Three footy clubs are keeping a close eye on the future of Nick Isiekwe, the Saracens and England rugby powerhouse.
Bath, who are set to lose Aussie ace Fergus Lee-Warner to the Waratahs down under, leaving them a player short in their engine room, are throwing their hat into the ring.
But they’ve got some competition! Northampton Saints, Toulouse, and Isiekwe’s current squad, Saracens, are also in the mix, all vying for his signature in the upcoming 2024/25 season, as reported by The Rugby Paper.
Isiekwe’s rugby journey has been a rollercoaster. He first stepped onto the Saracens pitch at just 18 years old and not long after, he was wearing the England jersey. Before all that, he cut his teeth at Old Albanian before joining the Sarries Academy and repped his country from Under-16 to Under-20 levels.
He dabbled in various positions during his rise, trying his hand at prop, centre, back row, and lock. But his towering height eventually pointed him towards the lock position, where he’s been making waves.
Hailing from Hemel Hempstead, this lad had his breakthrough season in 2017/18, right after debuting for England on their tour of Argentina.
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The 100 best rugby players in the world:
With less than a fortnight remaining until the commencement of the Rugby World Cup, the rugby specialists at Telegraph Sport have collaboratively assessed and ranked the top 100 players globally.
Presented below is the comprehensive list, starting from the 100th spot and culminating at the first position.
100. Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)
99. Tommaso Menoncello (Italy)
98. Franco Mostert (South Africa)
97. Paul Alo-Emile (Samoa)
96. Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
95 Juan Martín González (Argentina)
94. Jasper Wiese (South Africa)
93. Damian Willemse (South Africa)
92. Mark Telea (New Zealand)
91. Faf de Klerk (South Africa)
90. Handré Pollard (South Africa)
89. James Lowe (Ireland)
88. Jamie Ritchie (Scotland)
87. Paul Willemse (France)
86. Shannon Frizell (New Zealand)
85. Freddie Steward (England)
They wrote: “The best England player to emerge in this four-year cycle, without question. Steward has come a long way from having to ditch a shift in Costa to turn out for Leicester in the Premiership Rugby Cup, to becoming England’s specialist diffuser under the high ball at full-back while hoovering up a number of awards. The potential is enormous, and he should thrive at his first World Cup.”
84. Thibaud Flament (France)
83. Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)
82. Matthieu Jalibert (France)
81.. Jac Morgan (Wales)