Simon Laharrague

Born on 14 June 2009, Simon Laharrague is one of the most precociously young names on the books at Section Paloise. The Pau-based club has fast-tracked the back-three talent through its academy structure, where he is being schooled in the demands of the modern professional game. Laharrague's appeal lies in the staples of a quality outside back: genuine pace, composure beneath the high ball and the positional reliability needed to patrol the back field. Operating within a Top 14 academy gives him daily exposure to high-level coaching and conditioning, an environment designed to bridge the considerable gap between junior promise and senior football. Given his age, he remains firmly a prospect for the future rather than an immediate first-team option, and his progress will be measured in seasons rather than weeks. Even so, his early rise through Pau's junior ranks has marked him out among the club's next wave of homegrown talent, and he is a name worth filing away for the years ahead.