Rugby World UK – July 2019

Age 27 (22.10.91) Position No 8

John Barclay’s seen a lot in his time

but he’s been blown away by his

Edinburgh team-mate and master

offloader: “I don’t know any player

who carries the ball as well as him in

traffic. I don’t think we’ve seen the

best of him yet, that’s the scary thing.”

Ben Ryan column: P 31

Age 26 (14.11.92) Position Prop

The legend goes that during his time

with Ireland U20 this normally restrained

tighthead suggested that, so often was

his defence highlighted in analysis, he

should be called ‘Jukebox’ – because

the hits keep coming. Now one of the

most respected forwards on the planet,

Furlong is feared in the tight and

revered for deft handling in the loose.

Age 26 (3.11.92) Position No 8

The younger half of rugby’s ‘bruise

brothers’, Vunipola is the sport’s most

powerful ball-carrier. It often takes

three defenders to stop him but in the

Heineken Cup final a Leinster quartet

proved insufficient as he bulldozed

over from a scrum for the decisive try.

“He’s the best No 8 in the world,” said

Jamie George after that Saracens win.

In the Six Nations he was the only

player to account for more than 10%

of a team’s carries (71) and made more

metres than any other forward (231),

but there’s far more to Vunipola

than the ‘wrecking ball’ label he gave

to his 2017 award-winning book.

Indeed, he’s more of a Swiss Army

knife than a machete, able to fizz a

long pass or pop a subtle offload. He’s

even developed a knack of intercepting

and his form this year has come as a

welcome relief after a string of injury

setbacks, including shoulder and knee

surgery and three broken arms.

The coming World Cup will leave him

wide-eyed because, strange to think,

he started only one RWC 2015 match.

11

PAULINE

BOURDON

9 VILIAME MATA

10 TADHG FURLONG

9

33

19

12 BILLY VUNIPOLA

41

100 Best Players

Age 23 (4 Nov 1995) Position Scrum-half

W

HETHER PLAYING at

nine or ten – like many

French half-backs, she

covers both positions –

Bourdon is France’s metronome. Fast

or slow, tight or loose, she makes them

tick and marshals them to great effect.

She has the triple threat of a running,

passing and kicking game that all the

best half-backs possess, but it’s her

ability to influence a match that sets

her apart. Her reading of the game

means more often than not she makes

the right decision at the right time, and

her knowledge of the laws allows her

to alert referees to any infractions.

Her calmness under pressure belies

a deep competitive instinct; even with

her 5ft 5in frame she’s comfortable

mixing with heavyweights – and did

just that in guiding France to a famous

30-27 victory over New Zealand last

November. She was also a star of their

2018 Six Nations Grand Slam – being

named in the Scrumqueens XV of the

Year – and scored a brace against

England in this year’s championship.

The 23-year-old will continue to play

a fundamental role for France as they

build towards the 2021 World Cup.