The stars who could set this season’s Six Nations alight

The Independent’s writers pick six players with potential

- LUKE BAKER HARRY LATHAM-COYLE

Hope springs eternal as the Six Nations sides renew hostilities in rugby’s grandest old championship.

Another competitive edition of the tournament looks likely in 2025 with questions for each and every one of the competing sextet, and with the fixtures given an extra edge in a British and Irish Lions year.

A fresh crop of new faces just taking their first steps on the international stage will be out to make their mark over the next few weeks, with places on the plane to Australia perhaps up for grabs for those eligible.

There will be plenty of excitement around France and Italy, too, as the pair continue to unearth new talent.

Having won a solitary France cap in each of the years from 2019 to 2021, he isn’t a complete international rugby novice, but the 2025 version of Pierre-Louis Barassi is a different proposition to the man who received a taste of what it was like to represent Les Bleus a half-decade ago. The 26-year-old centre has always been a tackle-breaker and explosive attacker since his Lyon days but a 2022 move to Toulouse has eventually helped him move up a gear.

Injuries and physical issues slightly blighted his early days in the Pink City but he has been sensational for the European champions this season. His decision-making has improved dramatically and he now provides another playmaking option outside Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack when playing at 12 or 13 for his club. France’s midfield injuries have Barassi set for a run at 13 this Six Nations and having excelled for a Toulouse side that are basically a Test team, there’s no reason his success shouldn’t translate to the international stage, especially given the Dupont-Ntamack continuity inside him.