3. Jack Dempsey – Scotland
Despite having already broken onto the international stage with Australia, the 2023 Six Nations saw the Northern Hemisphere learn the name Jack Dempsey. The number eight left the New South Wales Waratahs in 2021, and quickly found a new home at Glasgow Warriors. Dempsey was eligible to play for Scotland through his Grandfather, and Gregor Townsend waisted no time in recruiting the 28-year-old once he arrived at Scotstoun Stadium.
Making just shy of 200m with the ball in hand, Dempsey began a Scotland fan favourite with bruising carriers and exciting line-breaks. Breaking the tackle attempts on eight occasions in the competition, the Glasgow Warriors man made his presence felt in each match he featured in.
The back rower also impressed defensively, proving his ability as an all-rounder for Scotland. 55 tackles over 241 minutes played saw Dempsey make his mark on the defensive side of the ball. Dempsey makes the grade as Scotland’s breakout talent, as even after making 14 caps for Australia and featuring at the 2019 Rugby World Cup for the Wallabies, he was able to adapt to Gregor Townsend’s squad in no time at all.
Scotland continue to move from strength-to-strength, and have progressed on from being ‘dark horses’ into Six Nations front-runners. Yet again retaining the Calcutta Cup over England at Twickenham, Scotland secured imposing wins over Wales and Italy, and took the titans of France and Ireland to their limits. Scotland have a tough pool for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, as they face South Africa, and a re-match with Ireland, however Gregor Townsend’s men have proven their ability and are not a side to overlook in France.