Super League players to watch at the World Cup
13 Dec 2020
Who doesn't love an underdog? Those David and Goliath moments, which reveal wonderful stories of redemption, comebacks, upsets or resilience.
They’re an essential part of sport’s enduring, captivating appeal. So many variations are played out every season in Super League and rugby league fans will be lucky enough to experience even more drama on the international stage in 2021, at the Rugby League World Cup.
Next year’s tournament will be the biggest, most inclusive since its inception in 1954.
While the usual suspects are being tipped for glory, it won’t just be Australia, New Zealand and hosts England who hog the headlines for six weeks.
Tonga, too, are highly fancied and their emergence as a world rugby league power, largely under the guidance of St Helens’ coach Kristian Woolf, has inspired others in the international game.
In their ranks are some of Super League’s finest, who will relish the chance to showcase their talents on the world stage.
Here, we pick one Super League talent from every unit of the game who is trending in the right direction and promising big things for club and country next year.
Back three: Rhys Williams - Salford Red Devils & Wales
What, not Regan Grace? Calm down – we all know what he can do, so we thought our focus would be on the man on the other Welsh flank. Rhys Williams initially shot to fame before the first lockdown in February when a video of one of his tries went viral thanks to his likeness to Liverpool forward Mo Salah. Williams, a Manchester United fan, has lost the shaggy mop but has continued to look right at home in his first season at the AJ Bell Stadium, where he’s been providing his own brand of special content for Salford Red Devils. The 30-year-old has sat out just two matches this season and he is very much a player in that Red Devils mould: tough, durable and hard-working – but with strong output, too.
Williams managed more than 120 metres per game this season and also sits in the top five in carries for the year. These impressive stats highlight how the role of a Super League winger has changed over the years – they are required to do a lot more grunt down the middle.
Williams has embraced that change and his ability to get his team on the front foot is an underrated but important skill to look out for. His toughness is matched by some tricky footwork and a turn of speed which makes him a constant threat going forward.
Alongside his impressive league form, the Welshman boasts a record of 22 tries for country, the most by any player in Wales history. Williams also holds the joint-top appearance record for his country, something he will look to surpass during next year’s World Cup.
The ever-reliable Williams will be spurred on by his notable first season at the Red Devils, looking to emulate that form going into next season with the chance to make history at the 2021 World Cup.
He has followed in the footsteps of Welsh legends, icons such as Sir Clive Sullivan, Billy Boston and Jonathan Davies, paving the way for a future generation of stars to flourish.
WOW! @rhys_bepe straight from kick off!!! 🤯
Rapid from the @SalfordDevils winger ?????♂??💨 #SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/8MGnqKU5nV
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) February 9, 2020
Centre: Kevin Naiqama - St Helens & Fiji
Kevin Naiqama gets the nod in a seriously strong category of centres. He burst onto the Betfred Super League scene in 2019 after an eight-year NRL career where he made over 100 appearances and scored more than 50 tries.
The Fijian flyer has lived up to his big reputation and has become a crowd favourite at the Totally Wicked Stadium over the past 18 months. But don’t let his affable, smiling nature deceive you – this guy is all business on the pitch: a combination of power, precision and prescience which makes him a handful to mark.
He played an integral role in a Grand Final-winning season at Saints in 2019, scoring an impressive 17 tries in 25 Super League appearances which earned himself a place in the Dream Team, adding to the distinguished list of successful overseas centres to grace the Red Vee.
The Fijian possesses a big running game, evidenced numerous times over the past two Super League seasons. His explosive ball carrying, allied to his seemingly effortless footwork and impressive change of pace, creates a lot of space for Saints phalanx of stars to express themselves. Naiqama’s season high maximum speed effort of 33.48km/h – or 9.3 metres per second - demonstrates his freakish ability and athleticism, which makes him a constant threat for opposition centres.
As captain of the Fijian national team, he led them to a historic win against New Zealand in the quarter final of the 2017 World Cup, a match that left an emotional Naiqama overawed by their landmark victory. Buoyed by the opportunity to lead his national team into another World Cup in the country where he now plies his trade, we can expect a huge 2021 from the Saints star.
Half-back: Theo Fages - St Helens & France
Naiqama’s diminutive teammate has a bundle of energy and variety to his game in attack, which is complemented by an uncompromising gritty edge in defence.
He learned his trade under mercurial half-back Sean Long, the Leeds Rhinos assistant who mentored Fages during his coaching stints at both St Helens and Salford Red Devils.
And it shows. The combative, competitive Fages is widely admired in the game, not least by his former mentor who describes him as “a tough little rooster??. But Long is an equally big admirer of some of the subtler aspects of Fages’ game and his ability to create space out wide.
