WATCH | Gabriel Ibitoye scores twice on stunning Top14 debut
Rugby NewsSunday, 06 September 2020 at 18:14
Former England U20 and Harlequins star Gabriel Ibitoye was in sensational form for his new club Agen on hdebut.
The French side, who kicked off their Top14 campaign with a narrow 26-22 loss against Castres, signed the speedster approximately £120,000 from the London club.
Ibitoye, who has served as an apprentice for Eddie Jones prior to his move across the Channel, was the standout player on the pitch; scoring twice and setting up another.
Even worse for England, reports in Francw suggest the 22-year-old, who is believed to have a French relative, is open to representing Les Bleus after having a conversation with head coach Fabien Galthié.
One of the most exciting young wingers in the world, Ibitoye, who had been with Harlequins since the age of 12, has represented England U20 on 13 occasions, scoring eight tries.
The winger, who is a die hard Arsenal supporter, has been a regular in the England age group sides and was named in Eddie Jones’ wider training squad for the 2018 Six Nations.
Ibitoye won the 2017 U20 Six Nations and has represented his country in two World Rugby U20 Championship Finals. He was also nominated for Player of the Tournament in the 2018 World Rugby U20 Championship.
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5 foreign players who could be capped by England when rugby returns
Here are five players who could also pull on the white jersey in the near future:
1. Ruan Ackermann – Gloucester (South Africa)
His Dad Johan Ackermann, who departed as Gloucester boss for Japan earlier this month, confirmed that his son will be staying with the Cherry & Whites to persue international honours, and has already been in contact with Eddie Jones. The imposing number eight qualify for England on residency grounds in August 2020 -- just four months before World Rugby's new eligibility laws kick in.
2. Jason Woodward - Gloucester (New Zealand)
The New Zealand‑born full-back who joined Gloucester from Bristol in the summer has already been included in an England training squad. With Eddie Jones revealing he is looking for competition for George Furbank at full-back, Woodward could find himself winning his first full cap at some point in the future.
3. Ratu Naulago - Bristol Bears (Fiji)
The speedster took Super League by storm with Hull RFC, scoring 17 tries in 26 games, before signing with Bristol Bears for the 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership season. It will be a switch back to union for Naulago, who previously won the Premiership 7s title with Saracens. If he can hit the ground running, he'd be right in the frame for a call-up from Eddie Jones.
4. Cameron Redpath - Bath Rugby (France)
The son of 60-cap Scotland legend Bryan Redpath, centre Cameron was born in Narbonne, France. He was selected in England's 34-man squad for their 2018 tour of South Africa but was unable to travel with the squad because of injury. The 20-year-old, who recently departed Sale Sharks for Bath Rugby, has also represented England U20, scoring three tries in nine appearances.
5. Gerbrandt Grobler - Gloucester (South Africa)
Whether England would consider him as and when he becomes eligible remains to be seen but Grobler maintains an ambition to play at the highest level. “Obviously you wouldn’t turn it down [if Eddie Jones called]. I don’t think anyone would. You’ve got to have belief in yourself, otherwise why are you playing this game? You’ve got to have ambitions and goals but I’ll keep them to myself. There is always hope.”
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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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