Our annual Under 20 World XV has been named!
After much deliberation we felt that these young players deserved recognition for their exploits in 2022. There are numerous South Africans in the squad due to their exploits at the Under 20 Summer Series with some other familiar faces in the mix including several players who were named in our World Under 18 XV in 2020.
15) Henry Arundell (England)
A prodigious talent at school level, few would of thought that Arundell would develop as quickly as he had with the English youngster proving to be one of the most talented young backs on the planet right now.
Despite being Under 20 he has already notched up 7 tries in his 14 appearances for Leicester and such was his immense talent that he received a senior callup making 3 appearances for England and scoring a try. We sense a long and distinguished career is coming.
14) Suleiman Hartzenberg (South Africa)
One of the most exciting backline prospects for Bishops in 2021, his midfield partnership with Bruce Sherwood was a sight to behold. His first year out of school has been nothing short of immense, a standout season for the UCT Ikeys propelled him to Baby Bok selection where he was one of the players of the tournament at the Under 20 Summer Series.
While South African teams generally prefer to slowly blood talented players in, coach John Dobson called the youngster up to the Stormers squad and he has so far made 5 URC appearances with 2 tries scored thus far. Still Under 19 expect Suleiman to announce himself even further in 2023.
13) Will Joseph (England)
The former Millfield student has been nothing short of outstanding since leaving school with him performing at a high level for both club and country. So far he has made 10 appearances for London Irish with his potential shining through.
Eddie Jones clearly agrees with this assessment giving Joseph his first senior cap this year with no doubt many more to come in the near future.
12) Riley Higgins (New Zealand)
We named Higgins as one of our Under 20 players to watch this year and did not disappoint. His performances for Wellington in the NPC where he scored 5 tries in 8 appearances led to a callup to the Hurricanes.
Having been selected for New Zealand at all age group levels, Higgins was outstanding and a key player in the Baby Blacks dominant performances in this years Oceania championship. Still just 20 years old there is no telling just how far this youngster could go.
11) Enzo Reybier (France)
Blessed with blistering pace, a natural feel for the game and immense power despite his relatively smaller frame Reybier has been a trailblazer from a young age.
Initially a huge talent in Judo, he switched his attention to Rugby Union and had not looked back becoming the youngster player to represent USO and the first player born in 2002 to play in the French Second Division.
So far 2 tries in 10 appearances have been achieved at senior level but at Under 20 level his strike rate has been phenomenal with 5 tries in only 8 appearances for the French Under 20 national team. Keep a close eye on yet another French youngster who is making waves.
10) Sacha Mngomezulu (South Africa)
The first time we lay eyes on Sacha as a player we knew that a star was born. Here was a player who not only had the bravery to try new things and express himself, but an athlete who had the attitude and charisma to truly become a global star of the game.
Sacha has not looked back since school level being named SA Under 20 captain and leading the team to a clean sweep in the Under 20 Summer Series where many felt there was a case to be made for him being named as one of the players of the tournament. His performances did not go unnoticed with a callup to the Stormers coming and news just recently in that the youngster will be travelling with the Springboks on their European tour.
9) Noah Hotham (New Zealand)
Named to our World Under 18 XV in 20220, Hotham has shown that our instincts on him were certainly correct with some outstanding performance for Tasman in the NPC. His 7 tries in 12 appearances show his try scoring exploits but let that not take away from his work rate and discipline.
He was a successful member of the New Zealand Under 20 team this year scoring 2 tries over 3 rounds. Such has been the rise of Hotham that the Crusaders have quickly come in and secured the prodigious talent on a 3 year contract, the sky is truly the limit for young Hotham.
8) Cameron Hanekom (South Africa)
Our player of the tournament during the Under 20 Summer Series and this despite that he was on the sidelines for a few of those fixtures with injury.
When the Bulls first signed Cammy it looked as if it would be a tough duel between him and numerous other number 8’s all top prospects. The cream rises to the top and Hanekom is arguably one of the most talented junior loose forwards in a country renowned for producing such players.
The talent has all the attributes to go to the top of the game and is already a favourite of coach Jake White, long may the rise of Cameron Hanekom continue!
7) Emeka Ilione (England)
Another alumni from our World Under 18 XV, Emeka a product of Rugby School was on another level to his peers at school level and that fine form has continued well into his professional career.
So far he has been the standout loose forward for England at youth level and this has resulted in several appearances for the Tigers senior team. With quality abounding in the loose forward department for England Illione has his work cut out for him, but this is a player who never shies away from hard work.
6) Ruan Venter (South Africa)
The meteoric rise of Ruan Venter continues, a personal favourite of ours his humble beginnings at Sutherland made him take nothing for granted and his transition into the senior side of the game has put the world on notice.
118kg and standing at 6 feet and 6 inches despite still being a teenager tells you all you need to know about what kind of player this athlete could develop into. Keep a close eye on Venter, the green and gold jersey is certainly not far away.
5) Christ Tshiunza (Wales)
The Congolese born youngster continues his development with 2022 being yet another year he was able to showcase his extraordinary talent.
The 112kg Wales international has so far recorded 2 caps for the Senior Side and despite Wales having a relatively disappointing 2022 by their high standards Christ’s consistent performances earn him his place in our team.
