5. Tommy Freeman (England and Northampton Saints)
Whilst we could wax lyrical about every top All Black or England talent that is set to grace Dunedin and Auckland next month, we only have space for one more box office player on this list. We have opted for a break-out star from the Premiership winning Northampton Saints squad, as Tommy Freeman has since transferred the green, black and gold glory into stand out performances for his country.
Freeman has been a pivotal player in the Premiership winning Saints back-line, that also contributes Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Sleightholme and George Furbank to the touring England squad. Such familiarity with his Saints teammates has transferred seamlessly onto the Test match stage, with Borthwick emphasising the importance of a quick turnaround following the Premiership Final upon announcing his squad to tour Japan and New Zealand.
Freeman started on the left wing, as England despatched Japan for their first win of the 2024/25 season. Despite not getting his name on the score-sheet, the Northampton man was amongst Borthwick’s top performers in Tokyo, and presented a telepathic level of communication with his Franklin’s Gardens brother-in-arms George Furbank, with expert game management across the back-three.
Freeman got his first taste of the England experience on the 2022 Tour of Australia, as former head coach Eddie Jones awarded the Saints man a debut against his homeland. The flying wing has developed through his mental and skilful approach throughout the past two years, and recorded impressive statistics throughout the latest Guinness Six Nations campaign. Freeman carried for 329m in the Championship, which was the second highest for any England player (behind Ben Earl) and ninth overall.