Age 29 (25.5.90) Position Prop
Georgia are spoilt for choice when it
comes to props and this wily Montpellier
loosehead is the best of the lot. He
didn’t play in their recent Rugby Europe
Championship triumph as Milton Haig
blooded a few youngsters, but he will
be central to their World Cup campaign
as they look to dominate at the scrum.Age 21 (16.6.98) Position Back-row
Along with twin brother Ben, he’s shown
a maturity that belies his tender years.
The Sale openside is a destructive,
muscular breakdown pilferer who has
levers like a JCB and is immovable over
the ball, with similar characteristics to
David Pocock. And nobody surpassed
his 86 tackles in this year’s Six Nations.Age 28 (31.3.91) Position Hooker
Had to bide his time behind Dane
Coles but is the man in possession
of the All Black No 2 jersey. Hugely
consistent, strong in all the basics,
and forever popping up with
game-changing moments at critical
times, Taylor has taken his chance.Age 31 (7.10.87) Position Prop
Talk about a renaissance man. In 2015, a
serious nerve problem in his arm meant
Healy had signed papers to retire. But he
said: “Once there is a glimmer of hope
you have to chase it.” He has rebounded,
hard, since changing his mind. There
are few in Europe as stoic in defence
or as willing to handle in heavy traffic.Age 28 (30.12.90) Position Back-row
Good things come to those who wait,
and the dreadlocked dreadnought
has been blasting expectations from
the back row since he returned to
Test rugby for Wales after a four-year
hiatus in 2017. Since then, the Cardiff
Blue has been near undroppable.Age 31 (2.4.88) Position Lock
Magic hands. A rugby ball looks like
a lemon in his giant mitts. And he
flings it left and right with outstanding
frequency. As well as being a master
of the offload, he’s a nuisance at the
lineout, whether for Racing 92 or Fiji,
and a key leader for his country.Age 33 (11.7.85) Position Fly-half
In 2018 he played in a Slam, a series
win in Australia and a first victory over
New Zealand in Dublin. With Leinster
doing the double, he was crowned
World Player of the Year. This year he
has fallen short of such heady heights
but will likely show his class in Japan.Age 29 (17.9.89) Position Back-row
Described by Joe Schmidt as an
“absolute warrior”, O’Mahony is someone
you want beside you in the trenches. A
brilliant lineout technician – he topped
this year’s Six Nations stats by a mile
with 32 takes – he is also rated by Sean
Holley as the best European jackler of
modern times behind Sam Warburton.Age 21 (10.7.97) Position Prop
Scrummaging is every prop’s bread
and butter, but Bern enhances hers
with peanut butter, jelly and much
more besides. She can sidestep like
a wing, pick the running lines of a
centre and has a decent pass. And
she’s only 21 – the potential for this
very modern front-rower is huge.42 MIKHEIL NARIASHVILI
36 TOM CURRY
39 CODIE TAYLOR 38 CIAN HEALY 37 JOSH NAVIDI
41 LEONE NAKARAWA
35 JOHNNY SEXTON
40 PETER O’MAHONY
34 SARAH BERN
100
BEST PLAYERS
54 53 5741 88 1610 83 25