4) Reinhardt Ludwig (South Africa)
Watching Ludwig develop into the talent he is today has been special, with so many promising young players falling by the wayside when making the step into senior rugby Ludwig has only grown as a player.
His performances in the Summer Series were immense and his form has seen him become a regular in the Bulls senior setup, it won’t be long before Rassie and co will take a serious look at the youngster.
3) Corne Weilbach (South Africa)
Pottie as he is known was an immense player at school level for Paul Roos, from his junior days he was known for his brute strength besting virtually all opponents in the scrum. He continued this into his senior career with his performances earning him a callup to the Junior Springbok squad in both 2021 and 2022.
One of the most impressive performers for the Junior Boks in the Summer Series expect Weilbach to continue this form for Western Province and the Stormers, it won’t be long until this young beast is a household name.
2) George Bell (New Zealand)
The future of New Zealand rugby in the number 2 jersey, at the end of the day it was not even a question as to who we should pick as our hooker with Bell ticking all the boxes.
Just 20 years of age he has already notched up 9 caps for Canterbury with 2 tries and made his Crusaders debut scoring a try with an impressive display. One of the leading try scorers in the Oceania Under 20 competition this year he scored 4 tries in 3 appearances, remember the name!
1) Matis Perchaud (France)
It is hard to believe that the Mouguerre native is just 20 years of age, considering he is somewhat of a veteran in the French domestic game with 32 appearances for Bayonne.
An extremely mobile front rower, Perchaud had an exceptional 2022 for both club and country and the fact he has essentially just starting in his career it is a frightening prospect as to the player he will become.
16) Patrick Harrison (Scotland)
An absolute terrier in the loose, a work rate second to none and a fearless take no prisoners attitude Harrison is certainly the future of Scottish rugby in this position.
Named as one of our 100 to watch for 2022, it became clear during the U20 Six Nations and the Summer Series that our prediction was on point and then some.
We predict a meteoric rise for the youngster and believe it won’t be long before Gregor Townsend makes a call.
17) Jack Boyle (Ireland)
The former St Michaels College youngster made our World Under 18 squad in 2020, even with limited footage available to us we knew that yet another Irish superstar prop was on the horizon.
A key figure in Ireland Under 20’s grand slam win this year Boyle continues to go from strength to strength with his work rate and excellent leadership hallmarks of his game.
18) Riccardo Genovese (Italy)
An absolutely frightening tighthead, Genovese is a mammoth 126kg and 6 feet tall despite only being under 20.
The fact this behemoth still has time to grow and watching him dominate his opponents in the scrum within his age group shows a star is certainly on the rise. Although props take a bit longer to develop make no mistake that Riccardo is going to be a key player in Italy’s likely rise up the rugby rankings.
19) Mark Morrissey (Ireland)
Yet another potential world class player off the Blackrock College assembly line, Morrissey was one of the standout players in the Under 20 six nations where he excelled in virtually all the matches he played.
A physical and imposing presence, his rugby IQ belies his young age and is not reliant on his size alone. Very unlucky not to make the starting XV but let that not give you any doubts on his tremendous potential.
20) Rueben Crothers (Ireland)
Yet another Irishman on our bench and someone that was a whisker away from the starting lineup, if it were not for Ireland’s relatively poor performance in the Summer Series then perhaps the outcome would be different but we have long been fans of Crothers not because of his potential alone but because he plays the game physically and within the right spirit.
A born leader the Ulsterman has his work cut out for him to make it into the senior setup with tremendous competition awaiting him but only a fool would bet against Crothers going all the way.
21) Nico Steyn (South Africa)
A breakout year for the talented Steyn, the former Glenwood pupil has shown that his exploits at school level were not just talent alone but the result of hard work and dedication with the youngster being rewarded with his national colours this year after missing out in 2020 due to the pandemic.
A series of solid displays in the Summer Series plus senior appearances for the Lions showcase the belief the Johannesburg based outfit have in the youngster and the only way from here us up!
22) Fin Smith (England)
We have sung the praises of Smith since he was still a school player and were it not for Mngomezulu’s breakout year in 2022 Smith surely would have been on our starter.
Although he has plenty of competition in this position with incumbent Marcus Smith showcasing his enormous talent and players such as Charlie Atkinson and Jamie Benson waiting in the wings so to speak the pressure to perform will only enhance his future in our opinion.
A huge coup for the Worcester Warriors where he notched up 120 points in his 31 appearances he recently made the move to the Northampton Saints where he has in only 2 appearances claimed 29 points.
A player for the big occasion surely Eddie Jones will have to move quickly to secure the young Smith as he is also eligible to play for Scotland through his grandfather, Tom Elliot a former Lions international.
23) Emilien Gailleton (France)
The future of French rugby is looking fantastic. With such a large amount of squad depth in key positions, two junior world cups in 2018 and 2019 and a the worlds most financially lucrative league the sport is healthy to say the least.
Enter Emilien Gailleton, born in 2003 and although saying he is the future of French rugby may seem a stretch believe us when we say that a future Phillipe Sella exists within this player. Exceptional performances for Agen where he made his debut while still at school earned him a move to Pau where 3 tries in 7 fixtures further showcased his pedigree.
A callup to the French national senior mens team has further cemented his reputation and with the talent he possesses we are going to see a truly world class player develop.
