Good morning fellow GAGRs, here’s an article AllyOz put together for us all. Thank you mate it’s good to have something to read and think about in rugby as we proceed to the Christmas break. Enjoy the read team.
Rugby by Numbers – The Age of Enlightenment
In professional rugby, squad age profiles offer a revealing lens into a competition’s philosophy, recruitment strategy, and competitive lifecycle. Super Rugby Pacific often fields some of the youngest squads in world rugby, but youthful teams are not unique to the southern hemisphere. Many sides in the United Rugby Championship and the English Premiership also have relatively low average ages, while Japanese clubs—and, to a lesser extent, French Top 14 teams—tend to be older due largely to the recruitment of established internationals. This can, however, obscure the blend of seasoned imports and emerging local talent that characterises those leagues.
This article compares the average ages of squads across five major competitions in their most recently completed seasons.
Young, Dumb and Full of … Enthusiasm
It is perhaps unsurprising that Super Rugby Pacific (SRP) is the youngest of the major rugby competitions globally. The average player age in SRP is 25.3 years. The NSW Waratahs fielded the youngest squad in 2025 at 24.7 years, while Moana Pasifika relied on several older squad members to bolster their roster. Four teams had an average age at or under 25: the Waratahs, Highlanders, Hurricanes, and Queensland Reds, with the Brumbies just over that mark.
Three of the four Australian teams were among the five youngest in the competition. The Western Force—who, like Moana Pasifika, brought in experienced players such as Nic White, Sam Carter, and Kurtley Beale—had the oldest Australian squad at 26 years, second only to Moana Pasifika.
The average age for a player making their SRP debut is approximately 21, based on data from the 2022–2025 seasons, when most debutants were aged 19–23.
United Stakes
The sixteen teams in the United Rugby Championship (URC) display similar age demographics to SRP. The URC average squad age is 25.6 years, with the two Italian teams providing the extremes: Benetton are the oldest at 26.8 years, while Zebre Parma are the youngest at 24.5 — in fact, the youngest squad of any team analysed across all five competitions. Whether this is part of an intentional development strategy within Italian rugby is unclear, but the numbers suggest a deliberate contrast between the two clubs.
All South African teams except the Sharks (25.8) sit below the URC average. The Lions are the youngest at 24.7, followed by the Bulls (24.9) and the Stormers (25.2).
At the opposite end of the spectrum are the Irish teams. Ulster (26.3), Connacht (26.2), and Munster (26) all sit above the league average, while Leinster (25.4)—the primary supplier of players to the Irish national side—are slightly younger. Whether this age distribution is cause for concern, given Ireland’s ageing international squad, is up for debate.
Scotland’s teams, Edinburgh (25.7) and Glasgow (26.1), sit just above the average, while the Welsh teams cluster closely around it: Ospreys (25.9), Cardiff (25.6), Dragons (25.3), and Scarlets (25.1).
URC debutants average 21.5 years old.
Prem-ature
The English Premiership features a higher proportion of foreign players, contributing to its higher average age. Premiership squads average 26 years. Sale has the youngest squad at 24.5 years, tying Zebre Parma as the youngest professional squad across all major competitions. Bristol has the oldest squad at 27.1 years, bolstered by players such as Max Lahiff, Rich Lane, Steve Luatua, and Jake Woolmore, all in their mid-30s.
Bath, the 2024/25 Premiers, have one of the younger squads—almost a year and a half below the league average—while Newcastle (who finished last) and Saracens sit roughly a year older than average.
Premiership debutants are among the youngest across major leagues, averaging around 20 years old.
From-age Français
As the involvement of established international players increases, so too does the average age—and the French Top 14 reflects this trend clearly. The average squad age in the Top 14 is 26.8 years. RC Vannes, who finished last, were the youngest at 25.8 years, while Castres Olympique were the oldest. Castres feature experienced campaigners such as Australia’s Tom Staniforth, New Zealand’s Jack Goodhue, and front-rowers Will Collier (England), Levan Chilachava (Georgia), and Antoine Tichit (France), all in their mid-30s.
Last year’s Top 14 champions, Toulouse—whose squad includes Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos, and the Australian-born Emmanuel Meafou—have an average squad age of 26.4 years, the third youngest in the league. Bordeaux, the other finalist, are the second youngest at 26.2 years.
Top 14 academies produce more than 80% of the league’s debutants. Recent debutants average 20.5 years old, with backs debuting at 19.8 and forwards at 21.2.
Japan – An Age Old Problem
Japan faces a significant demographic challenge, with the world’s highest proportion of elderly citizens, and its top rugby competition reflects this trend. League One has the oldest squads of any major rugby competition. Although the average age of players moving to Japan has begun to fall in recent years, the competition’s average age remains high at 28.6 years—over two years above the global multi-league average of 26.4.
Suntory are the youngest Japanese club at 27.8 years. The oldest, Yokohama Canon Eagles, sit at 29.9 years. Yokohama’s squad has included Australia’s Matt Philip, Jesse Kriel, Faf de Klerk, and Ireland’s Cormac Daly. Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo—home to Richie Mo’unga and Japan captain Warner Dearns—won the title with a squad averaging 29.6 years. Runners-up Kubota Spears averaged 28.7 years.
Japanese debutants average 22 years old, slightly older than in other competitions, perhaps due to the strength of the university rugby system feeding into League One.
We’re Young and Free…but not the only Ones
The range between the youngest squads (Zebre and Sale) and the oldest (Yokohama Canon Eagles) exceeds five and a half years—a substantial difference in professional rugby. Australian clubs rank among the youngest globally: of the 61 squads analysed, the Waratahs ranked 4th, Reds 9th, Brumbies 10th, and Western Force 26th. New Zealand teams also cluster toward the younger end of the spectrum, though slightly older on average than the Australian sides (excepting the Force).
While Australia’s teams are young, both within our own competition and compared to other clubs in major competitions, the issue is not unique to us. Teams in the URC and the English Premiership, look to face similar player demographics. Age does not necessarily reflect success either. Younger teams within their competitions have been amongst the most successful, and the least but an older, more experience team, does not guarantee success.
