Leigh Halfpenny, Benjamin Fall and Mathieu Bastareaud - just
three names on a growing list of players to have made the step up
to test rugby since playing in the IRB Junior World Championship or
IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy.
Nearly 70 players, covering 19 countries from New Zealand to
Papua New Guinea, have made that transition in the two years of the
Under 20 tournaments and some of them will take to the field in the
RBS Six Nations this weekend.
Bastareaud made his test debut for France in last year's
Six Nations against Wales, while Fall - who played in both the 2008
and 2009 Junior World Championships - started on the wing against
Samoa last November.
Both will run out at Murrayfield on Sunday when Les Bleus
tackle Scotland, as part of a backline which features another
player to have graced the Junior World Championship stage in scrum
half Morgan Parra.
Parra had actually made his French test debut a couple of
months before appearing in the 2008 Championship, but the Clermont
Auvergne player has gone onto become not only a regular in Marc
Lièvremont's side, but his preferred goal kicker.
Latest crop of graduates?
This French trio have, though, not enjoyed the meteoric rise
that Welsh wing cum full back Leigh Halfpenny did in the 12 months
since playing on home soil in the first IRB Junior World
Championship in June 2008.
Five months later he had been thrust into the international
spotlight, having the unenviable task of marking IRB Player of the
Year Bryan Habana on his debut and by the end of the season was a
British & Irish Lion and still only 20.
Ireland and Scotland are the only two Six Nations countries
not to have capped a Junior World Championship graduate, although
that could change this weekend with Richie Gray on the bench for
the latter's match against France.
Courtney Lawes played for England against Australia in
November - although is not in Martin Johnson's squad for this
weekend's opening matches - while Italy have already capped
Andrea Bacchetti, Roberto Quartaroli and Simone Favaro.
Riccardo Bocchino could become the fourth player from
Italy's 2008 Junior World Championship squad to play for the
senior side, the fly half having been named by Nick Mallett in a
24-man squad ahead of their match with Ireland in Dublin.
A source of inspiration
For those running out in this weekend's RBS
Under 20 Six Nations matches in Athlone, Gloucester and Inverness,
these graduates should provide a source of inspiration and proof of
the pathway from age grade to senior rugby.
One member of the Wales squad certainly inspired by Halfpenny
is Kristian Phillips, the 19-year-old wing who was called up by
Warren Gatland to train with the senior squad in the build up to
the Six Nations.
"To see what Leigh has done and to see the emergence of
Dan Biggar, Sam Warburton and Jon Davies is really good,"
It's what I've looked at coming through the Under
20s," explained Phillips.
"To see them playing for their country is amazing.
They've done really well and hopefully I can follow in their
footsteps."
Phillips is one of 11 players in the Welsh starting line up
to have played in last year's Six Nations, including prop Dan
Watchurst who has been handed the captaincy by coach Phil Davies
for a campaign that starts against England at Kingsholm.
"England is a tough challenge for the opening weekend of
games, they are a tremendous side full of Guinness Premiership
talent, but it's a challenge I believe our players will be
ready for and I'm looking forward to seeing them perform as a
unit," said Davies.
Difficult test for England
England, runners up to New Zealand again at the Junior World
Championship in Japan, also have a new captain in flanker Jacob
Rowan and welcome back a number of players with Guinness
Premiership experience, including James Gaskell who has caught the
eye with Sale Sharks again this season.
"We're excited about the potential of this group and
we've got a nice blend of young players coming into the side
together with those who were involved with us last year," said
coach Mark Mapletoft.
"We're under no illusions that Wales will be a
really difficult test for us, though, and they continue to produce
lots of talented youngsters. Both sides will want to play and move
the ball, so it should make for a great contest at Kingsholm."
France are the defending Six Nations champions and they have
a handful of players who helped their country to fifth place in
last year's Junior World Championship in Japan.
Their first opponents Scotland will be led by Stuart McInally
at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium in Inverness, one of six players
with the experience of a Junior World Championship under their
belts to drawn upon this year.
Coach Eamon John has also selected two players with older
brothers already capped by Scotland in Alex Blair (scrum half Mike)
and Oliver Grove, the latter's sibling Alex having been named
on the bench for the Murrayfield test on Sunday.
Different challenge on horizon
"The key is to take advantage of playing at home and
start our campaign well. We must be ultra-competitive and take
every chance we get to win this game," said John.
"We'll be looking to start well, aggressively, and
on the front foot and take our game to them on Friday night. You
can expect everything from the French - physicality and flair - but
we also know Scottish teams can beat France, especially on home
soil, and that's what we'll be looking to do."
