After a thrilling few weeks of rugby the U20 Six Nations Summer Series is over, with South Africa crowned champions having topped Pool A and beaten Pool B winners Wales in the play off.
Behind those two came Italy, who repeated their trick from the Six Nations by beating England. France finished up in fifth with a victory over Georgia, while Ireland beat Scotland in the battle to avoid the wooden spoon.
Of course though, for the viewers one of the key aspects of this Summer Series was to see which players might become the real stars of the future. With that in mind, we have selected our U20 Six Nations Summer Series NextGenXV Team of the Tournament.
We did not simply rely on judgement though, diving deep into the stats to end up with a side of players that shone from start to finish.
NextGenXV Team of the Tournament
15 George Hendy (England)
Not only did Hendy look fantastic throughout the competition, the young full back had the stats to back it up, making the fourth most metres of anyone (teammate Iwan Stephens actually made the most), also securing the fourth highest number of offloads and the second highest number of broken tackles (Stephens again topped that particular chart). Given all of that running and creativity, that he also made the top 10 for the most metres kicked shows the rounded nature of his game, particularly in an England side that tried not to kick too much. Forget the stats though, Hendy just looked elegant and creative throughout. A real star.
14 Fillipo Lazzarin (Italy)
If you haven’t heard it before, then take note now – Italy are coming and they are coming fast. At U20 and U18 level they are a genuinely competitive side, they might not be title winning but they are a long long way from also rans. Finishing second in their group, by a whisker, and then beating England for the second time this year shows just that. They had standout performers all over the field but Lazzarin is the one to make this team after some thrilling performances on the wing. So many players from this group are going to make the jump to senior rugby soon, and Lazzarin is right in the mix to be one of them.
13 Emilien Gailetton (France)
Gailetton has been on the radar as a young star for a while, but over the last few weeks his performances have more than backed that reputation up. Gailleton made the third most metres of anyone this tournament, no mean feat from the centres, and the fourth most offloads – France, by the way, were an offloading machine, with four players in the top ten for offloads. He was also in the top ten for broken tackles and defended like a devil as well. A seriously classy operator, almost a classic 13, and a player that makes the mind race at the thought of the depth of young talent in the French system.
12 Joe Hawkins (Wales)
The Wales captain and one of the most inspirational figures in a campaign that saw them top Pool B and face South Africa in the final. That final was perhaps a step too far for this young Welsh side, but they shone throughout, Hawkins more than most. He was the fourth highest points scorer in the tournament, but it was the sense that he was leading the charge every minute that shone the most – that an the fact that he seemed to be having a constant influence on games. Wales have decisions to make at centre at senior level in the coming years, Hawkins is putting himself in position to be a part of that decision.
11 Suleiman Hartzenberg (South Africa)
Joint top try scorer, joint third highest points scorer, joint fourth most tackles broken; Hartzenberg does exactly what a top class winger should – scores tries, makes ground, and terrifies defence. He was an absolute star throughout this competition and looks like a play that is going to be frightening the life out of international defences for years and years to come. His stats look even more impressive when you consider that South Africa kicked the ball more than any other team in the tournament, so opportunities for the back three were theoretically more limited than in other teams. Hartzenberg made a mockery of that theory though.
10 Sam Prendergast (Ireland)
His last play penalty to beat England was a moment that will live long in the memory for Prendergast, and indeed his opposition and for any of the watching public. Still only an U19, Prendergast has been a star over the last few weeks, breaking the joint fourth most tackles of anyone and scoring the third most points of all. He also finished in the top ten for both metres kicked and passes made (more than some scrum halves) showing the superb balance that exists in his game. While Carberry and the Byrne brothers might currently be the players expected to take over the long term reigns from Johnny Sexton in the senior Ireland side, Prendergast’s performances suggest that he could soon be joining the competition in a serious way post RWC 2023.
9 Morgan Lloyd (Wales)
Electric for Wales and absolutely key in their run to the final. Lloyd kept them ticking over, and while that sounds a touch dull, it was far from it, he brought forwards and backs into the game better than anyone, making more passes than anyone else. He was also a constant threat around the fringes too. Wales have huge depth at scrum half, but that depth looks set to last long into the future it Lloyd can keep this level of consistency up. Kicked brilliantly as well, showing the full range of scrum half skills.
