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Who will seize the Six Nations stage and make a name for themselves over the next six weeks?

The son of hard-hitting former Tonga international Keni Fisilau, number eight Greg has been a key part of Exeter’s revival this season. His ball-carrying, which combines nimble footwork and raw go-forward power has helped the 22-year-old to five Prem tries so far in this campaign.

On the other side of the ball, Greg’s father didn’t allow him to play touch rugby as a youngster, concerned he would pick up bad habits of trying to stop runners with his hands, rather than his shoulder.

It looks like it paid off as Plymouth-born Fisilau has made the eighth highest number of tackles in the English top flight.

But for injury, Edogbo could easily have featured in this list for a previous Six Nations.

The 23-year-old second row spent nearly two years on the sidelines with Achilles tendon tears, but is now up to speed and could add heft to an Ireland pack that has, on occasions, looked lightweight against the very best.

Standing 6ft 5in tall and weighing 20 stone, he has scored three tries in nine games this season for Munster.

Edogbo was a relatively late convert to rugby, only picking up a ball as a 13-year-old after his younger brother Sean – a promising back row prospect himself – took it up.

Away from the pitch, he is in the final year of an economics degree at University College Cork.

It took only seven minutes of Kalvin Gourgues’ Test debut last November for the hype train to gather even more steam.

The 20-year-old, coming on as a late replacement for Gael Fickou, received the ball on his own 22-metre line and ghosted through the heart of Australia’s midfield before casually slinging a dart of a pass out for Louis Bielle-Biarrey to score.

With Fickou left out of defending champions France’s initial Six Nations squad, Gourgues’ time seems to be coming fast.

His versatility is another string to his bow. As well as covering both midfield spots, he has previously played full-back and started at 10 for Toulouse recently.

Coach Fabien Galthie has trusted him as the backline replacement in a six-two bench for the opening game against Ireland on Thursday.

Gourgues’ prodigious rise is all the more impressive considering he spent nearly a year out of the game recently to fix a circulation problem that could ultimately have cost him his leg.

Gregor Townsend’s faith is Freddy Douglas is clear. The Scotland coach handed Douglas, then 19, a Test debut before he had even made a top-level club appearance for Edinburgh.

In taking the pitch for the final 15 minutes of a 59-21 win over Portugal in November 2024, Douglas became the youngest man to represent Scotland in more than 60 years.

It wasn’t all straightforward from there, though, as an ankle injury sidelined him shortly afterwards and he was frustrated to be overlooked for the autumn internationals.

However Douglas’ low-slung jackalling ability, aided by yoga stretching that he has done since he was a teenager, has impressed this season and delivered a fistful of turnovers. He has also bulked up to do more of the heavy-duty ball-carrying on the gainline.

You could understand Welsh fans getting nervous when one of their age-grade prospects goes west.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, like Hennessey, was a Cardiff Schools star and Wales age-grade regular, who headed to England to combine university studies with professional rugby.

But while Feyi-Waboso switched to represent England at senior level, Hennessey is staying firmly on track.

A classy centre, with physicality, quick feet and playmaking ability, he has also turned out on the wing for English champions Bath. And he has come into form at the right time.

Italy’s plans have been disrupted by injuries. As well as star back Ange Capuozzo’s broken finger, they are missing back-row stalwarts Ross Vintcent and Sebastian Negri.

The latter pair’s absence may provide a route into the team for the uncapped 24-year-old Samuele Locatelli, who has been in fine form.

He was voted player of the year in the Italian top flight while playing for Viadana and has risen to impress in the United Rugby Championship with Zebre.

Ireland scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park says that France captain Antoine Dupont can “do stuff that not many others are capable of” ahead of Thursday’s opening Six Nations game in Paris (20:10 GMT).

Scrum-half Dupont ruptured cruciate ligaments in his knee last March during the Six Nations match against Ireland and was sidelined for eight months.

Despite not playing for Les Bleus since, the 29-year-old returned to club rugby for Toulouse in November and is set to play a key role in this Six Nations as France aim to defend their title.

“He [Dupont] is not the only one, France have some serious weapons across the whole team” Gibson-Park said.

“Quite a lot of prep goes into stopping him [Dupont]. We all know the threat he poses. We have seen a lot of stuff over the last number of years of him doing stuff that not many others are capable of.

“I have had some pretty good draws with him over the years, particularly at club level, he poses a serious threat for sure.”

Ireland’s preparation for the Six Nations has been hindered by setbacks with prop Jack Boyle and forward Tom Ahern both forced to withdraw through injury.

Centre Bundee Aki will miss the opening three games through suspension with Hugo Keenan’s availability for the Six Nations unclear after the full-back fractured his thumb during Ireland’s training camp in Portugal.

With those injury concerns, head coach Andy Farrell has named Thomas Clarkson and Jeremy Loughman as his props, while Cian Prendergast got the nod in the back row.

