With less than nine months to go until the start of the Rugby World Cup, you would expect that international sides would be as settled as they could be — injuries permitting. Ireland and Wales have named experience squads for the Six Nations, but the rest have been forced to include several players with no international experience.
Here, then, are six new tournament names, one from each nation, who could make a surprise impact for their countries this campaign — and gain you some incredibly valuable Fantasy Rugby Points in the process.
John Cooney
With Luke McGrath and Kieran Marmion both injured, the position of back-up to Conor Murray is up for grabs. Connacht’s uncapped Caolin Blade is definitely a hugely talented name for the future — but the player most likely to get his chance is scrum-half Cooney, who has three senior international appearances to his name.
Thomas Young
Summer 2017. That was when the Wasps’ flanker won both of his Welsh caps to date. Why Young has not played more for his country is one of the great mysteries of the recent Gatland years, and theories surrounding his England base don’t hold water. His form this season for his club has been outstanding, so — assuming he makes it beyond the training camp into the matchday squad — expect him to set about proving multiple points in no-nonsense style.
Gary Graham
The Newcastle flanker could easily have been on this list for the 2018 Six Nations — for England. But, after being selected for the tournament and not playing, he dropped off Jones’ radar, so took up coach Townsend’s offer to play for the country of his birth. At the time, his decision prompted all kinds of debate over international allegiances. What there’s little debate over is his ability in the loose, at the breakdown, with ball in hand, or in defence. As a Fantasy Rugby manager, that’s really all you need to know.
Romain Ntamack
It is said that French rugby is strongest when Toulouse rugby is strong. Right now, Toulouse rugby is very much on the rise after several years in the doldrums. One of the reasons for that is its young cohort of rising stars, led by the prodigious talents of Ntamack Jr. An under-20 world champion last year, Ntamack — who can play 10 or 12 — has what it takes to be a future French star. That future could very well start in this tournament.
Dan Robson
Eddie Jones’s insistence on selecting only two scrum-halves has long puzzled fans and pundits but at least this time it means the livewire Robson will at long last get the international exposure his supporters have been demanding for years. Ben Youngs is almost certain to start, but if Robson does gets an early shot, he’ll quickly make his mark.
David Sisi
Much is riding on the considerable shoulders of Italy’s German-born former England under-20 man, whose rise to international player is the stuff of sport fairy tales. After years of bouncing about the English leagues, with spells at Bath, London Irish, London Scottish and Yorkshire Carnegie, the hugely powerful player gave professional rugby one last chance at Zebre in 2017. It has paid off in all kinds of ways for the flanker/lock hybrid, who could make his international debut against Scotland at Murrayfield.