Predictably enough, at just 5ft 5inches, Fages is frequently targeted by opposing sides in defence – but his defence is one of his greatest assets. He averaged 22 tackles per game during the 2020 Betfred Super League season and recorded a massive 34 tackles against Castleford Tigers in March.
The little man also packs a punch with ball in hand, too. As captain of the French national side, Fages has matured over recent years into a competent playmaker who, alongside his strong defence and running ability, possesses a dangerous short kicking game.
His ability - and bravery - to play close to the line has proved to be a real point of difference in Fages’ game, with the Saints half-back making 95 attacking kicks during the 2020 regular season, the second highest in Super League.
It is no surprise that Fages’ success has stemmed from hard work both on and off the pitch. The Frenchman moved to England at 16 and spoke little to no English. Now 26, he is much more fluent in the language and on the pitch.
Theo Fages with the game-winner 🤩#SuperLeague #SLStHHKR pic.twitter.com/A0sEBPnHep
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 11, 2020
Prop: Ligi Sao - Hull FC & Samoa
The signing of Ligi Sao could have easily slipped under the radar given Hull FC’s high-profile transfer activity ahead of the 2020 Super League season. However, Sao has proved to be one of Hull’s most consistent forwards in his debut year.
The role of a prop forward has changed at the elite end over the past two decades - emerging from a position based largely around brute strength and aggression, to one that requires players to express themselves more with ball in hand.
Sao epitomises the modern front rower - a powerful ball carrier with a large frame who immediately attracts defenders, but with a savviness to his game which allows him to pass the ball close to the line, or offload after impact.
The stats back it up: Sao sits fourth in offloads for the year, with 28 across the regular season, proving to be a real handful in attack, with an astute ability to cause problems whenever he carries.
Sao made his international debut with Samoa in 2018, coming off the bench during a defeat to Tonga. With the opportunity to represent his nation in the World Cup, Sao will be eager to continue in the same vein during next year’s Super League campaign.
And with a year’s Super League experience under his belt, the front-rower will be expected to make an even bigger impact when he lines back up alongside a formidable Hull FC pack.
Hooker: Micky McILorum - Catalans Dragons & Ireland
A no-nonsense hooker with a fierce reputation. Growing up in Yorkshire, McIlorum spent much of his playing career across the Pennines at Wigan Warriors under the guidance of England head coach Shaun Wane.
McIlorum personified everything Wane expected from his troops. Tough and uncompromising, McIlorum is a fierce competitor who picked up two Grand Finals and two Challenge Cup winners’ medals during his time at Warriors.
McIlorum’s abrasive style of play immediately impressed during his debut year at the Dragons in 2018, where he was awarded the player and players’ player of the year awards in his first season.
An intelligent individual who controls his notoriously big and aggressive forward pack around the field, McIlorum has a solid skillset to match his nuggety defence. Hard-working and energetic, he averaged 35 tackles a game in the 2020 season.
Heading into 2021, the ultra-competitive McIlorum will be desperate for more silverware at the Dragons after tasting success with his Catalans team during a fairytale 2018, winning the Challenge Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
The Irish international will head into his second World Cup with the Wolfhounds aiming to reach the semi-finals for the first time in the nation’s history.
Back row: Michael Lawrence - Huddersfield Giants & Jamaica
Lawrence made his Giants debut as a 17-year-old and now, after his 14th season, has notched up 272 Super League appearances.
There are sure to be a lot of eyeballs on the Jamaica side in 2021 and they have the talent to make a real impact in their first World Cup, on and off the pitch.
Lawrence, this year’s top tackler in Super League, will be the beating heart of the Reggae Warriors work rate. He made 749 tackles in 17 appearances this season, averaging over 44 tackles a game.
But it wasn’t just in defence that Lawrence left his mark in 2020 – the relentless backrower was joint fifth in carries for the year across all forwards in the competition, illustrating his huge contribution in both attack and defence.
Even more impressive is Lawrence’s involvement post-lockdown, missing just one of Huddersfield’s 13 games after the enforced break. A stellar effort for a back-row forward, especially given that post-lockdown saw a seven per cent increase in ball in play time, as well as an eight per cent rise in the number of carries and tackles made during a game.
The 30-year-old heads into 2021 in career-best form. With an opportunity to represent the Jamaican national side in their first Rugby League World Cup at the end of the season, the Giants backrower will be desperate for another huge year.
2020 Top try scorer: @leedsrhinos Ash Handley ???
2020 Top tackler: @Giantsrl's Michael Lawrence 💪#SuperLeagueAwards live on @SkySportsRL Mix today, 5.30pm#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/IXIgjl47j2
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) November 23, 2020
