The IRB Junior World Championships is over, with many outstanding players having emerged from the tournament.
Who have been the best? Here is a form XV to debate.
Fullback and wingers
Cian Kelleher from Ireland had an outstanding tournament at fullback. Secure under the high ball and strong on defence, the most impressive feature of Kelleher’s game is his ability to counter attack. He has great vision, speed and footwork and has caused all teams serious hassle.
Damien McKenzie from New Zealand is another player who shined at fullback. Only slight, McKenzie’s purist of involvement, pace and footwork have made him a real livewire. McKenzie has the chance to return to the tournament next year.
Wingers Nathan Earle (England) and Tevita Li (New Zealand) have both been nominated for the IRB Junior player of the year award. Though both play on the left wing, both are so dynamic and talented it doesn’t matter what side they play on.
Earle and Li look odds-on to be internationals in the future; there is an element of Julian Savea about them both.
Andrew Kellaway from Australia has been very good as well. He is a smaller and faster winger.
Midfield
Irish centre Garry Ringrose has been nominated for the IRB Junior Player of the Year Award. He is a skillful footballer who has modeled his game on Brian O’Driscoll. An incisive runner with fine distribution skills, Ringrose has been very consistent performer not just at the World Cup but in the Six Nations too.
However this is a World Cup team, and Ringrose is not the form centre at this tourney. Nicky Tomkins from England has been better and is a similar player to Ringrose.
The standout though has been Nathanael Apa from Samoa. Samoa is not in the class of Ireland and England but in Apa they have a player as good as any 13 in the tournament.
A punishing defender, Apa runs strongly, passes well and looks like a really good prospect.
South African second-five Andre Esterhuizen has been a beast for South Africa. A huge man, he is a wall in defence and a real crash merchant with the ball in hand. Esterhuizen’s try in the semi-final against New Zealand, where he bowled through two defenders, turned the game in his side’s favour.
Halves
Handre Pollard from South Africa is contesting his third and last IRB Junior World Championship. He is a class above any other 10 at the tourney. He has a prodigious boot, regularly kicking 50-metre penalties, and the size, intelligence, maturity and skill to became a dominant pivot in world rugby.
At halfback, Henry Taylor from England has a great pass, the vision, speed and size to attack around the fringes and the ability to clear under pressure with his boot when required.
Loose forwards
As a loose forward trio, the English treble of Ross Moriarty, James Chisholm and Gus Jones have been outstanding. Their link-play with the backs, offloading ability and breakdown dominance has been peerless in this tournament.
However no tournament team would be complete without Australia’s captain Sean McMahon. The Melbourne Rebels blindside has been very powerful with ball in hand and his work rate on defence is exceptional.
Australia’s loose forward trio has actually been very good. Ross Haylett-Petty (8) and Rowan Perry (7) look like good prospects as well.
Locks
England’s captain Maro Itoje is a powerhouse in a similar vain to Courtney Lawes. Not the tallest lock around, Itoje still has secure hands and a huge vertical leap. A bustling runner, Itoje has the pace and power of a loose forward and might switch their later in his career.
Tom Staniforth from Australia and James Tucker from New Zealand have been real workhorses, the South African pair of JD Schickerling and Nico Janse van Rensburg are a formidable tandem, but Jean Baptiste Singer from France is a real warrior. Great in the lineouts, brutal at the breakdown, he plays much like his coach – the great lock Fabien Pelous.
Front row
England and South Africa have had the best front rows by a mile at the JWC, so it’s only fair that they dominate the front row places.
Corniel Els is an abrasive hooker who throws well and scrimmages strongly. Dayan Van Der Westhuizen (South Africa) and Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi (England) are solid anchors for their countries.
Form XV
15. Cian Kelleher (Ireland)
14. Nathan Earle (England)
13. Nathaniel Apa (Samoa)
12. Andre Esterhuizen (South Africa)
11. Tevita Li (New Zealand)
10. Handre Pollard (South Africa)
9. Henry Taylor (England)
8. James Chisholm (England)
7. Gus Jones (England)
6. Sean McMahon (Australia)
5. Jean Baptiste Singer (France)
4. Maro Itoje (England)
3. Dayan Van Der Westhuizen (South Africa)
2. Corniel Els (South Africa)
1. Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi (England)
Harry Jones
Guest
Yes, but he will only tighten up his game if he is thrown in that pool. I think he'll make mistakes, but also make big plays. I'm looking forward to it. Only hope that Meyer isn't too afraid of the mistakes. It's part of the process. Look at Cruden and Barrett. They make errors, but NZ trusts them to grow.
chris
Guest
Interesting about McKenzie. Reminded me a lot of Lambie at this level. I think it was 2010 when Lambie tore australia apart in the 3rd/4th playoff game. Same as Lambie, McKenzie looks like he might be an even better 10 than 15, though I have no idea what I am basing that on.
chris
Guest
More impressively Schickerling has another year at this level. Scary how good he could one day be.
