Ranking Our Top 10 Breakout Rugby Stars of 2026

From getting their presence known at their domestic clubs, to making international waves upon the Test match stage, we've witnessed an assortment of talents get their recognition and take their opportunities.

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For this list, we've scanned across the world's top leagues and compiled a 10-player short-list of statement making seasons. Some brief house-keeping to take care of before we get underway, as we are officially starting the 2025/26 season in September of 2025, so any international stand-outs from last Summer just miss the deadline.

With that criteria laid out, we hand an honourable (out of season) mentions to All Blacks young lock Fabien Holland who shone in New Zealand's July Test series against France, and flying Black Ferns wing Braxton Sorensen-McGree, who ran riot throughout August at the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup.

We head down to the land of the Springboks for the first name on this list, as Sharks prospect Phepsi Buthelezi looks to be the future of the green and gold back row. The 26-year-old is no stranger to the international environment, having been apart of the Springboks U20 team that took bronze medals from the 2020 World Championships. However, with such incredible depth across the back row, Buthelezi has had to bide his time for a senior call-up.

His opportunity arose at the end of the 2023/24 season, when Rassie Erasmus handed him his debut for a try-scoring performance against Portugal. Whilst Buthelezi has not yet returned to the senior Springboks environment, he is keeping himself firmly within the conversation ahead of a stacked Summer. South Africa embark upon the inaugural Nations Championship this July, before then hosting the All Blacks for an eight-match tour against the resident URC clubs, the Cheetahs, and a three-match Test series.

Buthelezi's recent form has propelled him into this space, as he dutifully held down the blindside flank for the Sharks whilst Springboks captain Siya Kolisi recovered from a calf injury. The 26-year-old did more than just fill in for Kolisi, as Buthelezi has bagged five tries in his last three URC matches, with braces against Munster, Cardiff and the Ospreys. The Springboks skipper returns to the bench this weekend for the Sharks, in what will only motivate Buthelezi to run out another strong performance.

Under the coaching team of Richie Murphy and Mark Sexton, Ulster have been in breathtaking form in the United Rugby Championship this season. The Belfast club remain firmly within the play-off places upon this late stage of the regular campaign, and have contributed an assortment of top talents to Andy Farrell's Ireland team having previously been the long overlooked province.

One such young talent who is making waves up North is Bryn Ward, with the 21-year-old relishing every opportunity to take an extended run in the Ulster back row. Ward spoke in a press conference this season, about how his goal was to make five senior appearances for Ulster and keep plugging away with his All-Ireland club, Ballynahinch RFC.

However, after making his Ulster debut away in the Lions' den of Ellis Park in the height of the South African summer, Ward would become a mainstay in Murphy's back row. With versatility to cover across both open side flanker and number eight, Ward soon progressed into the Ireland A set-up, and took on England A back in February. Andy Farrell was in attendance at Ashton Gate, and the Ireland head coach liked what he saw, and brought Ward into the senior camp for the remainder of the 2026 Six Nations.

We continue our picks with the pride of Cobh Pirates. Munster lock Edwin Edogbo had been knocking on the door for an Ireland squad involvement, since making a stunning return from injury early in the season. Edogbo garnered a serious wave of momentum at his province, and earned an inclusion within the Ireland squad that would travel out to Chicago, for their Autumn Series opener against the All Blacks.

Whilst Edogbo was only named as a travelling reserve for the trip 'across the pond', disaster would strike before he could even clear the United States customs at Dublin Airport. Edogbo, and fellow Munster and Ireland call-up Brian Gleeson, would both suffer last-minute injuries, in Munster's final URC game before the international break. Coming against none other than Leinster, upon a historic Munster win at Croke Park, Edogbo would pick up a foot injury and cancelled his plans for a run in Andy Farrell's wider squad.

However, the 23-year-old would not dwell upon the set-back, and returned to Munster with real fire. He bagged two tries from the bench in a Champions Cup clash with Castres, and simply could not be ignored by Farrell for the 2026 Six Nations squad. Edogbo made his Ireland debut in Round Two against Italy, and has carried his new-found international experience back to his club, as Munster push for the play offs.

