I think teenagers and other players u20 have to stop being granted immediate entry to super rugby squads. For example the Crusaders just signed a 'young dynamic backrow'. If that was in AUS you'd automatically assume he was a teenager eg...scottyoung, wilkins, fakasolia, leota...but no! he is 23. The same age as when our teenage 'stars' are deemed not going to make it...thinking browning, quirk, schatz,
I'd much rather bring over a superfreak, highly successful, rare profile of a player of 24 and see how he goes, then prematurely drag in a teenager and say, ok you did ok in Aus u20, now go try and tackle Etzebeth.
Let the young guys sign with the states as a part of their u20 squads ( like rodda and mason did at the Reds) and play their NRC, play their Aus u20 if good enough, and maybe get a some game time at Super Rugby level.
Saw some people calling for Hanigan and Dempsey to be included in wallaby squad...Hanigan has had 2 epic NRC games, let the guy actually even earn a bench spot at Super Rugby first, he is still only a kid.
By letting the young guys follow the correct pathway, it means we can still keep an eye out for slightly older guys who perhaps didn't shine at Schoolboy and u20 levels especially in the Backrows, an area where we are swamped with either open side flankers, or 'work rate' backrowers at 6 ft 2 & 105 kg, neither tall enough to be an effective 6 or damaging enough to be an effective 8.
Is Harley Fox at the Rising/Rebels reallllllly better then Sam Ward at the Eagles?
Is Scottyoung reallllly as dominant at this time as Naisarani at Brisbane City?
Is Brad Wilkins realllly as beneficial to the Tahs compared to perhaps Havilii from the Spirit or Viiga from the Rams? They already have Wells and Hooper, do they really need a 3rd lightweight backrower when there are monsters like that running around, with good experience and impact just itching to be the new Palu