Raffi Quirke

A product of the Sale Sharks academy, Raffi Quirke emerged as one of England's brightest young half-back talents. Born on 18 August 2001, the scrum-half built his reputation on a crisp, accurate pass, a sharp eye for a sniping break around the fringes and an energetic defensive game that belies his frame. Quirke broke into the international picture as a precocious teenager, offering England a high-tempo option capable of injecting pace and tempo from the base of the ruck. His game is built on speed of thought as much as speed of foot, and he thrives when given license to attack tiring defences in the closing stages of matches. As he matures, the challenge is to add consistency and game-management to the natural attacking instincts that first marked him out. Lively and ambitious, Quirke represents part of a new generation of English scrum-halves pushing for a long-term role in the national setup.