Toshi Butlin

Toshi Butlin, born on 19 February 2005, is a young back on the books at Section Paloise, the Top 14 club based in the south-west French city of Pau. Butlin's strengths lie in his pace and his ability to make ground in broken play, allied to a defensive workrate that coaches in France tend to demand before handing minutes to younger players. He is comfortable in more than one position across the backline, an asset in a competition where squads are stretched across a long domestic season and where utility players earn their selections. Pau has built a reputation for giving opportunities to academy graduates, and Butlin's development has followed that route, moving through age-grade and reserve rugby at the Stade du Hameau before pressing for senior involvement. The step up to Top 14 intensity is a considerable one, particularly for outside backs facing the aerial contest and physical defensive systems that characterise the league. At this stage of his career the emphasis remains on accumulating experience and adding physicality, but the raw attributes — speed, elusiveness and a willingness to defend — give him a foundation to work from as he competes for a regular place in the Pau squad.