Age 27 (10.2.92) Position Prop
The problem facing Kitshoff for so long
was: how to get past Tendai Mtawarira?
Yet after being wooed back to South
Africa from Bordeaux, the powerful,
unfussy redhead has risen beyond the
cult hero. At the Stormers, he has been
captain when Siya Kolisi is out and boss
Robbie Fleck says: “When he speaks,
the players and management listen.”Age 28 (10.5.91) Position Fly-half
With a Christian name bestowed on him
by a Welsh mother who idolised Gareth
Edwards, the Kiwi-born pivot has enjoyed
a stellar 12 months, inspiring Cardiff
Blues to a Challenge Cup trophy in 2018
and playing a significant role in the red
of Grand Slammers Wales in 2019. He’s
an astute reader of the game, with a turn
of pace and ability to play flat to the line.Age 30 (21.10.88) Position Scrum-half
“The best thing about ‘Nuggy’ is that
he walks the talk,” says Highlanders’
Aaron Mauger of the most-capped
No 9 in NZ history. “The speed of his
delivery from the base of the scrum
and ruck is a key point of difference,”
adds Steve Hansen. His service
remains critical for club and country.Age 29 (16.10.89) Position Fly-half
He spent a decade at the Ospreys,
but it’s only by leaving Wales that fans
have fully appreciated Biggar’s worth.
An influential season at Northampton
and a key part in Wales’ 12th Grand
Slam have seen Biggar lauded. A
model of composure, he’s integral to
Warren Gatland’s World Cup plans.Age 24 (15.4.95) Position Centre
One of the most underrated players in
NZ rugby. Few can switch so seamlessly
between 12 and 13, but that is just one
element to Lienert-Brown. He is also
deceptively quick, strong and produces
scrambling try-saving moments. In a
struggling Chiefs team, he has often
been the shining light – and could yet
be a major factor for the All Blacks.Age 30 (18.9.88) Position Prop
Stop us if you’ve heard it: a player gets
called up for the All Blacks in World Cup
knockouts, plays an important role, goes
on to win it. In 2015, that was Moody.
Disciplinary lapses aside, the Crusader
has become a fixture in the Kiwi scrum
when fit, but it is his work all over that
stands out. He is, as coach Steve Hansen
calls him, “a good, mobile, athletic prop”.Age 26 (19.3.93) Position Centre
During the fallout of England’s 2015
World Cup failure, we demanded that
henceforth Slade should be the first
name on the team sheet. A broken leg
and dented confidence slowed his
progress, but the Exeter centre is now
playing with an irresistible swagger.
His fizzing passes, flicked offloads
and probing grubber kicks make him
the yin to Owen Farrell’s yang, an extra
set of ears and eyes in wider channels.
“He can unlock stuff for England,” says
ex-Ireland centre Gordon D’Arcy. “Thecreativeness he brings balances
out the structure and order of Farrell.”
Chiefs boss Rob Baxter thought Slade
looked like a pipe cleaner the first time
he saw him, but the player – a Type 1
diabetic – has become a defensive
lynchpin with a deceptive turn of speed.
He marked his first Six Nations start
with a virtuoso two-try display in Dublin
this year. Being installed as first-choice
13 since last year’s summer tour seems
to have empowered him and he may
go to Japan 2019 with the additional
responsibility of being a back-up ten.62 STEVEN KITSHOFF
58 GARETH ANSCOMBE
61 AARON SMITH
57 DAN BIGGAR
60 ANTON LIENERT-BROWN
56 JOE MOODY
37268270333759 HENRY SLADE
22100
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