Age 30 (23.3.89) Position Sevens
“Every time he gets the ball something
magical happens,” wrote Perry Baker of
Jerry Tuwai last year. The Fijian general
is one of the stars of the Sevens Series
and a man who knows about hard work
having grown up in poverty in the rough
Suva suburb of Newtown. Be it stepping,
sweeping or linking passes, the Olympic
gold-medal winner is a must-watch talent.Age 29 (22.2.90) Position Lock
First-choice No 4 for club and country,
his tackle rate and technical ability at
the set-piece are particular calling
cards. He experienced a dip after the
2017 Lions tour, but he’s since hit
career-best form and scooped a third
Champions Cup winner’s medal with
a Herculean display against Leinster.Age 22 (15.11.96) Position Scrum-half
Le petit general of a Toulouse side
enjoying a renaissance, Dupont is
comfortable playing in both half-back
positions, where his eye for a gap,
quick feet and low centre of gravity
make him a menace in broken-field
play. With improved game management,
Dupont is capable of becoming one of
the breakthrough acts at the World Cup.Age 24 (13.6.95) Position Centre
Anyone compared to Conrad Smith is
in the world-class echelon of centres.
The fact Goodhue finds himself there
aged 24 speaks to his value for the
Crusaders and All Blacks. He’s strong,
sound in defence and a brilliant
distributor, yet, like Smith, pressure
decision-making is his greatest asset.Age 23 (3.4.96) Position Wing
The Ulster wing’s impact has been
electrifying. He ended his season at
full-back but out wide is where he is
most devastating. He has 14 tries in 19
Tests and an unerring ability to break
tackles just when you think he is
about to be hauled down. As good a
finisher as Ireland has ever produced.Age 32 (3.7.86) Position No 8
The abrasive No 8 is not known as ‘Thor’
for his good looks; he is a defensive wall
and breakdown menace. Returning to
SA after a long stint in France, he’s been
the Bulls’ best player this year. He still
has the fitness and pace to thrive in the
high-octane southern hemisphere game
while also having the experience, guile
and power to dominate Tests.51 JERRY TUWAI
48 GEORGE KRUIS 47 ANTOINE DUPONT 46 JACK GOODHUE
50 JACOB STOCKDALE 49 DUANE VERMEULEN
032 14 719 46100
BEST PLAYERS
Age 22 (25.9.96) Position Wing
If France are to ambush England at the
World Cup, you suspect Penaud’s role
will be significant. The 6ft 4in, near-15st
wing has been a shining light in a
mediocre side, as his 2019 Six Nations
stats reinforce. He featured in France’s
top four for offloads, defenders beaten
and turnovers won, as well as making
the most metres (279), some of which
came with his fine finish at Twickenham.
In Rome, he saved les Bleus’ bacon with
a match-winning tackle on Marco Zanon.
Penaud’s socks-down physicality
comes at a price, because his lack of
world-class pace can be exposed, but at22 he’s a young man with his best
years still ahead of him. The Clermont
player is still a comparative novice on
the wing, having won his first five caps
at outside-centre, his foremost position.
His father, Alain, was a France fly-half
in the Nineties and Brian O’Driscoll says:
“For anyone that remembers his dad’s
vintage, he’s like Jean-Baptiste Lafond
and Philippe Saint-André, the sort of
player we’ve not really seen in a French
jersey for 20 years. Except this guy has
another ten kilos on him. He has deftness
of touch, a passing game, an offloading
game, he brings physicality too. That’s
why people purr when they watch him.”45 DAMIAN PENAUD
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