From an impetuous back-rower to a graceful winger, we identify one player to watch from every side ahead of the 2026 Men’s Six Nations.
Ahead of the 2026 Men’s Six Nations, we’ve picked out one starlet from each team who could shine throughout the tournament.
You heard it here first: these guys are the future and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Henry PollockEngland
Coming off the back of a stellar 2025, England have high ambitions coming into this Six Nations. There is plenty of youthful vigour in the squad with three uncapped players to watch out for in Vilikesa Sela, Emmanuel Iyogun and Greg Fisilau. There are a further six in the squad with five or fewer caps. One of those is the enigmatic Henry Pollock.
Hard to miss with his bleach blond hair and charismatic style of play, Pollock marked his debut for England by scoring two tries against Wales in last year’s Championship. Not originally in the 2025 squad he had instead been representing the U20s, before being drafted into the senior set-up.
Prem Rugby is where Pollock has thrived, making a name for himself as a dynamic ball carrier with pace to burn.
Since the start of 2025 he ranks in the top five among regular back-rowers for tries per 80 (0.74, thid), carries per 80 (14.5, fifth), metres gained per 80 (73, first), line breaks per 80 (1.3, first) and defenders beaten per 80 (3.4, third).
This attacking verve does come at a cost. Pollock ranks towards the bottom among his peers for how often he concedes penalties (1.2) and turnovers (1.6) per 80 minutes.
However, he is undoubtedly a game-changer, an ability he has shown at all levels so far. Will Steve Borthwick continue to use him as a super-sub or will he get a tilt at causing 80 minutes of mayhem this time around?
Aaron Grandidier-NkanangFrance
When Fabien Galthié announced his squad for this year’s Six Nations Championship there were some surprise omissions. Perhaps none more so than Damian Penaud, who became Les Bleus’ all-time top try scorer fewer than three months ago.
However, France have some incredible wing options at their disposal and Penaud’s absence creates an opportunity for someone else to stake their claim for the number 14 jersey, with Louis Bielle-Biarrey nailed on for the left-wing spot on the opposite side.
Théo Attissogbe made a big impression in that very jersey last year, featuring against Wales and Italy and scoring three tries the process, however his Section Paloise teammate Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang could also force his way into Galthié’s plans, thanks to his aerial game.
Amongst all TOP 14 players in the league and Europe this season, Grandidier-Nkanang leads the way for claiming contested kicks, with his tally of 22 exactly double the next best player.
Additionally, of the 18 players to contest more than 20 such kicks, his 43% success rate is also the best. Somewhat ironically, Penaud ranks second (38%) despite that part of his game being a perceived weakness and a possible reason for not making this year’s squad.
Grandidier-Nkanang isn’t just an aerial threat, though, he’s elusive with ball in hand too, recording an 82% gainline success rate from his 73 carries in the league and Europe in 2025-26.
Exactly 100 TOP 14 players have made as many, or more, carries as the Pau winger this season, but only Toulon’s Mathis Ferté (86%) can better his gainline success rate in all competitions.
Grandidier-Nkanang won Olympic gold alongside Antoine Dupont at the 2024 Olympics – it would be no surprise to see him at the heart of another French success story in the coming months.
Tommy O’BrienIreland
Mack Hansen’s absence will be a bitter blow for Ireland ahead of this year’s Six Nations, but where one door has closed another has opened for Tommy O’Brien, who’ll be looking to claim the No. 14 jersey for his own.
O’Brien is firmly in line to make his Six Nations debut in 2026, having been unfortunate not to feature in the Championship before now due to some injury troubles of his own.
O’Brien scored a brace in each of his first two Ireland appearances, against Georgia and Portugal last summer. In doing so, he became the first player to score 2+ tries in each of his first two Tests for a Tier 1 nation since the start of 2010.
He followed that up by adding another against Japan in November to bring his total tally to five tries in six Irish caps. That Japan game also saw the winger gain 143 metres, the most by any Ireland player against a Tier 1 nation since the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
O’Brien notably failed to score across nearly 200 minutes (191) of game time against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in the autumn, though, and will be keen to show he can make the difference in tighter games.
