Youngest Premiership XV: The youngest ever debutant from each position – and what happened to them
Rugby NewsTuesday, 23 October 2018 at 14:18
These teenagers were the youngest players ever to be given their first start in the Gallagher Premiership by position.
NOTE: Replacement appearances do not count
Fullback: David Doherty (18 years 44 days)
Yorkshire Carnegie (vs Wasps, 13 Mar 2005)
Doherty was one of the most exciting prospects in English rugby when he made his debut against Northampton in May 2004 and was tipped as a future England international by the Guardian.
He joined Wasps after Leeds Tykes were relegated in 2006 but failed to impress before another unsuccessful stint with Sale Sharks. Doherty, who scored 49 tries in 107 games during two spells with Carnegie, is now Harrogate’s director of rugby and commercial director.
Winger: Jamie Elliott (18y 80d)
Northampton Saints (vs Sale Sharks, 19 Nov 2010)
Having made his Saints bow against Saracens in the LV= Cup, Elliott made a try-scoring Aviva Premiership debut on the wing against Sale Sharks in 2011.
He’s since gone on to make over 100 appearances for Northampton, featuring strongly in Saints’ double winning season, but his career has been somewhat marred by injuries in recent years.
In July 2018, Elliott left Northampton to sign for RFU Championship side Bedford Blues ahead of the 2018-19 season
Centre: Elliot Daly (18y 191d)
Wasps (vs Leeds, 17 Apr 2011)
Where is he now? The 26-year-old is in exactly in the same place but is now an established England international. He also shone during the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.
A centre by trade, Daly has managed to transition onto the wing under Eddie Jones, scoring a memorable winning try against Wales at the Principality Stadium during the Six Nations in 2017.
One red card against Argentina in 2016 is the only black mark on what has been a stellar career thus far.
Centre: Ollie Smith (18y 96d)
Leicester Tigers (vs Wasps, 18 Nov 2000)
Despite only winning five England caps, he was a 2005 Lion. He had stints at Montpellier and Harlequins after Leicester but had his career ended by injury aged 28. Coaching has followed, starting with Esher, leading him to London Welsh. He is currently overseeing Barking.
Winger: Matthew Tait (18y 86d)
Newcastle Falcons (vs London Irish, 2 May 2004)
The 31-year-old, who left Newcastle in 2008, joined Sale Sharks before making a move to Leicester Tigers in 2011 where he remains as a senior player.
Tait made his international debut for England in 2005. At just under 19 years of age, he was the second-youngest player to have played for England since World War II, with only his Newcastle teammate Jonny Wilkinson having played at a younger age.
The speedster went on to establish himself as an England regular, playing in the 2007 Rugby World Cup final but hasn’t added to his 38 caps since being dropped by Martin Johnson in 2011.
Fly-half: George Ford (18y 171d)
Leicester Tigers (vs Exeter Chiefs, 3 Sep 2011)
He became the youngest Rugby Union player to make his professional debut in England at just 16 years and 237 days old when Leicester played Leeds in the LV= Cup. His Premiership debut didn’t come until later.
Ford has since developed into a fine fly-half, winning 47 caps for England thus far. The 24-year-old did leave Tigers for a while to join his father, Mike at Bath but returned to Welford Road in the summer of 2018.
Scrum-half: Ben Youngs(18y 39d)
Leicester Tigers (vs Saracens, 14 Oct 2007)
Son of former scrum-half Nick and brother to Tom, Leicester Tigers is in the blood of the scrum-half.
An academy graduate, he became the club’s youngest-ever league player when he ran out for his debut in a match at Bristol in April 2007 and came off the bench in 2006/07 Premiership Final win over Gloucester still aged 17. His first start came soon after his 18th birthday.
He’s since represented a British & Irish Lion in Australia in 2013 and has established himself as England’s first choice scrum-half ahead of countryman Danny Care.