Bakkies
Guest
He has to work on his lapses in concentration. Missed touch off penalties a few times and throws the odd sloppy pass. Can't do that in test Rugby.
Paul
Guest
netball matches in the ANZ comp have bigger crowds than ITM cup games. Perhaps we love being indoors than being in the miserable cold outside and we rely too much on pay tv, tablets, phones for live screening of games. We have become the lazy nation.
Harry Jones
Guest
Can't wait to see Schickerling, Esterhuizen and Pollard playing for the Boks. Pollard might get his first cap this next weekend! He looks imperturbable.
Nek Minnut
Guest
Ringrose was one of the players of the tourney. 13) Ringrose Without a doubt.
conor
Guest
Winger Andrew Kellaway (last year's Australian Schoolboys) broke the record for the highest number of tries ever scored in a Junior RWC tournament. He scored 10 to surpass the 8 tries - previous record - held equally by Zac Guilford and Julian Savea of New Zealand. Very surprised that he wasn't nominated as one of the four finalists for player of the tournament
Bakkies
Guest
Kellaway, Tom Staniforth. Maybe Haylett Petty jr. Placid is highly rated.
Chan Wee
Guest
wrong place at wrong time. England in NZ and France in OZ created the buzz and everything else was a footnote. also the tournament was not helped by the pre test talk about England's squad and the expected outcome. whilst the interest in NZ on rugby is well known, one must not forget it is a country with around 4 mio people. add to that the physical dispersion of people and the matches being held in one city. OZ would have done a little better but no the same numbers such as a big country like SA>
Paul
Guest
you have to remember back in the old NPC days where the crowd numbers were really good.
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Hi Guys did we have any other talent apart from Sean McMahon in the Australian team? Just hoping there is some talent in waiting..... Who is coaching the wallababies?
Gavin Fernie
Guest
Biltongbek, I am in full agreement about J.D.Schickerling, but not Van Rensburg. Van Rensburg is good, but Schickerling is world class in his age group, and destined for higher honours. What the person who selected his 'best of the tournament team' has ignored is that in the modern game the lineout is a crucial attacking/scoring platform, and no other lock even came close to matching Shickerling in this regard. What makes him special is that he does not shirk his tight work and tackles well. Jean- Baptiste Singer is also a world class prospect. The great old warrior, Fabien Pelous, in between making good wine, knows his stuff, and we are sure to see Singer play for Les Bleues. Pollard is sheer class. Even Meyer cannot ignore him, as evidenced by his call up
Jerry
Guest
I don't recall a huge amount of interest in it to be honest. NZers tend to take winning for granted. They'll get excited about a good prospect from age group rugby but don't really make that big a deal about the team's record. The only time I can really remember people talking about U20 wins (or U19 & U21 before that) is when people were talking up NZ rugby's overall dominance and bringing up 7's, Womens rugby etc.
JimmyB
Guest
Most Kiwis liked talking about the U20s when they used to win all the time.
kunming tiger
Guest
Most New Zealanders are All Black supporters first interest in other rep teams is limited. Most Kiwis I know will talk half the night about the All Black XV change the topic to sevens , juniors or women's Rugby then you are talking to yourself. Attendance was down at the final because New Zealand wasn't in it. They come not to see a quality contest but to see their team win and affirm what everybody already knew that they are indisputably the best at the game. It's the IRB's money and without a junior pathway how else would players develop how much better can you get by not competing/
Chan Wee
Guest
He was listed in the team as fly half so, may be another Barrett in making ;)
Tigranes
Guest
Last year the final in South Africa drew over 30,000 Maybe the New Zealand public expected their team to dominate and when the junior books pummelled them, they lost hope England and South Africa are clearly far ahead of their opponents.
Matthew Skellett
Guest
Maybe the NZ public are just sick of rugby? Or the NZ economy has made attending rugby games a disposable luxury? or they are saving their sports attending nz dollars for the football quad tour? Or they prefer to watch the netball ? The blacksticks? Maybe even the 2015 FIFA Under-20 World Cup will get better crowds ? Gee that would be somthing to see ;-)
Kuruki
Roar Guru
Apparently MacKenzie has been pulled into the Chiefs squad as cover for Robinson.