.
Conbeer ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Tries (17th)
Clean Breaks (12th)
Metres Gained (24th)
Turnovers Won (47th)
10) Jordan Hendrikse (Lions/South Africa)
Born: 28 June 2001
Hendrikse was a talent at school level, there is no doubting that but who could have anticipated this meteoric rise to the top for the former Glenwood pupil?
Due to a raft of injuries at the Lions Hendrikse made his debut almost fresh out of school and in the process has made the 10 jersey his own with some dominant displays and with a recent callup to the Blitzbok squad there are many who are calling for him to be blooded into the Springbok squad.
Watch this space, Hendrikse is only getting started.
Hendriske ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Points Scored (5th)
Penalties (6th)
Conversions (6th)
9) Nathan Doak (Ulster/Ireland)
Born: 17 December 2001
Ulster blood runs thick in Doak’s veins, his father Neil made close to 100 appearances for the club over a 10 year period and served as attacking coach from 2008-2017. Not only is his father a part of the clubs legacy but Nathan himself was a ball boy for the club in his youth.
He established himself as a standout prospect for Wallace High who shared the Ulster Schools Senior Cup with The Royal School due to the pandemic.
Since making his debut for Ulster he has been a mainstay in the club contributing with not only with some fantastic passing and distribution but a menacing boot that shows not only tactical nous but a goal kicking record most of his age could only dream of.
The future looks bright and in Doak one feels that the heir apparent to Conor Murray has been found.
Doak ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Points Scored (6th)
Tries (62nd)
Clean Breaks (6th)
Penalties (6th)
Conversions (9th)
8) Evan Roos (Stormers/South Africa)
Born: January 21 2000
The question that one has to ask, what more does Evan Roos need to do to get a Springbok callup? The Stormers youngster is no doubt one of the worlds premier loose forwards, a special player who has proven time and again that he is destined for great things in the game.
Roos was a special player at Paarl Boys, a massive 8th man who dominated the contact. His exploits led to a flurry of activity in terms of chasing his signature but the Sharks ultimately won the day. His early days were a massive success being named the Under 21 player of the year despite only being out of school for a year.
From there things went on a downward path for Roos, the Sharks and him were clearly not an ideal fit and a move to the Stormers was on the cards, his home Union. Since then he has been nothing short of a revelation for the Cape based outfit, again – when will he get his Springbok callup?
Roos ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Tries (62nd)
Clean Breaks (9th)
Metres Gained (10th)
Offloads (27th)
Carries (2nd)
Tackles Made (20th)
Turnovers Won (11th)
Lineout Steals (76th)
7) Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales)
Born: 21 January 2000
The former Ysgol Dyffryn Aman star has come on in leaps and bounds during what can only be described as a rapid rise to the top of the game. While his “twin” Evan Roos (they both share the same date of birth) is known for his attacking game, Morgan is his opposite in a sense because it is on defence that he is an absolute menace.
Despite Ospreys having a relatively disappointing season Morgan has been a stalwart and one of the finds of the season, his performances have not gone unnoticed and he has already won 3 Welsh caps this year with no doubt many more to follow.
Roos ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Carries (85th)
Tackled Made (2nd)
Tackle Success (89th)
Turnovers Won (1st)
6) Cian Prendergast (Connacht/Ireland)
Born: 23 February 2000
Born and raised in Country Kildare, Predergast was seen as an exceptionally gifted youngster while attending famed Leinster rugby school Newbridge College.
Despite his obvious talent he was told by Leinster management that there was no space for him in their academy, an obvious blow for a young player who dreamed of playing for his local team. Connacht jumped at the opportunity and only 2 days after he joined their academy system.
Fast forward 2 years and Predergast is arguably the premier young talent in Ireland right now, his performances for Connacht have been nothing short of exceptional and one has to remember that the Irish outfit find themselves placed 11th on the overall table.
To stand out for a team that is lets face it struggling and to do so at such a young age bodes well for the future, will he stay or will he go? That is the question that he will inevitably have to answer when the time comes, but for now he can continue his development into what looks to become a stellar career.
Prendergast ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Carries (44th)
Tackles (10th)
Turnovers (65th)
Lineout Steals (15th)
5) Jac Price (Scarlets/Wales)
Born: 4 August 2000
There are not many young locks in the URC, it is generally a position where one matures a bit later but Price has all the makings of a high quality lock and unlike many of his contemporaries he is regular in the URC.
A starter in 12 of his 13 appearances he combines great lineout work with a high level of athleticism and is an excellent support player. A future in the international game surely beckons sooner rather than later.
Price ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Tackles (25th)
Tackle Success (65th)
4) Niall Murray (Connacht/Ireland)
Born: 13 October 1999
Yet another Connacht youngster makes this list. Again despite a below average season for the Irish outfit some of the young players coming through bodes very well for their future and Murray is certainly amongst those exciting youngsters.
Out of his 13 appearances this year 10 have been as a starter and as mentioned this is truly rare for those in the younger age brackets. A former Ireland Under 20 player despite the obvious depth that exists at lock for Ireland surely his big break will come sooner rather than later?
Murray ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Tries (62nd)
Lineout Steals (3rd)
3) Ion Neculai (Zebre/Italy)
Born: 25 January 2001
A mammoth tighthead Neculai weights in at 135kg but despite this weight still has an extremely high work rate and gets around the field far more than players of a similar size.
The Moldovan born Neculai has long been touted as one for the future having played across 2 seasons for the Italian Under 20 side making 8 appearances and scoring an impressive 3 tries in the process.
Last year his form resulted in a callup to the Italian “A” side and many in the country feel it is only a matter of time before we see the youngster gain his full Italian colours.
Neculai ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Lineout Steals (76th)
2) Gianmarco Lucchesi (Benneton/Italy)
Born: 10 September 2000
We told you that the future of Italian rugby was in good hands and with our entire front row being Italian based and 2/3 of the players being Italian we think our point has been made.
Lucchesi has been a form player for the Italian outfit for the past 2 years and such were his performances for the Under 20 team in 2020 he received an immediate international callup where he has since made 11 senior appearances.
Lucchesi ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Tries (39th)
Lineouts Won (30th)
1) Thomas Gallo (Benetton/Argentina)
Born: 30 April 1999
Don’t let the baby face fool you, Thomas Gallo is an absolute unit and is already considered one of the finest young props on the planet.
Gallo’s rugby career has been interesting to say the least, born in Tucuman he qualified to play for Italy due to his grandfather but rather than make the move over earlier in his career he opted to further his development in Paraguay of all places representing the Olimpia Lions.
Bennetton monitored his progress carefully and made their move in 2020 after some impressive appearances for the Argentina Under 20 team where he made 5 appearances and scored 2 tries.
Since then he has represented the Italian club on 30 occasions where he has over the past season become a regular starter. He combines powerful scrum work with high mobility and can prove to be quite the menace in the loose.
Already a full Argentine international with 4 caps to his name, expect even bigger things too come from the youngster.
Gallo ranks in the top 100 in the URC for:
Turnovers (100th)