Prop: David Flatman (18y 326d)
Saracens (vs London Irish, 13 Dec 1998)
His senior club rugby began with Saracens in 1998. Flatman joined Bath in 2003 and went on to make over 160 appearances for the club before calling it a day due to injury in 2012. The prop, who won eight England caps, remained at the Rec, taking up a backroom role before leaving to pursue a career in the media.
Hooker: Matt Thompson (19y 74d)
Newcastle Falcons (vs Bristol, 24 Feb 2002)
He enjoyed a 14-year career at the pinnacle of English rugby with Newcastle Falcons playing more than 200 times alongside a host of superstars like Jonny Wilkinson.
Now at the age of 35 Thompson is to begin a new career in the hard-knocks game of professional boxing.
He has since quit playing for Blaydon though he will remain their director of rugby while competing in the roped square.
Prop: Jack Forster (19y 6d)
Gloucester (vs Bristol, 25 Mar 2006)
Forster began his career at the Sharks academy but joined Gloucester in 2005, and was tipped for international honours during his four years at Kingsholm. The Wigan-born front-row forward then returned to the north-west to join Sale Sharks on a two-year deal in 2009. However, an injury-ravaged career was cut short with the tighthead hanging up his boots aged 24 due to a serious neck injury.
Lock: Nick Isiekwe (18y 212d)
Saracens (vs Northampton Saints, 16 Apr 2017)
Isiekwe, a member of the Saracens Academy structure,[3] was trialed at many positions including Prop, Number 8, Flanker and Centre, but his six foot six stature saw him physically outgrow his original positions and moved to second row. He's since made his Saracens and England debut, making up one of the best young players in World Rugby.
Lock: Tom Ryder (18y 361d)
Leicester Tigers (vs Saracens, 21 Sep 2003)
After only making three appearances in the Zurich Premiership for Leicester Tigers, he left to join Saracens still aged 20. He then went onto have stints with Glasgow Warriors, Northampton Saints and Yorkshire Carnegie before hanging up his boots in 2016. Ryder had captained England at under-16 and under-19 levels, as well as playing at under-18 before winning two caps for Scotland in 2012.
Flanker: Calum Clark (18y 112d)
Yorkshire Carnegie (vs Saracens, 30 Sep 2007)
Educated at Barnard Castle School in County Durham, he made his Premiership debut as a teenager for Leeds Carnegie, now known at Yorkshire Carnegie.
He has featured for his country at age group level, playing for England U18’s up to U20’s. He progressed to senior International rugby in 2014, captaining England Saxons against the Irish Wolfhounds, as well as being included in the Elite training squad, making a full debut against France in the Rugby World Cup 2015 warm-up match against France.
He joined Saracens from Premiership rivals Northampton Saints, bringing great experience with him, as he has made over 100 appearances for the East Midlands outfit- including the 2010/11 European Cup final and knock out stages of the Premiership Rugby competition.
Flanker: James Haskell (18y 164d)
Wasps (vs Harlequins, 13 Sep 2003)
The flanker was a part of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Premiership title-winning seasons with Wasps, as well as also winning the 2004 and 2007 Champions Cup competitions.
On his return to England in 2012, following stints in Japan, New Zealand and France, Haskell quickly racked up another century of appearances for Wasps and featured in the 2017 Premiership Rugby final.
But Haskell has also excelled at international level for over a decade, earning over 75 caps for England and getting called up to the 2017 British & Irish Lions squad that toured New Zealand – playing against a Hurricanes side that was then led by Saints’ director of rugby Chris Boyd.
He most recently joined Northampton Saints in the summer after being released by Wasps.
Number 8: Billy Vunipola (18y 158d)
Wasps (vs Bath Rugby, 23 Apr 2011)
Viliami Vunipola, known by his nickname Billy, has grown into one of the world’s most talented and respected rugby players, and is characterized by his ability to bulldoze through the opposition defensive line and his physicality.
Winning a scholarship to attend the prestigious Harrow School, Billy progressed to the Wasps Academy, where he made 30 appearances over two seasons with the club, before making the move to Saracens for the beginning of the 2013/14 campaign.
He's since won multiple Premiership and Champions Cup titles while also becoming a key player for England.
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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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