3. Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby)
England fans could well be seeing more of stand-out prop Afolabi Fasogbon before too long, as Steve Borthwick’s senior squad is considerably thin across the tight-head ranks. With veteran prop Dan Cole admitting after the second Test against the All Blacks, that he is taking his Test match career ‘day by day’, the pecking order does not stretch much further than Bath’s Will Stuart and Joe Heyes of Leicester Tigers.
Fasogbon could well be what England need to complete their transition into a new era of props, and follow the course set from loose-head Fin Baxter’s fantastic debut in New Zealand. With the sands of time continuing to fall for Joe Marler and Dan Cole, England could well boast an all new front row, when the 2027 Rugby World Cup rolls around in Australia. Fasogbon had a stunning campaign out in South Africa, and was apart of the pack that bulldozed over the Junior Springboks in the third pool stage round.
Fasogbon exploded off the bench in Mapletoft’s own ‘bomb squad’, as he lifted the tempo set by Billy Sela. A man worthy of his own entry onto this list, Sela is another name for the future and has been gaining valuable scrummaging guidance under Will Stuart at the Rec. Add in former Bath prop Nathan Catt, who is building the pack of tomorrow as the England U20 scrum coach, and the stage is set for Fasogbon and Sela to jostle over the England three jersey for years to come.
Another notable mention for this list is Asher Opoku-Fordjour, with the Sale Sharks prop progressing at an impressive rate in the North West. The x-factor that Opoku-Fordjour brings to the future England front row, is his ability to play across both the loose and the tight heads of the scrum, with the Shark previously expressing a preference to be England’s future number one.
4. Jack Bracken (Saracens)
Scoring a hat-trick on your England U20 debut is the perfect way to get noticed, just ask Henry Pollock. The same can be said for flying wing Jack Bracken, who marked his first cap for the age grade side with three tries against Argentina. This phenomenal outing was the perfect way for England to ignite their U20 World Championship campaign, as they rode to the top of the pool, upon a tidal wave of momentum.
As his surname suggests, Bracken is the latest break-out talent from the family of a former England international. The middle son of 2003 Rugby World Cup winner Kyran Bracken, Jack is following in the footsteps of both his father and his older brother Charlie, as his sibling also came through the ranks of the England U20s. The two brothers are now both firmly on the books of the Saracens Academy, and Jack Bracken looks well on his way to a first senior Sarries cap in the 2024/25 season.
At just 18-years-old, Bracken has plenty of time to develop within the England U20s system with his first three appearances coming on the recent trip to South Africa. Bracken made his debut with the aforementioned hat-trick against Los Pumas, and followed this up with caps against the tournament hosting junior Boks, and a replacement role in the final against France.
Bracken has previously told RUCK that his dream is to play on the wing in the same back-line as his two brothers. With scrum half Charlie partnering up with youngest brother Lochlan at 10, watch out for the Bracken’s to become the core of the Saracens attack in years to come.
5. Toby Cousins (Northampton Saints)
With versatility in abundance, Northampton back Toby Cousins has all the tools to become England’s next ‘Swiss-army knife’ of the attacking line. With the role currently held by Elliot Daly, the Saracen is approaching the twilight of his career at 31-years-old, yet still has a few years left in the tank before he passes on the torch to a coming of age Cousins.
The Northampton man is a chalked down as a right wing on paper, but he has plenty of prior experience across all back-three positions, as well as a run in the centres for his schoolboy first XV. Now add into the mix a year on the open-side flank at the age of 15, and Cousins has an assortment of talents that makes him a threat on the front foot, whilst also being well versed in the breakdown and coming up with an essential turnover.
Northampton fans are eagerly awaiting Cousins’ debut, as his opportunity to make a maiden run-out was curtailed by the death of Queen Elizabeth II last September. Cousins was named on the team-sheet for a Premiership Rugby Cup outing, yet the untimely passing of the monarch meant that all sport was cancelled that weekend, and Cousins soon suffered a series of hamstring issues that curtailed his first team involvement at Franklin’s Gardens.
Cousins has given Saints fans an early taster of whats to come, as he donned the red rose for U20 World Championship appearances against Fiji and Ireland. The 19-year-old impressed with two solid tries against the Pacific Islanders, and also contributed off the bench as England booked themselves a place in the final, by surpassing Ireland in the semis.