Best Uncapped Player from EVERY Tier One Rugby Nation

Pulling on your nation's jersey and standing for the anthem, is what dreams are made of for the aspiring young talents from across the world. However, not every top level performer has been able to make the grade just yet, with a stunning crop of future stars constantly banging on the door for a first Test cap.

As the end of the 2025/26 season comes ever closer, the Summer brings about the inaugural Nations Championship, with the Northern and Southern Hemisphere's Tier One sides set to collide in a stunning show-down. This new competition has replaced the traditional tours for the time being, but could well act as the proving ground for the fringe talents and most promising young hopefuls.

In this article, we've picked out the best uncapped hopeful from every Tier One rugby nation, that could soon be set to make their mark in the upcoming series this July. Here are the best that's yet to come, as we count down the 10 uncapped hopefuls to watch out for this Summer.

Our first entrant to this list has arguably been the story of the season across the Gallagher PREM. At just 19-years-old, Noah Caluori has the rugby world buzzing around his incredible potential and a future within an England jersey. After earning his first international stripes within the England U20 set-up at the 2025 Junior World Championship, Caluori broke onto the Saracens scene for a debut in the Prem Cup.

The wing rolled this into his subsequent appearance for the North Londoners, in which he bagged his first senior try upon his PREM debut against the freshly re-branded Newcastle Red Bulls. Caluori would no longer ply his trade on loan to Ampthill, with his final CHAMP Rugby outing to date being a brace-bagging effort against Cornish Pirates back in October, as a week later, Caluori’s stock rose exponentially upon his return to Saracens, thanks to his incredible five-try performance against Sale Sharks.

This five-star showcase sent Caluori into the spotlight, with an England ‘A’ call-up following the next month against an All Blacks XV and Spain. The youngster would gain valuable senior experience within the senior England training camp, and was tipped by many to make his senior Test debut in the 2026 Six Nations. Whilst Caluori has to bide his time for this break-through, lightning struck twice against Sale as he ran in five tries against the Sharks upon the reverse fixture earlier this month. With 23 tries in 22 matches this season across all competitions, Caluori could well get a debut from Borthwick this Summer.

There’s something undeniably electric about Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, a player whose rise has been anything but conventional. Born in Bromley, England to a French mother, he is firmly embedded within Les Bleus system, as the Pau flyer has emerged as one of the most exciting outside backs in the Top 14. Equally comfortable on the wing or at full-back, Grandidier-Nkanang blends searing pace with an instinctive eye for the try-line, for traits that have made him a nightmare for defenders this season.

Having cut his teeth with Brive, his move to Pau has elevated his game to new heights. A string of standout performances early in the 2025/26 campaign, including a brace against Toulouse, underlined his growing influence, while a contract extension through to 2029 signals just how highly he is rated in Béarn.

Already a star on the sevens circuit, where he struck Olympic gold with France in Paris back in the home-hosted Summer Games of 2024, Grandidier-Nkanang has translated that flair seamlessly into the 15s game. Now involved in the senior France set-up, and among the wider training squad for the 2026 Six Nations, a Test debut feels less like a question of if, and more a matter of when for the 25-year-old.

Under the coaching team of Richie Murphy and Mark Sexton, Ulster have been in breathtaking form in the United Rugby Championship this season. The Belfast club are around play-off places upon this late stage of the regular campaign, and will face Montpellier in the EPCR Challenge Cup Final. Ulster have contributed an assortment of top talents to Andy Farrell’s Ireland team having previously been the long overlooked province.

One such young talent who is making waves up North is Bryn Ward, with the 21-year-old relishing every opportunity to take an extended run in the Ulster back row. Ward spoke in a press conference this season, about how his goal was to make five senior appearances for Ulster and keep plugging away with his All-Ireland club, Ballynahinch RFC. However, after making his Ulster debut away in the Lions’ den of Ellis Park in the height of the South African summer, Ward would become a mainstay in Murphy’s back row.

With versatility to cover across both open side flanker and number eight, Ward soon progressed into the Ireland A set-up, and took on England A back in February. Andy Farrell was in attendance at Ashton Gate, and the Ireland head coach liked what he saw, and brought Ward into the senior camp for the remainder of the 2026 Six Nations. The younger brother to Ireland Sevens and Ulster wing Zac Ward, the younger back row could well make his mark this Summer, as Ireland head out to Australia and New Zealand.

