IrelandEdwin Edogbo
The phrase that usually accompanies the Munster secondrow is ‘force of nature’. Like Leinster’s Joe McCarthy, Edogbo has a natural physical strength that is unusual in Irish players. Injury has plagued him, but he is back in the fold as a player who can put his stamp on a game.
Munster coach Clayton McMillan sang his praises after Munster lost to Toulon in the Champions Cup a few weeks ago, but suggested the 23-year-old needs to “see the pictures” and get his fitness levels higher.
There is little doubt about the talent or his ability to step up and mix it with more seasoned international players, where he can be a dynamic ball carrier and a physical threat around the breakdown.
Edogbo needs a little more finessing and direction, but in full flight he could be one of the most impactful players Ireland have fielded for some time.
Wales
Louis Rees-Zammit, who is back in the Wales squad after a two-year absence and an attempt to make it in the NFL. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA Wire Louis Rees-Zammit
In a second coming, Rees-Zammit is back in the fold and having to prove himself all over again in a struggling Welsh team.
The lightning-fast feet of the 24-year-old had him marked out as a player for the future in his teen years. Then he upped sticks and went to the United States, believing his natural speed could help make his fortune in the NFL. He made the switch in January 2024, joining the Kansas City Chiefs and then the Jacksonville Jaguars, but did not play a competitive game in the NFL.
He returned to rugby by signing up with Bristol in August and was included in the Welsh squad for the November internationals. Still young, he is mercurial and fast and has shown impressive form in the Premiership this season. Prior to the November internationals, Rees-Zammit won the last of his 32 caps at the 2023 World Cup.
England
Greg Fisilau of Exeter Chiefs charges past Leicester Tigers’ Cameron Henderson during the Gallagher PREM match last December in Exeter, England. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images Greg Fisilau
One of three uncapped players selected by England coach Steve Borthwick along with Vilikesa Sela and Emmanuel Iyogun, Fisilau is one of the young players in England who few will dispute has earned his chance at some point across the five matches of the championship.
A backrow player who can carry and who scores tries, the 22-year-old impressed for the Exeter Chiefs in their 24-10 win over Leicester. Playing at number eight, he scored one try and assisted in another. He also scored twice in his club’s win over Saracens and was on the scoresheet when England A beat Spain last November.
The England backrow is a tough place to get game time but with Borthwick, like the other coaches, keeping a weather eye on the 2027 World Cup in Australia, Fisilau is just the type of dynamic player who could flourish given an opportunity.
France
RC Toulon’s Gaël Dréan makes a break to score a try against Leinster, Investec Champions Cup Round 3, Toulon, France. Photograph: Inpho/Dan Sheridan Gaël Dréan
During the first half of Munster’s Champions Cup game against Toulon in Stade Felix Mayol, the ball was hacked way downfield into the home side’s 22. Immediately a 40-metre foot race began with Munster wing Calvin Nash and fullback Shane Daly along with Gaël Dréan, the French side’s winger. It was Dréan who got to the ball first with blistering pace to save what would have been a certain try for Munster.
Then, just after the break, there was a moment of magic from Dréan for Toulon’s third try of the game. With ball in hand, he chipped over the oncoming Munster defence. The ball took a friendly bounce perfectly into his grasp and he ran in for the score. French coach Fabien Galthié, who has axed some of his regulars including Damian Penaud and Gaël Fickou, sees invention pace and an ability to finish. Expect to see the Toulon player at some point.
Scotland
Jamie Dobie breaks to score Scotland’s 12th try during the Quilter Nations Series 2025 match between Scotland and the USA last November in Murrayfield, Edinburgh. Photograph: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Jamie Dobie
The Scotland squad has a calcified look about it with familiar names across the field. Both wings and scrumhalf seem secure with Toulon’s Ben White likely to be coach Gregor Townsend’s first thought for nine. Dobie can play both wing and scrumhalf and was at one stage in his sports career on a tennis scholarship. His preferred position is at nine, where he can pose a threat and also run the game.
Scotland had a bruising November where they came close to beating New Zealand for the first time, but in the end blew the game. Dobie started two of those November matches against Argentina and the USA. In a man-of-the-match performance at scrumhalf, he scored a hat-trick in the 85-0 win over the US, his third score coming after he had moved to the wing as Scotland went to their replacements. He has had a knee issue but remains in camp.
Italy
Louis Lynagh in action during the Quilter Nations Series 2025 match between Italy and South Africa in Turin in November. Photograph: Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images Louis Lynagh
His mother is Italian and he was born in Treviso. His father is Michael Lynagh, a huge figure in Australian rugby, while his younger brother Tom opted to play with the Wallabies. He also qualified to play with England on residency grounds and played with them at age grade before Eddie Jones called him up for a senior training camp. But he never played at senior level and after a spell in Harlequins is back in Italy and on the Benetton wing.
With his pedigree, the 25-year-old has explosive pace and knows where the line is. Fast, strong and competitive, he recovered from knee injuries to become one of the players Italy have with cutting edge. In Benetton’s 41-15 win over the Lions last October Lynagh scored four tries, the first time in his career he had ever scored more than two tries in a match.