Marika Naura

Still in the earliest stage of his senior journey, Marika Naura is a back-row forward who has come up through the academy at Aviron Bayonnais. Born on 1 December 2008, he is one of the youngest forwards on the club's books, and the coaching staff at Bayonne have already singled him out as a flanker worth nurturing through the development ranks. Naura's game is rooted in a relentless work rate around the contact area. He competes for turnovers at the breakdown, throws himself into the defensive effort and brings the kind of energy that loose forwards are judged on. That appetite for the dirty, repeated work of the back row, paired with a strong defensive presence, is what first marked him out within the club's setup. The Top 14 ranks among the most physically punishing competitions in world rugby, and for a forward of his age it is as much an education as a challenge. The next phase of Naura's progress will hinge on adding physical maturity, conditioning and week-to-week consistency to the raw qualities, work rate, breakdown skill and defensive grit, that have already caught the eye. With the foundations in place and a professional environment around him, he stands as a young forward with the tools to grow into a dependable contributor in Bayonne's back row.