Europe's six rising stars set to light up World Cup

1 year ago 51

Europe's Six Nations, which kicks disconnected connected Sunday (AEDT), is simply a large woody successful its ain close but there's an added magnitude to it successful a Rugby World Cup year.

It's inevitable that the squad crowned the champion successful the bluish hemisphere volition beryllium burdened with other anticipation successful the build-up to the planetary showpiece, which volition commencement six months aboriginal successful France.

Here's a look astatine immoderate of the champion young players expected to play successful the Six Nations and who mightiness spell connected to airy up the World Cup.

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Cadan Murley, England

The 22-year-old Murley is successful enactment for his England debut arsenic portion of an overhaul of the team’s wingers by manager Steve Borthwick.

Out person gone established stars Jonny May and Jack Nowell and successful person travel Murley and 23-year-old Ollie Hassell-Collins.

Murley has 8 tries successful the English Premiership for Harlequins — putting him 3rd successful the database — and is 2nd for metres gained.

Borthwick is impressed by the youngster’s quality to “beat defenders successful the smallest abstraction imaginable and has the powerfulness to measurement disconnected some feet and past accelerate.”

Ethan Dumortier, France

Another inferior satellite champion poised to marque his debut is near winger Ethan Dumortier, showing the heavy endowment excavation astatine France’s disposal.

With Gabin Villiere inactive recovering from a shin fracture, Matthis Lebel was hoping to instrumentality Villiere’s spot for the opening crippled against Scotland.

Instead, Lebel was among the players released backmost to their clubs.

So the slot could spell alternatively to the 22-year-old Dumortier, who won the under-20 satellite title successful 2019.

He is the Top 14’s apical try-scorer this play with 8 successful 11 games for Lyon and has added 3 much successful 2 Champions Cup games.

“My nonsubjective is to shingle things up,” Dumortier said.

“It’s bully to spot that I’m successful contention with the champion players successful my position.”

Jack Crowley, Ireland

Made a memorable archetypal Test commencement successful the past lucifer of 2022 against Australia aft Jonathan Sexton was injured successful the warmup.

Crowley kept Ireland successful the crippled and replacement Ross Byrne won it with a last-minute kick.

Both person been picked arsenic Sexton's backups astatine the disbursal of Joey Carbery, Crowley's chap Munster 10 and Sexton's heir evident for six years.

Carbery hasn't been playing poorly; astir observers conscionable judge he's been outshone by the young weapon Crowley and the matured Byrne.

How highly the Irish coaches complaint Crowley is evident by him playing 10 lone erstwhile since the autumn tests, and much often successful midfield.

Munster has fixed the No.10 jersey mostly to Carbery.

Luca Rizzoli, Italy

One of 4 uncapped front-rowers successful the squad, Luca Rizzoli is simply a loosehead prop converted from hooker by Italy under-20s manager Massimo Brunello successful 2021.

The translation was inspiring. Rizzoli was the starting loosehead for 2 years and featured successful the historical under-20 triumph against England a twelvemonth ago.

He started up of Mirco Spagnolo, different squad newcomer, successful the 2021 under20s.

Spagnolo is going to Benetton. Rizzoli is astatine Zebre.

They volition beryllium competing against each different for years to travel to the payment of Italy.

Ben Healy, Scotland

High hopes are pinned connected the improvement of uncapped Ben Healy.

The injury-prone Adam Hastings has laid bare Scotland's deficiency of extent astatine flyhalf.

While Finn Russell was successful purgatory past year, a valid effort was made to person fullback-wing Blair Kinghorn into a 10.

Lately, he's been connected the helping for Edinburgh. The 192cm Healy is astatine Ireland's Munster, having travel done the Ireland property groups.

He came onto Scotland manager Gregor Townsend's radar 2 years agone erstwhile helium looked astatine joining Glasgow, arsenic helium qualifies for Scotland done his mother.

Healy came backmost precocious past twelvemonth looking astatine Edinburgh and signed connected for adjacent season. Townsend says helium volition decidedly adhd to Scotland's squad.

Jac Morgan, Wales

Wales conscionable keeps connected producing large back-row forwards.

The latest is the 23-year-old Jac Morgan, a standout flanker for the Ospreys with his destructive runs with shot successful manus and disruptive enactment astatine the breakdown.

Last summer, helium was omitted from the Wales squad for the circuit of South Africa due to the fact that then-coach Wayne Pivac suggested Morgan wasn’t carnal enough, having lone breached into the squad during the 2022 Six Nations.

Now Morgan appears to beryllium a shoo-in alongside Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau successful a stellar-looking backmost row.

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