Italy are the only Six Nations side who will not be taking
part in this year's Junior World Championship following its
reduction to 12 teams, having finished 13th in Japan. Instead they
will be one of the favourites at its sister event, the Junior World
Rugby Trophy, which takes place in Moscow in May.
Tommaso Benvenuti was one of Italy's star players at last
year's Junior World Championship and, like new captain and
scrum half Edoardo Gori, has already made the step up to the senior
A side with appearances against Romania and Georgia in November.
They will come up against an Ireland side eager to repeat
their Grand Slam success of 2007, having missed out on the title on
point differential - albeit a large one - to France last year, and
have the experience of Dominic Ryan, Nevin Spencer and captain Rhys
Ruddock to call upon.
Week One Squads
SCOTLAND: 1. Craig Owensen 2. Alun Walker 3. Colin
Phillips 4. Robert Harley 5. Grant Gilchrist 6. Michael Maltman 7.
David Denton 8. Stuart McInally (Captain) 9. Alex Black 10. Alex
Blair 11. Dougie Fife 12. Alex Dunbar 13. Jonny Kennedy 14. Oliver
Grove 15. Tom Brown.
Replacements: 16. Lindsey Gibson 17. George Hunter 18.
Matthew Reid 19. Callum Stidston-Nott 20. Kris Hamilton 21. Matthew
Scott 22. James Johnstone.
FRANCE: Alexi Bales, Romain Barthelemy, Eddy Ben
Arous, Mickaël Blandin, Gilles Bosch, Brice Dulin, Antonie Erbani,
Julien Fritz, Benjamin Geledan, Mathieu Giudicelli, Kevin Gourdon,
Jocelyn Grange, Alexandre Hubert, Mickael Ivaldi, Guillaume
Lafforgue, Clément Lagain, Gwedal Lamache, Rémy Lamerat, Tanguy
Molcard, Jérémy Sinzelle, Jean Sousa, Georges Souvent.
ENGLAND: 1. Joe Marler 2. Jamie George 3. Shaun
Knight 4. Calum Green 5. James Gaskell 6. Will Welch 7. Jacob Rowan
(Captain) 8. Alex Gray 9. Sam Harrison 10. Freddie Burns 11. Sam
Smith 12. Rory Clegg 13. Tom Homer 14. Will Hurrell 15. Tom
Catterick.
Replacements: 16. Arthur Ellis 17. Lee Imiolek 18. Charlie
Matthews 19. Jackson Wray 20. Sam Stuart 21. Jonathan Joseph 22.
Jonny May.
WALES: 1. Dan Watchurst (Captain) 2. Rhys Williams
3. Simon Gardiner 4. Macauley Cook 5. James King 6. James Thomas 7.
Josh Navidi 8. Morgan Allen 9. Rhys Downes 10. Matthew Jarvis 11.
Kristian Phillips 12. Scott Williams 13. Owen Williams 14. James
Loxton 15. Dan Fish.
Replacements: 16. Trystan Davies 17. Ieuan Davies 18. Lloyd
Peers 19. Toby Faletau 20. Gareth Davies 21. Lee Rees 22. Matthew
Pewtner.
IRELAND: 1. Bryan Cagney 2. Niall Annett 3. Jack
O'Connell 4. David O'Callaghan 5. Ben Marshall 6. Rhys
Ruddock (Captain) 7. Dominic Ryan 8. Patrick Butler 9. John Cooney
10. James McKinney 11. Simon Zebo 12. Nevin Spence 13. Brendan
Macken 14. Darren Hudson 15. Andrew Conway.
Replacements: 16. David Doyle 17. Stewart Maguire 18. Brian
Hayes 19. Robin O'Sullivan 20. Michael Heaney 21. Brian
Kingston 22. Eoin Griffin.
ITALY: 1. Carlo Fazzari 2. Nicola Corbanese 3.
Francesco Pepoli 4. Enrico Targa 5. Lorenzo Santelli 6. Nicola
Belardo 7. Filippo Ferrarini 8. Gabriele Cicchinelli 9. Edoardo
Gori (Captain) 10. Tommaso Iannone 11. Giovanni Alberghini 12.
Sebastian Rodwell 13. Tommaso Benvenuti 14. Giovanbattista Venditti
15. Ruggero Trevisan.
Replacements: 16. Andrea Manici 17. Antonio Denti 18. Filippo
Cazzola 19. Edoardo Lubian 20. Alberto Chillon 21. Francesco Menon
22. Michele Mortali.
