The fifteen best young players in Super Rugby 2014

The backrow

8. Jacques du Plessis (Bulls)

This du Plessis is a 20 year-old 201 cms and 119 kgs blindside flanker in Super Rugby, to date, but he was equally adept at playing in the second row or as eighthman in his junior days. One of the stars for South Africa in the 2013 Under 20 Junior World Cup, the long-haired assassin has brought his big engine and skills to professional rugby in 2014.

Jacques du Plessis – the long haired assassin

There was some chance that he wouldn’t, because the World Youth Javelin champion (whilst still at school) might have gone down the path of track and field.

But he decided on rugby:

I loved athletics and participated in both sports while at school. Athletics helped me a lot with my fitness and agility but rugby was always my first love.

Now chucking opponents out of his way with ball in hand or getting around the park to run down wide runners, look for Jacques du Plessis to wear the Springbok myrtle-green jersey sometime soon.

7.  Ardie Savea (Hurricanes)

The damaging 20 year-old has outstanding vision and exceptional speed of thought and movement. He played a prominent role for the Wellington Lions in the ITM Cup last year but is being handled conservatively by coach Hammett at the Super Rugby level.

Ardie Savea – outstanding vision and exceptional speed

He toured with the All Blacks on their 2013 end of year tour as a development project but is not being rushed into starting in too many Super Rugby games, especially with the hardened Jack Lam available.

It must be discouraging for a star player like Ardi Savea to play as a reserve so much but All Black Sam Cane of the Chiefs was treated the same way at his age, and he turned out OK. And next year Savea will be able to take over from Lam who will be playing in England.

6. Sean McMahon (Rebels)

At age 17 McMahon was the youngest player ever to play Sevens for Australia. Very likely to have a shot at a gold medal at the Olympics, he elected to follow a different dream—to play Super Rugby.

Now 19 years old and not really a classic openside flanker, not a usual blindside flanker, and not a no. 8, “notter” McMahon has found a niche as a workaholic, tough-young-bugger role at the Rebels to balance out 7. Fuglistaller and 8. Higginbotham.

Look for McMahon to shine in the Australian Under 20 side this year, as he did in 2013.

 The second row

5. Lood de Jager (Cheetahs)

Virtually unknown in South Africa as a junior player, the 206cms 124kg unit surprised good judges in the RSA with his punishing play in 2013 as a 20-year-old.

He has been even more confrontational in 2014 pairing with his “blood brother” Francois Uys in the Cheetahs’ second row, and it is no fault of theirs that their team is at the bottom of the ladder.

Although dextrous with his hands in the lineouts and the occasional sneaky offload, he is not in the mould of athletes Etzebeth or du Toit in the Springbok mix. But if they start looking for a punishing tighthead lock to balance a squad they could be giving de Jager a call after the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Will Skelton – barnstorming runs and dominant tackles

4. Will Skelton (Waratahs)

The young giant wears size 17 boots, and is a 203cm and 135kg tighthead lock who rose unexpectedly last year. He had been even heavier at Hills Sports High School but was a gentle giant whose efforts on the rugby field were too sporadic to mark him as a future professional player.

He was recruited by Sydney University Colts and was in the 2012 National Academy intake, but he broke a bone in his foot early and missed the whole season. He was back with the Academy late in the year and impressed recently-arrived Waratahs’ coach Michael Cheika with a new physicality in a hit-out between the Sydney Academy and the Tahs.

Cheika recruited Skelton as a standby for 2013 and he played in six matches of Super Rugby, and in all 80 minutes against the British and Irish Lions.

He enjoyed packing down against Ireland legend Paul O’Connell, who was kind enough to give him some tips after the game. But he was knackered afterwards:

 In Super Rugby teams will drop off in the final ten minutes and that’s where you can pounce on mistakes. But the Lions never did and kept running in tries and attacking our line.

The big fella has Wallaby watchers taking notice of his barnstorming runs and dominant tackles.  They won’t be surprised if he is a test player one day like his cousin was—All Black Brad Mika.

 The front row

3. Paul Alo-Emile (Rebels)

The 22-year-old has had an ideal path for a young Australian prop.

After school he went to the Reds Academy before he got whisked away to train with the Force in 2011 as a 19-year-old.

He accepted an offer from the Rebels for 2012 and is now in his third season with them. He was given time off to play in two tournaments for the Australian Under 20 side, and was given leave to play for the Waikato Mooloos in the ITM Cup last year, as part of his development.

After a taste of Super rugby in 2012 he has played in most of the Rebels games in the last two seasons soaking up knowledge, though mostly from the bench behind stalwart Laurie Weeks.

Paul Alo-Emile – ideal path

In a recent article for Green and Gold Rugby, ex-Wallabies’ coach Bob Dwyer picked Alo-Emile for a Wallabies squad this year, to prepare for the Rugby World Cup in 2015.

Dwyer wrote:.

Alo-Emile [has the] best back of any tight head prop in Australia. I mentioned this to another tight head prop and he concurred.

Bob—that may be too early for him to be elevated, but he will be in a Wallabies’ jersey one day.

2. Rhys Marshall (Chiefs)

Marshall got his only start last year in the first game of the season. He traveled to Dunedin as sub for Hika Elliot, because Mahonri Schwalger had already been withdrawn during the week, When Elliot failed a fitness test on the day of the match the 20-year-old had to run-on with the starting team and played for 80 minutes—yet he hadn’t played provincial rugby yet !!

After riding the pine for the rest of 2013, Marshall has started in several games this year because of Elliot’s neck surgery.

Rhys Marshall – robust and skilful

Against the Crusaders last week he showed that he is a robust player in the tight, but also displayed his good speed and passing skills in the loose when he ran down the blindside before passing to Tom Marshall, who scored.

But that game also confirmed his problematic throwing to the lineout.

If he can control that discipline of the hooker’s craft he will be an All Black after the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

1. Steven Kitshoff (Stormers)

Kitshoff played Super 14 from the bench his first year out of school and was part of the victorious Baby Boks Under 20 team in 2012.

Whilst he has been the regular starting Stormers loosehead prop for the past two years, he has not had the rise that people expected of him, and comparisons to a young Os du Rant are no longer heard.

But he has racked up 43 Super Rugby matches at age 22, nearly all of them as a starter; so he is streets ahead of any other Super Rugby loosehead prop of same age who has not played in test matches.