We stick with Les Bleus for our penultimate entry, as Fabien Galthie proved to the rugby world that he knows what he's doing when it comes to the big decisions. The France head coach sent shock-waves through the sport when he did not pick his countries' top try scorer Damien Penaud for the entire 2026 Six Nations squad, and instead opted for the uncapped and relatively unknown wing Gael Drean.

To those outside of the French rugby sphere, Gael Drean was another fresh face within a new-look Les Bleus team. With fellow stalwarts Gael Fickou and Gregory Alldritt also unselected for the Six Nations, Galthie had a clear message that this French side would usher in a new era some 18 months from the 2027 Rugby World Cup. However, to those in the know, Gael Drean had already proved his worth.

12 tries to his name had the Toulon wing riding a torrent of momentum ahead of the Six Nations, before he earned his France debut against Italy. The 25-year-old started on the right wing and marked his milestone with a well-taken try, as France dismantled the Azzurri in Lille. Drean continues to lead Toulon forward, with the French side into the Champions Cup semi-finals, with a date with Leinster booked in for a fortnight's time at the Aviva Stadium.

We head across to the Women's game for our next two entries, as the Red Roses have continued to usher in a new generation of stars with a stacked list of absentees. With a plethora of the regular names either out on the injury wards or unavailable with pregnancy, head coach John Mitchell has called upon a duo of exciting Bristol Bears talents to get their first experience of the England stage.

First up is Bristol's resident highlight reel Millie David, who has been in blistering form across the PWR in recent seasons to earn her shot. A product of the Wasps Academy, David made the jump to the West Country in 2024, where she would begin to run riot across the PWR. Upon her first campaign with the Bears, David would cross over for a staggering 17 tries, to finish as joint-top scorer alongside established England prop May Campbell.

David had the PWR on notice, and collected the Breakout Player of the Season Award for her efforts across the white-wash. Yet it is this season that has seen the wing take it up another level - just look no further than her four-try performance against Leicester Tigers for just how lethal she is at the top level. The Red Roses brought David into camp for the ongoing 2026 Women's Six Nations, with the wing set to make her Test debut at her home turf of Ashton Gate, as England take on Wales tomorrow afternoon.

Continuing on with the Bristol break-out talents that have begun to make waves upon the Test stage, next up is Demelza Short, who earned her England debut in the second round of the 2026 Women's Six Nations. Short stepped into the spotlight as the Red Roses put Scotland to the sword, upon a dominant 12-try thrashing in front of a capacity Edinburgh crowd.

With the likes of experienced back row options Rosie Galligan, Abi Ward and captain Zoe Stratford all expecting children, Short took up the mantle and packed down the back row alongside Sadia Kabeya and Maddie Feaunati. Red Roses head coach John Mitchell called Short up into the Women's Six Nations squad, after being impressed by her efforts across the PWR at just 19-years-old.

Short admitted that it was a surreal experience to get the call from the head coach, yet is relishing the opportunity to learn from the very best in the women's game today. A Cornwall native, Demelza first took to rugby at Launceston rugby club, before progressing through the age-groups at Blundell's school. The back row would earn her first international honours within the England U18s set-up, and progressed along the path-way and into the U21s, before making her Test debut.

Next into the mix is one of the most promising locks in world rugby today, as Mickael Guillard has progressed from strength to strength, to become a regular feature of Fabien Galthie's pack. The Lyon man has really earned his flowers this season, with the rugby landscape taking note of his blistering efforts across the 2026 Men's Six Nations.

At 25-years-old, Guillard is steadily coming into his own as an international calibre lock. Given the tough task of sticking out in the Top 14, whilst not playing for a heavyweight club like Toulouse, La Rochelle or Toulon, Guillard has made work-rate and line-out dominance his two main points of difference. A true technician at the set-piece, the second row is a real threat in the air and enjoys putting the pressure on to the opposition packs. Line-out steals are commonplace when Guillard features for Lyon, with Galthie putting this into fruition upon the Six Nations stage earlier this season.

