"Perfect bolter" - Five players Steve Borthwick should look at after this weekend
Rugby NewsSunday, 26 March 2023 at 09:05
A number of star performers in the Gallagher Premiership put their hands up for a potential call-up ahead of the fast approaching 2023 Rugby World Cup.
#1. Tom Pearson (London Irish)
- Age: 23
- Position: Flanker
During London Irish's crucial 37-22 bonus-point home win over Northampton Saints, Pearson was named man of the match. The flanker, who is in his second season with London Irish, was one of the try-scorers for the victorious team.
London Irish's Premiership renaissance has been impressive, having won six out of seven matches, allowing them to jump from bottom place in December to fourth place in the league, overtaking Northampton Saints.
Pearson emerged through the Cardiff Met university pathway, which has also produced Alex Dombrandt and Luke Northmore.
As an openside flanker, Pearson's performances have been notable with flashes of brilliance, featuring prominently in relevant stats such as being second for Premiership tackles this season and sixth for turnovers.
What sets him apart is his ability to judge when to compete for the ball and his skill to be in the right place at the right time.
He said after the game: "Fourth v fifth today, we always knew it was going to be a big game. To come away with five points, we're so happy with that.
"We know they're strong in attack so we knew we had to nullify that, and we knew that if we could keep them under a certain number of points, tries will come from our end - we've had no problem with that all season."
Tom Pearson of London Irish during the Gallagher Premiership match between London Irish and Northampton Saints at The Gtech Community Stadium, London on 25 March 2023 (Photo: Danny Loo/PPAUK)
#2. Elliott Obatoyinbo (Newcastle Falcons)
- Age: 24
- Position: Fullback
Impressive Newcastle survived an early red card to beat Gloucester 17-12 and all-but end the visitors’ hopes of reaching the Premiership play-offs.
The fullback was undoubtedly the man of the match, exhibiting brilliant footwork that led to the Falcons’ opening score and ultimately scoring the winning try to secure Newcastle’s first victory in five league games.
Newcastle Falcons Interim Head Coach Mark Laycock said: “It’s all down to the effort the boys have put in – fair play to them for putting in such a huge shift tonight.
“[Obatoyinbo] had a fantastic performance, but you could probably look at loads of them – Callum Chick, I thought, was fantastic from minute one to 80."
Try assist:
Winning try:
Post-match interview:
#3. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
- Age: 33
- Position: Scrum-half
England’s most-capped men’s player made a disappointing contribution during the 2023 Six Nations, but proved he is still a top quality operator with a fantastic performance in Tigers 46-24 win against Bristol Bears.
Energetic and bright performance. His passing is still one of the best around. Young was also among the try-scorers for the hosts.
He even managed to sell the cameraman with one of his dummies as can be seen in the tweet below.
#4. Cadan Murley (Harlequins)
- Age: 23
- Position: Winger
The latest exciting young prospect to explode out of the Twickenham Stoop, Murley ignites the pitch for Harlequins week after week.
Supreme power and a superb finisher, it seems scandalous the speedster didn't get a game for England during the 2023 Six Nations.
He was one of few bright spots on Saturday for Quins during their 36-24 defeat to Saracens, running in two tries at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
#5. Ben Loader (London Irish)
- Age: 24
- Position: Winger
DID YOU KNOW? Ben's brother Danny Loader, also known as Danny Namaso, was part of England’s under-17 football World Cup winning side in 2017 – alongside Manchester City’s Phil Foden, Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs White.
Ben Loader of London Irish celebrates having scored a try during the Gallagher Premiership match between London Irish and Northampton Saints at The Gtech Community Stadium, London on 25 March 2023 (Photo: James Fearn/PPAUK)
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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