1 Rhys Barratt (Wales)
The first job of a prop is scrum time and Barratt had that job done to perfection. However in the modern era the job does not stop there, an all round game of ball-handling and defensive effort and nous is now a must and on both of those counts Barratt excels. An absolutely brilliant player, and a rock in this Welsh side – both in the set piece and out.
2 Patrick Harrison (Scotland)
Scotland struggled in this tournament and they will be disappointed with how things went, but in Patrick Harrison they had one of the absolute stars of the tournament. The top try scorer of the tournament with 5, the 4th highest points scorer as well, and in the top ten for number of carries. It was a storming couple of weeks for the young Edinburgh hooker. If you were wondering about his game on the other side of the ball, well, it’s the same story there – Harrison was 4th on the tackles made charts too. A real shining light in the Scottish side, and a player with a big big future. His battle with Ewan Ashman for the hooker shirt over the next decade is going to be brilliant.
3 Corne Weilbach (South Africa)
An argument could have been made for an all-South African front row in this side, but either way there was always going to be at least one and in Corne Weilbach South Africa had by far and away the standout tighthead in the tournament. Animalistic levels of power from the young prop make him an absolute terror to face, whether in the scrum, in the tackle, or at the breakdown. Heaven help you if you’re trying to tackle him, too.
4 Lewis Chessum (England)
His older brother Ollie has been starring off the bench for England down in Australia, and is starting in the decisive third test on Saturday, but younger brother Lewis might soon be putting Ollie under pressure for that place in the 23 going forward after a series of outstanding performances in this Summer Series. What do you want your second row to do? Take lineouts, make tackles, be an ever-present at the breakdown? Well, check, check, and check. Chessum was the top lineout operator of the series and was in the top ten for tackles made, more importantly though, he was everywhere, always. A brilliant series from the young Leicester Tiger.
5 Aleksandre Burduli (Georgia)
Beating Scotland made this tournament a success for Georgia, but the reality is that they were much more than just that game, they were competitive throughout the group and did not just beat Scotland, they hammered them, in all honesty. Central to those performances were the displays of second row Aleksandre Burduli, who was a constant physical presence throughout the tournament. He was also more than handy at the lineout, securing the 4th most ball of anyone across the eight teams. A man to watch for the future as Georgian rugby goes from strength to strength.
6 Ruan Venter (South Africa)
Named by us as a player to watch at the start of the tournament and so he proved with a tournament of real class. He carried more than anyone else, but it was not simply about the number of his carries, it was the sheer brutality of them. Venter was absolutely barbaric in his carrying and in his work in defence. He has already started making a name for himself in the pro ranks, and his stock is only going to keep rising if he keeps on putting in performances like these. A massive prospect.
7 Reuben Crothers (Ireland)
Watching Crothers play it is hard not to start getting visions of Peter O’Mahony. Utterly dogged, gnarly, annoying (in the most positive of ways), relentless in every way. But he is more than that, he is also a fantastic and willing carrier, finishing 7th overall in the carrying stats. Like O’Mahony though, he is a genuine leader and was a constant figure around which his side could rally. He is a player that provokes cliched descriptions, but it is because he is exactly that sort of flanker, the type of player that will do what is needed, will be everywhere, and will put his hand up for the most unpleasant of tasks if it is for the good of the team. Brilliant.
8 Cameron Hanekom (South Africa)
Hanekom was absolutely magnificent throughout. He is also a player that proves the point that stats only tell you so much, for he did not feature at the top of the ranking for carrying or tackles, and yet in both areas his interventions were dominant and influential. That perhaps was the key to Hanekom, his impacts on the game always seemed to mean something. Some players can make 30 tackles in a game and yet hardly feel influential, Hanekom never felt anything less than influential. That also reflected in his breakdown work, finishing 4th on the turnover charts. An absolutely brilliant player, his name is going to be heard in global circles before too long at all.
