Written by Lachlan Grey on Dec 16, 2024 07:00 AM, courtesy of rugby.com.au Source article.
Liam Wright scores in Round 4 of Super Rugby Pacific 2024
With the British & Irish Lions bound for Australia and a women’s Rugby World Cup on the horizon, there’s no better year for players to stake their Test claim in Super Rugby.
It’s also a big 2025 for our Aussie Sevens stars with both squads facing new challenges and transitions in the build-up to LA 2028.
While rugby.com.au has already compiled its “23 under 23” players to watch in 2025 – click here for the full article – the 12 players listed below are among the most compelling storylines to follow next year.
We’ve selected two Test players from each Super Rugby franchise who’ll be pressing their claim for a gold jersey and a pair of Sevens stars who have everything to prove – and the talent to do so – in 2025.
ACT BRUMBIES – Charlie Cale & Jay Huriwai
Few Super Rugby Pacific backrowers boast the highlight reel of Charlie Cale with a breakout 2024 showcasing his line out prowess and carry game along with an impressive turn of speed.
Cale, 24, did enough to earn a Wallabies debut against Wales in July but has since slid down the pecking order behind back-to-back John Eales medalist Rob Valetini, incumbent Test skipper Harry Wilson and Waratahs bulldozer Langi Gleeson.
It would take a massive Super Rugby Pacific campaign to unseat one or more of his Australian teammates come the Lions tour but Brumbies fans will be hoping Cale’s prodigious talent and aerial skillset can deliver a long-awaited ACT title – perhaps even a Test recall.
Meanwhile, Huriwai, 31, will be eager to stake her claim for a Wallaroos recall after missing the majority of 2024 through injury.
The Brumbies halfback suffered a 19th minute leg fracture in Round 2 of Super Rugby Women’s and has seen the likes of Samantha Wood and Nat Wright go on to earn Test caps in her absence.
Though Layne Morgan remains the frontrunner to wear Australia’s #9 jersey in England, Huriwai’s confrontational style and ability to act as a ninth forward looms a game breaker for the Brumbies under Andy Friend and could well launch her back into World Cup contention.
Queensland Reds – Liam Wright & Ivania Wong
Wright’s rotten injury run plunged to new depths when the Queenslander suffered another shoulder setback during his Wallabies captaincy debut in July.
Despite delivering his best Super Rugby Pacific season in 2024, Wright’s inability to make a Test return means he’ll need to elevate his game even higher to force a Wallabies recall when the Lions come to town.
The Reds co-captain has his work cut out for him already with Queensland’s swollen lock-six stocks but the 27-year-old remains highly regarded by Joe Schmidt, who’ll be one of many keen observers when Wright makes his likely comeback in Round 2 of next year’s Super Rugby Pacific.
On the women’s front, 15-Test Wallaroo and all-time Queensland cap leader Ivania Wong casts a large shadow over the national squad.
Wong shone through Australia’s 2022 World Cup campaign and was starting as recently as their WXV1 campaign in 2023- during which she scored the match winning try against Wales – but the 27-year-old is yet to taste Test rugby in the Jo Yapp era.
With Wallaroos duo Maya Stewart and Desiree Miller firing at the Waratahs and a host of sevens stars including Bienne Terita and Maddi Levi available for next year’s Super Rugby Women’s tournament, 2025 looms a defining year for Ivania Wong.
WESTERN FORCE – DARCY SWAIN & CECILIA SMITH
The forgotten man in Australia’s second-row debate, Darcy Swain ‘s shift from Canberra to Perth comes at a critical time for the 17-cap Wallaby.
Swain, 27, earned 70 caps for the Brumbies following his 2018 Super Rugby Pacific debut and was a star performer under Dave Rennie across the 2021 and 2022 Test seasons but has since been overlooked.
At 200cm and 113kgs, Swain offers plenty of go-forward and a secure line-out platform for Simon Cron – a breakout year with his new Western Force teammates could be the perfect way to earn a Wallabies recall when the Lions come to town.
Another off-season signing for the Western Force, Cecilia Smith ‘s rugby journey next year is particularly compelling.
The former Queensland Reds skipper and incumbent Wallaroos #12 is one of several Test acquisitions set to spearhead the Perth franchise but few boast her experience and skillset.
Named Super Rugby Women’s Player of the Year in 2023, Smith is capable of molding the Force’s raw backline talent into a title-winning unit enroute to a second World Cup campaign.
NSW WARATAHS – TANE EDMED & ADIANA TALAKAI
Fresh from a rollercoaster 2024 that took him from Sydney to Auckland and into Wallaby gold, Tane Edmed ‘s 2025 shapes to be just as exciting.
Now entering his fifth season of Super Rugby Pacific, Edmed is poised for his best yet steering a Waratahs backline featuring Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Max Jorgensen, Jake Gordon and Andrew Kellaway.
Experience is no longer a factor for Edmed – he’s set to bring up his 50th Super Rugby cap mid-season – and the 24-year-old will expected to deliver a finals berth to the sky blue faithful if he’s any chance of facing the Lions in 2025.
It would’ve been easy to highlight star duo Piper Duck and Emily Chancellor here but Wallaroos fans will be eagerly awaiting the return of this tackle-shedding Waratah hooker in 2025.
While Aussie backrowers stood up in the absence of Duck and Chancellor, Adiana Talakai ‘s physicality up front was keenly missed throughout 2024 after succumbing to an ACL injury.
At her best, the 25-year-old is a nightmare to tackle and will be raring to rip into next year’s Super Rugby Women’s campaign with one eye on retaining NSW’s title and the other on a Test recall.
AUSTRALIAN SEVENS – HENRY PATERSON & FAITH NATHAN
With veteran Nick Malouf hanging up the boots and star playmaker Dietrich Roache ruled out of the 2024-25 SVNS series, Henry Paterson has an enormous role to play.
The 2023 Shawn Mackay Medalist was also Australia’s sole selection in the men’s 2023-23 Dream Team and while injuries hampered his 2024 season, a fully-fit Paterson still ranks among the world’s best.
Now aged 27 and nearing the 30-tournament mark, Paterson is a key leader for the fledgling Australian side and is needed now more than ever.
One of the few sevens women who didn’t put their hand up for Super Rugby selection, Faith Nathan is perfectly poised for her best season in Aussie gold yet.
The fleet-footed 24-year-old has has been a mainstay since her Dubai debut in 2019 with 108 tries in just 27 tournaments on the SVNS circuit and is key to Australia’s long-term hopes of a second Olympic gold.
While casual fans are quick to highlight Maddi Levi’s try scoring exploits, Nathan finished third on the overall tries list last season with 38 and was a World Rugby Player of the Year nominee in 2022.