The underlying data shows he’s well placed to make that breakthrough. Of the 204 players to make 30+ carries for a Tier 1 nation in 2025, O’Brien had the best gainline success rate (86%) and the best rate of carries per line break (3.7).
Edoardo TodaroItaly
At just 19 years old, Edoardo Todaro could be just the 20th teenager to play in the men’s Six Nations and the sixth to do so for Italy.
His meteoric rise to prominence started last year with appearances at the U20 Six Nations and U20 World Championships for the Azzurri. That form has seen him earn plenty of action for Northampton Saints in 2025-26, as well as a debut cap for the senior national team against Chile in November.
19 – Aged 19, Edoardo Todaro could become just the 20th teenager to feature in the Men's #SixNations – he would be the sixth player to represent @Federugby in the Championship before turning 20, with only France (7) having selected more teens ( – 3, – 2 – 2, – 0). Youth. t.co/3IZH4tTcD4
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) January 21, 2026Todaro has nine tries in 11 appearances in Prem Rugby and the Champions Cup this season; teammate Tommy Freeman (10) and Kalaveti Ravouvou (10) are the only players with more. In the same competitions, he also ranks second for defenders beaten (47), fourth for metres gained (780m) and fifth for clean breaks (17).
His elusiveness is further exemplified by sitting in the top 10 for both tackle evasion (47%, joint-sixth) and gainline success (79%, ninth), among 103 Prem players to make 50+ carries.
In his eight-minute cameo against Chile last November he didn’t see any action in attack or defence. With Ange Capuozzo out of action for this tournament, can Todaro force his way into the side and make a name for himself?
Liam McConnellScotland
Edinburgh have two young back-rowers in Gregor Townsend’s squad for the 2026 Six Nations, Freddy Douglas (20) and Liam McConnell (21), both of whom have just one cap to their name so far. In fact, they are the two youngest players in the Scotland squad.
Both have represented Scotland in the U20 Six Nations, with the duo starting together on the flanks in the opening three rounds of the 2024 edition. McConnell also played in 2023, with the younger Douglas also playing in 2025.
Our pick of the two to watch is Liam McConnell. The main reason for that is his strong pilfering potential as well as his ability to carry the ball hard. Those are both classic traits for a Test-level flanker.
In the URC this season, McConnell ranks third for turnovers won per 80 (1.4) among the 134 players with 400+ minutes of action, while he’s also joint fourth for lineout steals (4).
That ability to nab the ball from the opposition could be critical to allow Finn Russell to pull the strings in attack and reduce the amount of defending the team has to do.
McConnell made his Test debut against the USA in November 2025, and hit the headlines straight away, gaining 139 metres in that match. Ardie Savea (163 vs Tonga, 2019) is the only forward from a Tier 1 Nation to gain more in a match since Opta have collected this data (2010).
Harri DeavesWales
As is the case with Ireland, an injury to a British & Irish Lion could open the door for a potential star to stake his claim for a permanent spot in Wales’ XV. While Jac Morgan may well come back into contention before the end of the Six Nations, his early absence presents a golden opportunity for Harri Deaves to showcase what he can do.
Deaves has already done a fine job of deputizing for Morgan at club level, putting in some massive shifts for the Ospreys in the URC and Challenge Cup this season. He’s completed more tackles per 80 minutes (17.9) than any of the other 133 players to have featured for 400+ minutes in the URC this term. In fact, he’s made 27 tackles in two separate URC games this season; no player has made more in a single match.
A menace at the breakdown too, Deaves is one of six players averaging 7+ defensive ruck hits per 80 in the league this term (400+ mins played).
With Wales likely to spend a large chunk of their playing time out of possession, Deaves’ work-rate in defence could prove vital in keeping scorelines respectable and perhaps even nicking a first Six Nations win in three years.
All data correct as of 22 January, 2026.
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