Newbies of the Year: Nine stars that caught fire in 2024 including a ‘barnstorming’ All Black and ‘generational’ Springbok

As 2024 rolls to a finish we continue our year-end features – as we have been throughout December – with today’s offering hailing the Newbies of the Year.

In no particular order, here’s nine players who hit the big time this year.

Wallace Sititi (New Zealand)

It would be criminal to begin this feature without starting with the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year because he was simply that good. Sititi immediately looked classy for the Chiefs in Super Rugby Pacific with his barnstorming carries and subtle ball-handling skills really standing out.

We thought for sure he would make the All Blacks squad but the 22-year-old went above and beyond that, quickly developing into New Zealand’s most impactful player even from his less preferred blindside role. The quality of his carries continued to show while his breakdown work and defence were superb. Perhaps his greatest attribute is his cool, calm head mature beyond its years, much like Ardie Savea’s when he burst onto the scene. Eventually named All Black of the Year and only expect more to come from the lad who is good enough to reach 100 caps.

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Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa)

Also nominated for Breakthrough Player of the Year, the silky playmaker made his debut in 2024 coming off the bench against Wales and had a massive impact against Ireland before finally getting his first start against the Wallabies.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been highly-rated in South Africa for some time and is very clearly a generational talent with his calming aura, exceptional attacking prowess and cannon of a boot. He went from uncapped to running the Springboks side in just a few games and there was a chance he would have continued in the vein if not for injury.

The Stormer is supremely talented but needs to break a nasty streak of injuries which is always a cause for concern for such a young player. Still, expect his name to be on your screens for some time to come.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England)

Continuing with the nominees for the Breakthrough players is the electric Englishman who actually had the choice between the Red Rose and Wales, picking the former so he could continue his medical studies in Exeter.

Feyi-Waboso has all the ingredients to be a world beater with his remarkable pace, aerial prowess and deceptive strength powering his game. He had an outstanding year in England white and when he skirted over to score against the All Blacks in New Zealand it was clear there is a serious player on our hands.

Very quickly the Exeter man became one of the first names of Steve Borthwick’s teamsheet and should his form continue there is still plenty to come from this man.

Chandler Cunningham-South (England)

Replacing the raw physicality of the legendary Courtney Lawes at blindside had proved to be difficult until Cunningham-South rolled through with his impressive engine and lust for cutting people in half with his massive tackles.

The England pack needed a man like the Harlequin to help impose the Red Rose on the game just a bit more and through his performance Cunningham-South turned into a valuable member of the side thanks to his 1.93m and 120 odd kg frame that could strike feature into any team!

To make him even more valuable as a prospect the back-row is just 21 years old and still has so much to learn and grow in the Test arena. It certainly makes one shudder in their boots and it will be fascinating to see how far he gets in pursuit of Lawes’ throne.

Jamie Osborne (Ireland)

The last of the Breakthrough player nominees is the versatile superstar who embodies modern day Irish rugby development with his ultra polished skill-set from kicking out of hand, distribution range, defensive nous and impressive tactical awareness.

He was thrown into one of the deepest ends one could get with a start against the Springboks in South Africa and not only did he handle the heat he took the game to the hosts with a try in the first Test. It was clear then that not only did he have the skill-set but also the calm head to match.

Ireland have become experts at nurturing talent and helping their players climb through the ranks so expect to see Osborne around a lot more.

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Sam Prendergast (Ireland)

From one Irishman to another and one who only caught fire on the Test scene at the end of the year when he was given a run in the autumn. Prendergast is a highly rated youngster who absolutely ran Ireland with aplomb when given the chance.

He has all the skills of a traditional fly-half with a will to attack and the exuberance to give it a go. With that being said the playmaker makes very few rash decisions and has an exceptional kicking game. All this culminates in a very, very bright future for the Leinster star who arguably made a case for him being above Jack Crowley in the pecking order.

It makes for an interesting year with Andy Farrell stepping away to coach the British & Irish Lions next year and if Prendergast has a strong Six Nations he could be a surprise pick for the famous touring side.

Joseph Suaalii (Australia)

There were justified question marks when Rugby Australia paid several million to coax a then 20 year old rugby league star to switch to union ahead of the Lions tour in 2025, but those were very quickly put to bed in the autumn.

Once the league season was over Suaalii was technically a Waratahs player and Joe Schmidt quickly brought him in, offering the star the unique chance of playing for Australia before featuring in Super Rugby, joining the likes of Matt Giteau in doing so.

Immediately his quality was evident with a great offloading and especially aerial ability much like a young Israel Folau when he burst onto the Test scene. The Wallaby would be named man-of-the-match in his Test debut against England but would not shine to that extent afterwards.

What was obvious is how he brought a new spark to Australia who are developing rapidly and he will be the foundation of that backline. All he needs is to improve his tackle technique slightly or he could find himself in the cards. Still, keep your eye on this man against the Lions in 2025.

Max Jorgensen (Australia)

The talented outside back finally made his Test debut after several appearances in the squad that ended in injury. There has never been a question of his talent from his debut hat-trick in Super Rugby Pacific as an 18-year-old.

Jorgensen underlined this quality as he raced in for the winning try against England at Twickenham. He certainly has that natural ability to find his way over the try-line but the real value of the Waratah is how he always looks to do something when on the ball and has quality touches to match.

Crucially he has picked up some size since that Waratahs debut and looks primed and ready for Test rugby. No doubt about it he will be in and amongst it come the Lions series.

Joaquin Oviedo (Argentina)

We cheated with this one because the number eight did play one Test in 2021 but it was 2024 when he made his mark thanks to his superb carrying ability adding dynamism to an already outstanding Los Pumas back-row.

This first showed against Australia when he came off the bench to score a double in the mauling of the Wallabies. That gave him such confidence and his carrying only got better.

The back-row is a joy to watch and Felipe Contepomi is absolutely blessed with options but Ovideo’s point of difference can be a massive asset for Argentina if used correctly. We look forward to seeing him flourish in 2025.

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