Italy’s production line of back row talent continues to gather momentum, and Samuele Locatelli is the latest name pushing hard for a shot in the Azzurri jersey. The dynamic flanker has taken a rapid route to the United Rugby Championship, turning heads with his performances for Viadana in the Seria A before making the step up to the cross-contiental league with Zebre Parma.

Initially brought in as a permit player, Locatelli wasted no time in making an impression, crashing over for a try on his URC debut against Cardiff in Round One of the 2024/25 campaign. That moment proved to be a sign of things to come, as his relentless work rate and physical edge quickly established him as a key figure within the Zebre setup, having progressed from the Italy U23s pathway.

Named MVP of the 2023/24 Serie A Elite season, Locatelli’s rise has been built on consistency as much as explosiveness. Now a full-time member of the Zebre squad, and already exposed to international the back rower looks primed to follow the growing trend of domestically-developed forwards breaking into the senior national side in the near future. We also hand an honourable mention to explosive Zebre centre Damiano Mazza, who also looks set for an Italian break-through before too long.

Glasgow Warriors have never been shy about backing young Scottish talent, and few prospects have surged through the ranks quite like Seb Stephen. Still just 20, the Aberdeen-born hooker has enjoyed a rapid rise from the grassroots game with Garioch to the professional stage in the United Rugby Championship.

After spells with Aberdeen Grammar and a developmental stint in New Zealand with the University of Waikato, Stephen returned to Scotland and impressed with Edinburgh Academicals, earning a call into the Glasgow set-up. He made his URC debut in May 2025 against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, becoming Warrior No. 368, and has since gone on to cement himself as a powerful option in the front row with 10 appearances and counting.

An Emerging Scotland international, Stephen’s set-piece solidity and dynamic carrying have not gone unnoticed. His inclusion in the senior Scotland squad during the 2026 Six Nations underlines his trajectory, and a full Test debut could arrive sooner rather than later.

Welsh rugby has been crying out for a new generation to spark belief, and few prospects carry as much hype right now as Tom Howe. The Cardiff Rugby academy hooker has emerged as one of the standout young forwards in the country, with his rise accelerating rapidly across the 2025/26 campaign.

A product of Ysgol Glantaf, Howe built his reputation at schoolboy level, captaining his side to a Schools & Colleges league title and earning widespread praise for his explosive carrying and physical edge. Still only 18, he made the bold call to prioritise international duty over a cup final appearance, linking up with the Wales U20s for the Six Nations in what is an early sign of his long-term ambitions.

Howe wasted no time making an impression, scoring on debut and quickly establishing himself as a key figure in the age-grade pack. A powerful presence at the set-piece with real dynamism in the loose, he looks tailor-made for modern Test rugby. Don’t be surprised if Steve Tandy takes a closer look sooner rather than later.

As arguably the fastest growing rugby nation in the world right now, it should come as no surprise that Los Pumas have quite the conveyor-belt of uncapped talent that's reinforcing the fringes. We could not chose between the following two players, so Felipe Contepomi's side contribute joint entries to this list. We start with Benetton fly half Martin Farias Roger, who has emerged on the Northern Hemisphere radar this season with Italian outfit Zebre Parma.

Farias Roger rose through the ranks of the Argentine club system, before he signed his first senior contract in 2020 with Buenos Aires side Club Atletico San Isdro. His time in the capital city proved pivotal, as the number 10 would depart 'Academia' for a two year stint with Uruguayan outfit Penerol, in the all-action league Super Rugby Americas. The 2022 transfer to Italian Seria A side Viadana would follow, that put Farias Roger on the books of Zebre, where he has competed against Giacomo Da Rae for the 10 jersey, and enjoyed a run to the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with the Parma club.

We also have to recognise the efforts of Farias Roger's teammate out in Italy, Bautista Stavile. The blonde-haired back row dynamo has nailed down his place in the back row of Massimo Brunello's side, so Argentina would need to act fast to secure his services. Stavile has resided in Italy since 2021, as the 29-year-old moved to Parma following a career across Chile with Selknam, before moving to the land of the Azzurri and arriving at Viadana, and later Rovigo Delta across the Seria A. We could well see Staville get the call up for Italy before Los Pumas get the chance to unleash the talented back row this Summer.

