New Zealand first-five and Player of the Tournament nominee Tiaan Falcon. Photo / Photosport.
There is a lot of rugby on, but you need to be watching the New Zealand Under 20s.
The last chance to do so in 2017 will be in the early hours of Monday morning, when they will face down perennial heavyweights England in the final of the World Rugby
Under 20 Championship in Georgia.
Not only is this a prime chance to talent-spot from the comfort of your living room, but you will have already seen some of them cutting shapes in the Mitre 10 Cup or even on the verge of Super Rugby. The class of 2011, who won a fourth straight world title for New Zealand, counted no less than 13 who would go on to be All Blacks, including a certain Beauden Barrett, plus Wales international Gareth Anscombe and prop Ben Tameifuna, who made his long-awaited debut for Tonga last night. So the next time some lazy journo writes that some young tyro has come from nowhere to hit the top, invariably he has in fact come through this team.
The class of 2017 oozes talent in the backline, even without Jordie Barrett, Stephen Perofeta and Rieko Ioane. The first two names should be over there, but they are favourites to win a sixth world crown even without them. The back three of Will Jordan, Caleb Clarke and Tima Faingaanuku are especially dangerous, aided and abetted by a classy centre in Braydon Ennor, with Tiaan Falcon pulling all the right strings at first five. His reverse pass for Clarke's try in the semifinal win against France was pure champagne rugby.
In the pack, loose forward and skipper Luke Jacobson sets the tone, Samuel Slade pulls down lineout ball, and hooker Asafo Aumua is a pocket rocket in the loose and hard-nosed in the tight.
