Tommaso Menoncello

Tommaso Menoncello was Six Nations player of the tournament at twenty-one, which in Italian rugby terms is close to unprecedented.

He is a centre built for the modern midfield: large enough to win contact, quick enough to be used on the wing, and technically good enough that Italy can run their attacking shape through him rather than around him.

The offloading is the most exciting part. He keeps the ball alive in contact more often than most players his size attempt, and Italy’s best attacking sequences generally involve one.

He came through the Italian system rather than around it, which matters for a union that has spent years importing solutions.

Still in his mid-twenties with over forty caps, he is the clearest evidence that Italy’s development pathway has started producing players who would be picked by anybody.