It was one of the most talked about stories of the Summer (or the winter) down in the land down under. Former St George Illawarra and more recently Parramatta Eels man Zac Lomax brought an end to his time in the NRL, after making three rugby league caps for the Australia and competing six times for New South Wales in the coveted State of Origin series. Lomas officially made the code switch to union, with the 2027 home-hosted Men's Rugby World Cup firmly in his sights for a Wallabies call-up.

The eyes of the rugby world will turn to Australia in a year and a half's time, and Joe Schmidt could well look to reinforce his stacked back-line with the newly acquired Western Force talent. Having proven that such a code-switch can reap the benefits, as former Sydney Roosters man Joseph Sua'ali'i has taken the Wallabies by storm after signing for the Waratahs last year, Lomax certainly has the credentials to follow suit. Lomax and Sua'ali'i are former New South Wales teammates from their State of Orgin days, which made for quite an interesting midfield battle when Western Force took on the Waratahs last weekend.

Lomax brings a fantastic all-round arsenal to the back-line, equally capeable of being deployed across the wings or in the midfield for the men in green and gold. The 26-year-old has so far run out three times for the Perth side, with his sole Super Rugby try so far coming against the Crusaders, in what built towards a terrific upset win for Western Force. Expect Lomax to make his mark this Summer in Australian colours, as the Wallabies take on Ireland, France and Italy in the Summer Series.

In a similar fettle to that of Joseph Sua'ali'i and Zac Lomax, Joey Manu bid farewell to his time in the NRL and delighted the All Blacks fans upon his code switch to rugby union two Summers ago. Like Sua'ali'i, Manu rose to prominence with Sydney Roosters, across a decorated eight year run from 2016 to 2024.

However, the versatile back-line operator would call time upon his league career, as after 17 test caps for the New Zealand league team, Manu headed to the Far East with his first union contract on the table at Toyota Verblitz, in Japan Rugby League One. Manu quickly got to grips with the 15-man version of the sport, as he scored 11 tries in his first season, and featured in a stacked squad alongside All Blacks legend Aaron Smith and Springboks enforcer Pieter-Steph du Toit.

Manu played his way onto the radar of Racing 92, and signed for the Parisian outfit ahead of the current Top 14 season. So far throughout his time in France, the 26-year-old has been starting in the centres, with 11 of his 17 appearances coming in the 12 jersey. Whilst not boasting the clinical finishing statistics of his time in Japan, Manu is plying his trade as a game-breaking play-maker, and could soon head back to his homeland in pursuit of a run with the All Blacks ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

We round off the best uncapped talents from across the tier one nations, with a young man that has been proving his worth to the hard-nosed Springboks selectors. Riley Norton is the current captain of South Africa's U20s team, and has been on the books with the Stormers since last season. Riley's rise to rugby union was close to never coming to fruition down to his prowess as an accomplished cricketer, having also represented South Africa at the U19s Cricket World Cup as recently as 2024.

However, Riley's calling to the oval ball was solidified at the 2025 U20 World Championships, as he captained the Junior Springboks to the title upon a decorated campaign for those in green and gold. A product of Western Province, the 20-year-old is currently progressing through his studies at the famous Stellenbosch University, whilst he gears up for a United Rugby Championship debut with the Stormers.

Whilst cricket fans down in South Africa would have been frustrated to see Riley hand up the bat, fans of the Springboks can only wait and see his career continue to grow. The world is this young man's oyster, and as he progresses into the professional environment of the Cape Town side, we could well see the lock make his maiden appearence for the URC league leaders, before progressing into Rassie Erasmus' plans in the years to come.

Whilst the upcoming Nations Championship would be a long shot, Riley could well follow upon the path broken by Ntokozo Makhaza from last May. The University sensation was called into the wider South Africa camp last Summer, without any experience on a professional match day. This fast-tracked Makhaza to the Cheetahs, and Riley could well benefit from a similar drop in the deep end.