2017 ARN Rookie of the Year

Each year there are a few newcomers to international rugby who get their chance to show that they belong on the world’s stage. This past year certainly saw that and then some. An extraordinary 66 players from the six countries comprising the Americas Rugby Championship made their test debuts in 2017. Argentina welcomed only two players but the rest all introduced at least 10 new names, with Chile calling 17 for their senior debut.

Of those some were stop-gap and unlikely to play for their country again, but others look legitimate long-term prospects with some immediately putting a stamp down on a starting position and possibly a spot in a World Cup. Even picking our honorable mentions proved difficult, and we used overall impact at international level as the ultimate barometer. Unsurprisingly it’s outside backs who dominate at the top, with forwards generally expected to serve an apprenticeship before being thrown to the wolves.

One forward who stood out among the rest was US Eagles hooker Peter Malcolm. A player with a strong reputation as a loose forward at age grade level, the 23-year-old has completed the shift to the front row and now looks set to challenge for the starting jersey for the foreseeable future. Malcolm only started three of nine caps in 2017 but got plenty of time off the bench and impressed with his overall game, not just his mobility.

Chile had the greatest number of new players and a handful look like keepers. The one who made the biggest impact in 2017 was outside back Franco Velarde. Capable of playing in the midfield or on the wing, he has the physique of a modern backfielder, something that the Condores have not had in great numbers before now. Velarde started in 11 tests after making his debut in the ARC and has earned himself a professional contract with Barcelona.

The Tupis also welcomed some promising new players to international rugby. Three of them qualified on residency but De Wet van Niekerk is not an established pro looking for a crack at test rugby. At just 23 years old the Stellenbosch Academy product moved to Brazil as a teenager and has made the country his home. Similar to Velarde he has the strength and ability to cover all across the three-quarter line. van Niekerk won 12 caps this year, 10 of them starts, and still has plenty of room for growth both physically and as a player.

It was always just a matter of when, not if, Andrew Coe would reach the pinnacle of Canadian rugby. The 21-year-old has been touted as a future star since he was 17, and while he had a few hiccups this season he showed more than enough to suggest the hype was warranted in his seven test appearances. Coe’s confidence and counter-attacking ability mark him as a logical successor to Matt Evans as Canada’s long-term fullback. A pro contract somewhere is surely on the cards, though recovery from a broken arm is priority one at the moment.

THE WINNER

Such was the impact that Emiliano Boffelli had on international rugby in his first season, the rest were always competing for second best. After returning from a serious knee injury that delayed his inevitable test debut last year, the 22-year-old had a scorching cameo in the Americas Rugby Championship. A swift call-up to the Pumas followed and he immediately showed his worth by scoring a try in each of his first two tests against England. Boffelli slotted into the Rugby Championship lineup seamlessly and looked every bit an international player with his attacking play, commitment under the high ball, and long range goal kicking. Emiliano Boffelli is our pick as 2017 ARN Rookie of the Year.