With the added versatility of being able to feature across the back row, Guillard made himself immovable within Les Bleus' plans. He featured in every one of France's five fixtures, as Antoine Dupont steered the ship towards a successful Six Nations title retention. With three starts in the second row and replacement appearances across the locks and back row, Guillard is the multi-tool man that has cemented himself as the future of the French pack.

We continue this list with one of the best stories of the 2026 Six Nations, which proved that it's never too late to achieve your dreams. At 33-years-old, Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey would not have expected the 2025/26 season to turn into arguably the finest campaign of his career, yet just that materialised following an incredible run within the Ireland squad.

With Robbie Henshaw side-lined for the tournament with a knee injury, and Bundee Aki suspended for ill-discipline towards a URC match official, there was suddenly a gap in the Ireland centres. McCloskey was called into the Ireland training camp, having last featured in the Six Nations back in 2023. The midfielder was always 'there and there abouts' when it came to Ireland camps, yet the stacked midfield roster had McCloskey down the pecking order when it came to a consistent run.

However, this Six Nations saw McCloskey excel in the Irish centres, as five barnstorming performances put him onto the Player of the Championship short-list. With a wrecking-ball carry and superb offloading abilities, McCloskey was at the heart of the Irish attack, and played with a renewed sense of confidence that rightfully propelled him into the spotlight. McCloskey topped the assists charts with six, and the dominant contacts with 18, as Ireland collected the Triple Crown upon a close run campaign.

Our next entrant to this list has arguably been the story of the season across the Gallagher PREM. At just 19-years-old, Noah Caluori has the rugby world buzzing around his incredible potential and a future within an England jersey. After earning his first international stripes within the England U20 set-up at the 2025 Junior World Championship, Caluori broke onto the Saracens scene for a debut in the Prem Cup.

The wing rolled this into his subsequent appearance for the North Londoners, in which he bagged his first senior try upon his PREM debut against the freshly re-branded Newcastle Red Bulls. Caluori continued to ply his trade on loan to Ampthill, with his final CHAMP Rugby outing to date being a brace-bagging effort against Cornish Pirates back in October. Yet a week later, Caluori's stock rose exponentially upon his return to Saracens, thanks to his incredible five-try performance against Sale Sharks.

This five-star showcase sent Caluori into the spotlight, with an England 'A' call-up following the next month against an All Blacks XV and Spain. The youngster would gain valuable senior experience within the senior England training camp, and was tipped by many to make his senior Test debut in the 2026 Six Nations. Whilst Caluori has to bide his time for this break-through, lightning struck twice against Sale as he ran in five tries against the Sharks upon the reverse fixture earlier this month. With 23 tries in 22 matches this season across all competitions, Caluori could well get a debut from Borthwick this Summer.

Now, we begin this next entry by disclaiming how a player does not have to be within the infancy of their careers to enjoy a break-out season. This caveat certainly applies to Ulster wing Robert Baloucoune, who is enjoying an extended run with the Ireland team after seven seasons in Belfast. A former Ireland Sevens star, Baloucoune made his provincial debut at 21-years-old in the old Guinness PRO14.

The wing would make his Ireland debut in the Summer of 2021, as Andy Farrell called upon Baloucoune to star along the touch-lines for a one-sided win over the United States. However, a string of injuries kept the flyer from gaining much momentum within a green jersey, with just three sporadic Autumn caps between 2021 and his long awaited break-through some five years later.

Baloucoune would get the call for Ireland A in November, and 'The Cat' made good upon his return to green with two tries against Spain. Consistent provincial form, coupled with injuries across the back-line and Farrell re-called Baloucoune for the 2026 Six Nations. The 28-year-old capitalised upon his moment, with a try-scoring Player of the Match tournament debut against Italy, before he followed this up with a try against England at Allianz Stadium. Baloucoune would retain the 14 jersey for the following wins over Wales and Scotland, and also bagged a third try in the Triple Crown decider against the Scots.