A year is a long time in rugby union and last year’s run-down required major surgery. This is partly down to form but chiefly because of the sobering fact that seven of our 2023 top 30 – Louis Rees-Zammit, André Esterhuizen, Steven Kitshoff, Mateo Carreras, Jasper Wiese, Owen Farrell and Courtney Lawes – left the Premiership or the United Rugby Championship to pursue other opportunities.

To qualify, players must be currently attached to a domestic team in Britain and there is a discernible Scottish accent to this list given the success of Glasgow Warriors as well as the Calcutta Cup fortunes of Gregor Townsend’s national side. Conversely, times have been tougher for Wales, the regions and Ulster.

30. George Ford (Sale Sharks)

The most experienced of England’s three fly-halves would have been higher on this list at the end of the Six Nations, following excellent performances against Ireland and France. He still has plenty to offer, despite a tough autumn for the national side.

29. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)

A confession: Nicky Smith of Leicester Tigers and Wales was in this slot until Saturday. Then Bristol laid waste to Welford Road. Though Genge has not had it all his own way in 2024, he leant his weight to a remarkable run of away wins in the Premiership for the Bears and remains important to England, starting in the stirring win over Ireland.

28. Julián Montoya (Leicester Tigers)

Jamie George, Ewan Ashman, Dewi Lake and maybe Curtis Langdon would be just outside this top 30 but Montoya, bound for Pau at the end of the season, is the sole hooker on the list. While his jackalling may not be quite as potent as it was the year Tigers won the Premiership, the decorated Puma deserves his spot.

27. Tomos Williams (Gloucester)

Wiry and opportunistic, Williams has inspired Gloucester since moving from Cardiff over the close season. Wales would love for him to string together a run of Test appearances. There are classy scrum-halves in contention but he has the spark to make the British and Irish Lions tour.

26. Juarno Augustus (Northampton Saints)

Ulster have signed themselves a diamond for next season and, at 27, Augustus should have his best years ahead of him. Although Northampton eventually went down against Leinster at Croke Park, that game represented something of a breakthrough for the back-rower known affectionately as ‘Trokkie’.

25. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)

Two away wins in the Champions Cup at either end of the year, over Munster and then the Bulls, encapsulated Smith’s maturity and poise. A Premiership champion in 2024, his England involvement has been limited to cameos off the bench so far, but a Test start cannot be too far away.

24. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)

Having burst on to the scene in eye-popping style, the all-action wing is a game-breaking talent who combines explosive athleticism with total commitment on the ground and in the air. He is at a fascinating juncture, because defences will be more familiar with him this season. Shackling Feyi-Waboso, either out wide or when he roams close to rucks, will still be a tricky task.

23. Pedro Rubiolo (Newcastle Falcons/Bristol Bears)

The injured Rubiolo, who has joined Bristol on loan ahead of a permanent move in the summer, is quickly becoming a mainstay for a buoyant Argentina team and added wins over the All Blacks and South Africa to his résumé during the Rugby Championship. Locks will always need to thwack into contact and shift bodies, a remit that Rubiolo obviously relishes.

22. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)

His future may prove to be in midfield but Freeman has developed into a multifaceted wing on account of defensive improvements and his excellence when chasing kicks and climbing to retrieve possession. The attributes that established him for Northampton and now England – namely clever support play and rangy running – have not faded either.

21. Jac Morgan (Ospreys)

Wales missed Morgan badly in July when they had a chance to bloody Australia’s nose. When the flanker returned to the Test arena in November, it was to a team bereft of confidence and direction. Morgan’s astonishing industry on both sides of the ball against Australia and the Springboks signified a man holding back the tide.

20. Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors)

There are far lumpier brutes at the base of scrums around the world but few as effective as Dempsey at spearing over the gain-line. Since switching allegiance from Australia to Scotland two years ago, having signed for Glasgow, he has complemented both sides beautifully.

19. Ben Earl (Saracens)

Honest and demanding of himself, Earl would be the first to admit that costly errors in big games – most recently a missed tackle on Damian de Allende against South Africa – have blighted his year. That said, his immense work-rate and moments of magic have kept him well in credit for Saracens and England.

18. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors)

A rather dubious red card against South Africa in November should not undermine a fine year for Cummings, who shunted over to give Glasgow a lifeline on the stroke of half-time in the United Rugby Championship final. He also led the epic maul defence that won Warriors that match and has become highly valuable to Gregor Townsend.

17. Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors)

Combative and uncompromising yet also skilful, Fagerson took a year off beating England in 2024, with Jamie Ritchie starting at blindside flanker as Scotland retained the Calcutta Cup. Later in the year, though, the resourceful Fagerson was among the most prominent protagonists that drove Glasgow to glory in the URC.

16. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)

Mitchell’s influence has become so significant that Northampton and England look markedly different sides in his absence. His speed between rucks and intuitive decision-making at the breakdown amount to a potent combination. Saints clearly encourage his ambition. When England have given Mitchell licence to back himself, they have benefited.

15. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh)

There are wings who roam around the field more urgently than Van der Merwe and are more adept at putting others into space, yet a record 30 tries in 44 Tests for Scotland says everything about his devastating cocktail of power, pace and finishing instincts. England will certainly be sick of him marauding down the flank.

14. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh)

A rumbling carrier and a muscular set-piece operator, Schoeman has become a firm crowd favourite since relocating to Edinburgh from his native South Africa. He has helped solidify the Scotland scrum while adding aggression and mobility in the loose. At the age of 30, his most pressing aim will be to help his nation break into the Six Nations top two.

13. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors)

Lasting the entire 80 minutes of three consecutive knockout matches on the way to URC glory with Glasgow last season was an astonishing feat of durability from Fagerson. Having developed impressively over the years, the 28-year-old is in a good position to make a second Lions tour next summer and will surely be in contention for the Tests.

12. Sam Underhill (Bath)

There remains a curious reluctance from England to nail their colours to Underhill’s mast. The back-rower missed out on the initial World Cup squad last year and was overlooked for an enhanced elite-player-squad contract. This seems odder when Underhill delivers storming performances such as in the Premiership final and England’s recent loss to the Springboks. He is developing as a link man, a line-out forward and a breakdown spoiler.

11. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors)

The sight of Jones accelerating through a hole in the defensive line, having taken an incisive route from a short pass to unlock a crowded midfield or after standing up a would-be tackler and surging past their outside shoulder, has become so familiar. He reached 50 caps for Scotland at the end of July and will continue to be an integral figure for them.

10. Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors)

Strong, smart and a total nuisance to opponents; Darge is fulfilling the vast potential that many flagged when the sinewy youngster moved from Edinburgh to Glasgow to kick-start his senior career. He exudes craft and toughness around the tackle area and is particularly adept at surging through contact to make short yet vital gains, injecting impetus for his team.

9. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh)

What a shame that Graham was ruled out of Scotland’s autumn encounter with the Springboks. He is a fizzing bundle of energy who bobs and weaves through defenders in thrilling style. Do not forget his value as a burrowing jackaller, either. Last season was badly disrupted by injury, causing him to miss the Six Nations for a second successive year, but he looks primed for a big tournament in 2025.

8. Maro Itoje (Saracens)

For the first hour of each of the first two Tests against the All Blacks in July, Itoje was phenomenal. He completely derailed the New Zealand line-out and contributed all over the pitch. His best form is still enough for him to be considered one of the most accomplished locks in the game.

7. Juan Martín González (Saracens)

One of several players propelling a resurgent Argentina, González flits around the back row on Pumas duty. He was at the base of the scrum for the victory over New Zealand in Wellington, for instance. At Saracens, he tends to be used as a blindside flanker. In truth, the position matters little. González produces moments of jaw-dropping athleticism that wow spectators, opponents and team-mates alike.

6. Marcus Smith (Harlequins)

There were two major developments for Smith in 2024. Firstly, he grasped Test matches with moments of attacking brilliance more prolifically than ever. Secondly, he has continued to improve his one-on-one tackling. This is now extremely impressive, and testament to Smith’s courage and technique. Now, does he remain front and centre of England’s plans?

5. Benhard Janse van Rensburg (Bristol Bears)

Pat Lam and Bristol supporters might well argue that more Bears should be on this list, because their side have enjoyed a strong 2024 in the Premiership. Janse van Rensburg represents them well, because he often seems to be three players rolled into one. The centre carves incisive angles, distributes magnificently, kicks well and defends ferociously. When he is done in the Premiership, regardless of whether a Test cap arrives, he should be regarded as one of the league’s shrewdest recruits.

4. Finn Russell (Bath)

It is well wide of the mark to brand Russell as a “maverick” these days. The fly-half is an imaginative technician who identifies the nuances of a defence and picks them apart. Over the course of games, he is often restrained before striking with a fizzing pass or well-judged kick – 50:22s have become a signature ploy. Now it is time to complement the undoubted excellence with trophies.

3. Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers)

Frills are few and far between in Pollard performances, which is not to disparage the double World Cup champion in the slightest. The man is a serial winner with an ice-cool mentality on the biggest occasions. His distribution, in the shape of cross-kicks and slung passes, should not be underestimated either.

2. Thomas du Toit (Bath)

Scrummages on both sides, plunders powerful tries; Du Toit is shaping up to be one of the best Premiership signings in recent years and was immense despite Bath’s loss to Northampton at Twickenham in last season’s domestic final. South Africa’s front-row depth means he must make do with a bit-part role for the Springboks. At Bath, he is very much a main man.

1. Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors)

Versatility is often referred to in a positional sense and Tuipulotu can shift between centre roles, wearing either 12 or 13. More impressive, though, is the 27-year-old’s range of assets. He is a punchy north-south carrier. He has the footwork and acceleration to take on outside shoulders. He can play deft passes to put colleagues through the middle or whip the ball wide to beat blitzes. A Lions tour beckons, and he will press hard for a Test spot.