James Lowe has been dropped for Jacob Stockdale on the left wing, while Jamie Osborne starts in place of Keenan at full-back.

“There are no excuses now,” added Gibson-Park.

“You can’t afford to start slow, especially to France away and we have prepared well.

France are the Six Nations holders. Inspirational captain Antoine Dupont is fit. They possess a beefy pack and backline of phenomenal speed and creativity. Three of their games are at home.

Such factors help explain why Les Bleus are, for many, clear favourites to defend their title and possibly lay down a marker 18 months out from the World Cup.

But much like Thursday’s opponents Ireland, their preparations for the tournament have been far from serene.

Head coach Fabien Galthie has some of the finest rugby players on the planet at his disposal, but much of the spotlight in recent weeks has been fixed on established names who will not be lining out in the French capital on Thursday.

Galthie caused a stir last month when he revealed a 42-man squad without Gregory Alldritt, Gael Fickou and Damian Penaud.

All three have been big players in the Test arena in recent years.

Penaud’s national record haul of 40 tries in 59 caps includes four against Ireland, and while there are question marks over his defensive capabilities, it is hard to reckon with the fact that the insatiable try-scoring appetite that has often lit up the Six Nations is not currently a part of the French armoury.

The upside for France is that, with Penaud out, Theo Attissogbe starts on the right wing. The jet-heeled 21-year-old has had an injury-hit season with Pau, but he scored three tries in two Six Nations outings last year.

Electrifying left winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey has scored 18 tries in 17 games this season, so even without Penaud’s finishing prowess, France will be typically deadly out wide.

Fickou’s absence robs France of a 98-cap veteran, but Galthie has a wealth of options in midfield. Bordeaux pair Yoram Moefana and Nicolas Depoortere, who start against Ireland, are 25 and 23 respectively, while Toulouse’s Kalvin Gourgues is a hugely exciting option to have in reserve.

Beyond the three notable omissions, Galthie is without lock Thibaud Flament, who misses Thursday’s game because it clashes with his wife’s fertility treatment, and veteran prop Uini Atonio, who was forced to retire with a heart problem.

With no Atonio, Galthie has turned to Dorian Aldegheri, whose solitary Six Nations start prior to Thursday came against England three years ago.

“France have an issue at prop, especially at tight-head,” said French rugby expert Paul Eddison.

“We obviously had the shocking news about Uini Atonio and it will be interesting to see how they replace him.

“He was incredibly popular in the squad. Regis Montange started in the autumn, Tevita Tatafu was seen as the next guy coming through but has had serious injury problems. It’s an area teams may look to exploit.”

With Romain Ntamack injured, Galthie has selected Matthieu Jalibert at fly-half alongside Dupont, who returns to Test rugby after injuring his knee against Ireland last year.

It is only the second time they have been paired together from the start since the 2023 World Cup (the other being a 26-25 loss to England last year), although Dupont’s Olympic commitments and injury troubles have been obstacles to progressing the partnership.

Jalibert has been outstanding for Bordeaux this season but he hasn’t always had the easiest relationship with Galthie. In November 2024, he refused a spot on the bench after Thomas Ramos was picked at 10 against New Zealand.

Last year, Jalibert was dropped after France’s loss to England and did not feature in the final three Six Nations games, but his performances for the European champions this season have made overlooking him impossible.

“It’s interesting with Jalibert. He’s ridiculously talented and on his day is up there with the best attacking players in the world, but he and Galthie haven’t always seen eye to eye,” says Eddison.

“There’s been a question in France about how to get the best out of Dupont and Jalibert together.

“I think it can work. Dupont has the all-round game, so there shouldn’t really be an issue with who he is playing with. It’s just important to make sure Jalibert gets plenty of ball in hand.

Kalvin Gourgues

The 20-year-old centre has broken into the Toulouse team this season, scoring eight tries in 14 games. He made his France debut off the bench against Australia in November and is on the bench for the Ireland game. Last year, he underwent surgery for a blood clot issue in his foot but now looks primed for the big stage.

“He’s looked unplayable this season,” says Eddison.

“Ball in hand he is lightning fast. He can play 10, 12, 13 or 15. He’s going to be amazing.”

Lenni Nouchi

Also on the bench is the 22-year-old back row who captained France to victory in the 2023 Under-20 World Championship and who already has 68 Montpellier appearances under his belt.

“Shaun Edwards has recently been speaking about how good he’s been. They’ve been impressed with him and keen to get him involved,” said Eddison.

Nicolas Depoortere

Another star of the 2023 Under-20s, Depoortere has scored 14 tries in 18 games for Bordeaux and France this season. He starts alongside Bordeaux team-mate Yoram Moefana in midfield.

“A silky runner. He’s been scoring tries for fun and has been playing alongside Moefana every week, so I’d expect to see a lot of him,” said Eddison.