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Six T2 rugby players to watch this November Test window

Baltazar Amaya #10 of Team Uruguay gestures during the Men's Rugby Sevens Pool C Group match between France and Uruguay on Day -2 of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on July 24, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

It’s that time of the year again when the leaves turn brown, the days are shorter, and the rugby ball is thrown around between nations. As in every year, November is an intense month for all, especially for the Tier 2 nations, who hope to steal a bit of attention from the eyes of the rugby fan.

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With that in mind, let us suggest six T2 internationals that you should focus your gaze on!

Simão Bento
Portugal – Outside back –  23 years old
The Lobos are heavily packed in the backs department with the likes of Raffaele Storti, Rodrigo Marta, Manuel C. Pinto, Nuno Sousa Guedes, Tomás Appleton, Hugo Aubry, among others. But with Marta, Guedes and Pinto out of action, it rests on Storti and Bento’s shoulders to set the world alight.

Bento, who put up a sensational show against the Springboks back in July, will oversee the fullback duties, guiding the Portuguese team’s counter-offensive strategy and putting them over the line. In his last five outings for Portugal, Simão Bento averaged two line-breaks per game, constantly causing trouble for the opposition.

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The 20-min red card explained by referee Karl Dickson

Referee Karl Dickson explains the 20-min red card system that is in place during the Autumn Nations Series.

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The 20-min red card explained by referee Karl Dickson

Referee Karl Dickson explains the 20-min red card system that is in place during the Autumn Nations Series.

The Stade Montois outside back will be a threat on the loose, deserving your full attention this November.

Kitione Salawa
Fiji – Loose Forward – 23 years old
Remember the name: Kitione Salawa. For those who have been following Fiji in 2024, Salawa isn’t a stranger as the openside flanker made quite an impact in the Pacific Nations Cup, scoring three tries, making thirty-five tackles and three turnovers, in what was a standout couple of performances.

Kitione Salawa
Fiji’s Kitione Salawa (C) avoids a tackle from Samoa’s Melani Matavao during the World Rugby Pacific Challenge 2024 match between Fiji and Samoa at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva on August 23, 2024. (Photo by LEON LORD / AFP) (Photo by LEON LORD/AFP via Getty Images)

With Levani Botia approaching the end of his stellar Test match career, Kitione Salawa has all the qualities to be the next in line and deserves the chance to ascend as a powerhouse in the international scene.

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For those who are still sceptical about Salawa, you have in him another excuse to miss brunch and watch Fiji play this Autumn.

Joel Merkler
Spain – tighthead prop – 23 years old
Two years after his last game for Spain, Joel Merkler is back to play for his country and is better than ever, as the prop has become a valuable player on the blockbuster Stade Toulousain’s side. Merkler is a force of nature, a formidable scrummager who relishes the set-piece contest and is a unique enforcer.

T2 players
Leinster Rugby’s Robbie Henshaw (left) and Caelan Doris (right) tackle Stade Toulousain’s Joel Merkler (centre) during the Investec Champions Cup Final match between Leinster Rugby and Stade Toulousain at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 25, 2024 in London, England.(Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)

Merkler battled his way to the top and he is currently one of the best Tier 2 props in the World – this November is the perfect time to start his dominance on a global scale.

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So, if you are a lover of big props and hard-as-nails scrummagers, Joel Merkler is the one for you.

Baltazar Amaya
Uruguay – utility back – 25 years old
Los Teros head for Europe missing some of their top stars, but there won’t be a shortage of magic as the likes of Baltazar Amaya will be on the team sheet.

T2 rugby players
Uruguay’s full-back Baltazar Amaya celebrates after scoring a try during the France 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool A match between Uruguay and Namibia at OL Stadium in Lyon, south-eastern France, on September 27, 2023. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP) (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images)

Amaya, who dotted down three tries in the 2023 Men’s Rugby World Cup, is a spectacular ball carrier who can cast a spell and lull incoming tacklers into a false sense of security before breaking their tackle and pushing his team closer to the try line.

With six tries and eleven caps, Amaya offers a range of options to Uruguay that few can and is a certified Test match superstar in the making.

Tornike Jalagonia
Georgia –  No.8 – 25 years-old
You were expecting Davit Niniashvili, weren’t you? Sorry but this shortlist had to wrap up with a number-eight and there’s no one in better form than the Lelo Tornike Jalagonia. With Beka Gorgadze recovering from a minor injury, Jalagonia will take this as an opportunity to show he can be a shining light at the back of the scrum.

Tornike Jalagonia T2 players
Tornike Jalagonia of Georgia looks dejected after defeat during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Fiji and Georgia at Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux on September 30, 2023 in Bordeaux, France. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Jalagonia’s season for Provence started spectacularly, ranking as the second-best tackler of the Pro D2 (100 tackle attempts and a 98 per cent completion rate).

His daunting physicality combined with a resilient mindset makes him one of the toughest enforcers from the Tier 2 universe, and that’s the best calling card to give 80 minutes of your time to watch him rock for the Lelos.

Related

Watch the highly acclaimed five-part documentary Chasing the Sun 2, chronicling the journey of the Springboks as they strive to successfully defend the Rugby World Cup, free on RugbyPass TV (*unavailable in Africa)

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Did the best of Ireland leave with Johnny Sexton and Stuart Lancaster?

Certainly got lucky, their strike rate in recruits is simply to high to be another else. How many failures can you count off the top of you head?


Theyre no longer playing that attack structure, so kinda irrelevant I feel. Sexton's metronomic tempo was perfect for that sort of football though. I really shouldn't say anything disparaging about his ability and influence on a northern style as he's probably a much closer footballer to the great Dan Carter than the modern NZ tens are. Still feel the game is better off in the NH now that players like Smith and Ntamack are able to lead the way with their performances.


I suggest not falling into that trap of replacing someone. They don't need a Sexton at 10, that guy and influence can come from anywhere in the team. Wallace Sititi for example has done so much to flip the debate on the NZ midfielders needing to have Nonu/Smith level distribution. They're trying to transition their game into a fast contest, ala their two victories against SA, but also losing out on that against SA and England (possible NZ too). Nienaber being seen as more beneficial to that outcome than Lancaster. I too think they're wrong though, it was a gift Faz got provided with but I haven't seen the Irish psyche want to recognize that. Some might say it's disrespectful to credit all of Irelands success on the back of a fortuitous style of play they discovered (were gifted, w/e) but I'll tell anyone that that's all New Zealands success is based off, and if a more natural organically grown pressuring style it's still something that is ingrained on everyones instincts just the same and can easily be lost of not appreciated.

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