Rugby's Future Stars Mean Big Business

Bristol's temporary move to Newport may have fallen through this week, but Rodney Parade will host the England squad in this month's International Rugby Board Under-20 world championship, the first time the event has been staged since the decision to end the Under-19 and Under-21 tournaments.England open their campaign against Fiji tonight, after Australia have tackled Canada, and the group title is likely to be decided when the Under-20 grand slam champions face the young Wallabies at Rodney Parade on June 14. While England have some players with Guinness Premiership experience, most notably the Worcester wing Miles Benjamin, Australia have nine players who have played in the Super 14 series.The figure would have been higher but for injuries (including the Waratahs' outside-half Kurtley Beale, who suffered ankle damage during the Super 14 final against Canterbury Crusaders) and the Board's contentious rule that anyone born after December 31, 1989 was not eligible, an edict which ruled out the 17-year old center James O'Connor, who made his debut for Western Force as a replacement against Waikato Chiefs earlier this year. Australia's captain, David Pocock, has played 25 matches for the Force, making his debut two years ago three weeks after his 18th birthday.Such has been the exodus of senior players from the southern hemisphere, New Zealand in particular, in recent years, the Sanzar nations are only too aware that scouts from English and French clubs will be watching the Under-20 championship in Wales with particular interest. Pocock, an open-side flanker, is so highly regarded in Australia that before their squad left for Britain, he was offered a new two-year contract with the Force and the Australian Rugby Union, which he signed."You probably only have 10 years at the top as a player so it is not surprising that so many guys have left for Europe, where the game is richer than it is in the south, but for someone like me your sole motivation is to play for the Wallabies," said Pocock. "The Under-20 championship is the biggest thing in all of our careers and it is going to be fiercely contested. We are aware that the last four years have not been great for Australian rugby, but we have a lot of talent coming through – and we have placed a lot of emphasis on scrummaging. We will be ready for whatever the Welsh weather serves up."New Zealand have long boasted the most productive nursery in the world, but it is having to work overtime with players leaving for Europe in their prime rather than, as was the case just a few years ago, moving in the final years of their careers to give them a pension. "We know our players will be scanned by European clubs, but there is nothing to be gained in wrapping them in cotton wool," said the New Zealand Under-20 coach, David Rennie, whose squad is largely made up of the players who won the last Under-19 world tournament last year. "We have already tied up most of them on contracts and what they all appreciate is that they have an opportunity of making New Zealand's 2011 World Cup squad."We are having to bring through players faster than before because of the seniors who have left and the lure of Europe has made it tougher for us as a country than ever before. Luke McAlister left for Sale at the age of 24 and now Nick Evans has gone to Harlequins, leaving us two outside-halves short. We are looking at the structure of all our top competitions because players are leaving not just for money."It may be an Under-20 tournament, but it is big business. Some £3m is being spent staging it and television rights have been bought by 70 countries. More journalists have applied for accreditation than did so for last season's Heineken Cup and the players from 16 countries, who are split into four pools, based in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Wrexham, will get through 60,000 liters of donated Welsh mineral water, while £100,000 worth of rugby equipment is also being supplied."I think there is now more interest than ever before in the young players who are coming through," said the England coach, Nigel Redman. "Fans want to know who is coming behind the established players and spectators this tournament will be watching the future of the game. It is going to be very competitive with New Zealand a typically high-octane side, Australia, South Africa and France (who are captained by the scrum-half Morgan Parra, who made his senior debut against England in this year's Six Nations), all strong, while Wales are at home. The standard will be higher than it was in the last Under-19 tournament."Players to watch out for include Pocock, the New Zealand outside-half Daniel Kirkpatrick, the Australia wing Ratu Nasiganiyavi, a cousin of Lote Tuqiri who has union and league sides into a frenzy Down Under after being compared with Jonah Lomu because "he makes Lote look like Danny DeVito", the England full-back Noah Cato, the Wales outside-half Dan Biggar and the South Africa wing Stephen Dippenaar.

But it is not just about who will win: the 16 teams are from the countries who took part in last year's senior World Cup finals, minus Georgia, Portugal, Romania and Namibia, and all believe they can make a similarly strong showing, while next year's tournament is being held in Japan.