2018 ARN Rookie of the Year

Despite being just ahead of a World Cup year, 2018 mimicked 2017 with 66 players capped for the first time by one of the Americas Rugby Championship nations. Some of these names may not appear again on senior international team sheets but others are certain to make their mark over the next decade. In our first award for the 2018 calendar year we select our top newcomers to international rugby.

The criteria is routine – the player must have made their test debut during 2018. We looked at the year as a whole, not the unusual September-to-August format that World Rugby seems to live by. Primary consideration is given to international performance though domestic excellence may also be looked at if required. While we do not have an age barrier written in stone, generally we lean towards players under the age of 25 with those older considered more strongly in our ‘Breakthrough’ category.

We expect all of those listed below to enjoy long and fruitful international – and hopefully professional – careers. Of course there were a number of others who impressed but didn’t quite make the cut. David Ainu’u had only a couple brief USA appearances but broke into the Toulouse senior side at the age of just 18. Manuel Ardao and Tomás Inciarte broke into the Uruguay test side and look close to World Cup selection, and Brazil’s Daniel Lima looks a quality scrumhalf who should push for further honors in 2019.

HONORABLE MENTION

The rise of scrumhalf Ruben de Haas to Eagles contention has been both methodical and rapid. He excelled with the Junior All-Americans, even leading them in 2018, and represented the USA Select XV at the Americas Pacific Challenge in 2017. His debut came during the Americas Rugby Championship at the tender age of 19 and in November he was rewarded with his first test starts. The performances of de Haas were so impressive against Samoa and Romania that he is now in a strong position to win a spot in the match day roster for the Eagles at the World Cup.

Chile can justifiably be criticized for their wildly inconsistent selection over the past three years but they got one thing consistently right in 2018. Alfonso Escobar graduated from captain of the u20 side in 2017 to being named in every Cóndores match in 2018, starting six of the nine capped internationals. The flanker still has some maturing to do physically but his understanding of the game, commitment, and leadership skills mark him as one of his country’s brightest among the new generation in Chilean rugby.

On entertainment value alone Theo Sauder ranks right up there with our winner. Those who have been following Canadian rugby closely knew it was just a matter of time before he broke through the ranks. He was tested as a flyhalf against Russia but it’s fullback where the 22-year-old’s extravagant attacking abilities shined brightest during November’s Repechage series. Sauder might just as easily have become a star on the HSBC Sevens circuit but will instead suit up for the Toronto Arrows in Major League Rugby.

Los Pumas are desperate for a new front rower to emerge from local stocks and while Santiago Medrano doesn’t yet tick all the boxes, he has certainly begun to show the promise that made him a standout for the Pumitas and Argentina XV. As a tighthead specialist his scrum technique needs more seasoning. In the loose, however, he is already a major contributor with his enormous appetite for work in defense particularly notable during the November tests. Medrano featured in all but one of Argentina’s tests in 2018 and is a shoe-in for World Cup selection.

THE WINNER

The above named would not look out of place winning this award but there is one who simply could not be overlooked. Bautista Delguy was bizarrely omitted from World Rugby’s nominations for their equivalent Breakthrough Player award. Given the extraordinary season he has enjoyed both in Super Rugby and with Argentina this makes little sense. As a first year player with Los Jaguares he scored 10 tries in 13 starts, a mark topped by only five players. He would go on to start 11 of 12 tests for Los Pumas, scoring five tries including two in the win over South Africa at Mendoza. His resume speaks for itself.

Our unanimous choice as 2018 ARN Rookie of the Year is Bautista Delguy.

original photo: Ken Sutton / Frozen in Motion / UAR