Rookie XV: ‘Springbok prodigy’, ‘incredibly strong’ future All Black and hoards of Englishmen all feature in the class of 2024

Dylan Coetzee
Springbok Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Fin Smith (England) and Wallace Sititi (New Zealand).

Springbok Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Fin Smith (England) and Wallace Sititi (New Zealand).

The mid-year Test window is finally upon us and as is often the case the year after a Rugby World Cup there are loads of rookies on the scene.

Since there are many new faces, Planet Rugby has put together a rookie XV that includes only uncapped players and players capped in 2024.

Rookie XV

15 Leo Barre (France): The Stade Francais man, who can also play 10 or 12, got his first Les Bleus cap during the Six Nations, and rightly so. Barre is a joy to watch with ball in hand and is one of those players with such a natural ability to beat defenders. Add to that, he has exceptional ball skills with catch, pass and kick, making him a triple-threat. He looks set to kick on and throw his name in lights for France in July. England’s Joe Carpenter is our runner-up for full-back.

14 Edwill van der Merwe (South Africa): Scrum caps and Springboks wings seem to be a match made in heaven. The Lions man looked completely at home when he debuted against Wales last weekend, scoring a try and just absolutely ripping it up when he got the chance. Don’t be fooled by his hot-stepping as his committed defence was also on show with a lovely double tackle effort. He will be wearing Green and Gold again very soon.

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13 Antoine Frisch (France): Most will know of Frisch in the red of Munster but that has all changed now as he has chosen to represent Les Bleus and also Toulon when he gets the chance. His quality is obvious on both sides of the ball and if there was less competition in the Irish set-up at 13, we may have already seen him at Test level. We are eager to see how he fares in the blue of France in July. All Blacks newbie Billy Proctor and Wallabies call-up Josh Flook are also worth keeping an eye on.

12 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa): It could have been 10, 12 or 15, it didn’t matter. What matters is that the Springbok prodigy had to be included in some capacity after the most unfussed Test debut we have seen in a very long time where everything he did was so pure. He can beat defenders, make his tackles and slot kicks from a 60-metre range. In so many ways he is a coach’s dream. It certainly feels as though we are witnessing the beginning of a legendary career and that earns his spot ahead of Ireland’s Jamie Osborne.

11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England): Easily one of the rookies of the year and a player who has quickly cemented his spot in the England line-up. He is quick, deceptively strong and extremely elusive. Throw in his calm and mature temperament and it looks as though England could have their man on the wing for years to come. He gets in ahead of teammate Ollie Sleightholme.

10 Fin Smith (England): Another Englishman who has developed tremendously well of late and the general for the Premiership champions Northampton Saints. Smith was capped earlier this year and with his skill-set one expects him to earn a lot more. His journey is only beginning and there are already calls to get him in ahead of Marcus Smith. It will be interesting to see how Fin manages if he gets game time in New Zealand.

9 Cortez Ratima (New Zealand): A deserved All Blacks call-up after an electric try-scoring season for the Chiefs. Ratima’s distribution and kicking are sound, but it’s his instinctive ability that powers his fantastic support play that sets him apart. Like any good scrum-half, the Chiefs man is almost always in the perfect position. The injury to Cam Roigard really opens the door for a possible debut in July.

The pack

8 Wallace Sititi (New Zealand): Staying with New Zealand and another first-time call-up is the young but incredibly strong Sititi. He is only 21 years old but has an amazing work-rate on both sides of the ball. Sititi’s ability to gain metres in the contact area is very impressive and it is his ability to execute the fundamentals at such a high level that gets him in ahead of French duo Alexandre Roumat and Jordan Joseph while Australia’s Charlie Cale is certainly worth mentioning.

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7 Phepsi Buthelezi (South Africa): The Sharks man has been likened to Siya Kolisi this year and it is pretty spot on. He has only grown in confidence and his outrageous try in the Challenge Cup final is a testament to that. Buthelezi also has the ability to play pretty much across the back-row and is a natural leader, taking on the role in most of the teams he has played in.

6 Chandler Cunningham-South (England): The Harlequins man has been a massive find for Steve Borthwick’s England, offering the side brute force in that blindside role. It is an area left open by Courtney Lawes’s retirement and up until now Cunningham-South is the closest player to grabbing the chance. Newly capped Springbok Ben-Jason Dixon has already shown he is capable of shining at Test level.

5 Posolo Tuilagi (France): Behemoth, gargantuan, colossal; literally any words to describe something really, really large works for the second-row who lugs 149 kilograms around the field. The latest member of the legendary Tuilagi family, even at just 19 years old he has already shown he will not only survive at this level but thrive and bully his opponents in the process. He is massively impressive and it will be interesting to see how far he goes. New Ireland call-up Cormac Izuchukwu has been red-hot for Ulster and may get a shot in South Africa.

4 Ryan Smith (Australia): The only Wallabies call-up to get the nod for our side and a real enforcer when on the field, throwing his big frame around whenever he can. He has never played for his country but has come through the structures, having represented Australia ‘A’ before. He will be desperate to get into Joe Schmidt’s plans.

3 Pasilio Tosi (New Zealand): Powerhouse immediately comes to mind. Tosi has been one of the stars powering a good Hurricanes season despite the lack of silverware. He may have to wait his turn to feature in the biggest of games, but under All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan he has a real chance to explode.

2 Johan Grobbelaar (South Africa): A classic example of a modern hooker. Grobbelaar is mobile around the park yet still maintains his physicality, his set-piece is in check and his work-rate always impressive. He looks well poised to lead the next generation of hookers for the Springboks whenever the legendary duo of Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi get phased out.

1 Fin Baxter (England): A rising star in the England structures having featured prominently in the youth teams. People around Baxter not only rate him as a high-potential prop but also a leader of men. He was superb for Harlequins this season, particularly in the Champions Cup, and just has the feeling of one of those players who is set to collect a lot of Test caps.

READ MORE: Rugby Internationals: Comprehensive squad lists ahead of intriguing Test window

Australia Antoine Frisch Chandler Cunningham-South Cortez Ratima Edwill van der Merwe Fin Baxter Fin Smith Immanuel Feyi-Waboso Johan Grobbelaar

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