Chandler Cunningham-South exploded onto the Test scene last year, looking like the man mountain enforcer England craved.
Chandler Cunningham-South exploded onto the Test scene last year, looking like the man mountain enforcer England craved.
With ferocious carrying and shuddering impacts that showcase every inch and ounce of his beefy 6ft 5inch, over 120kg frame, the 22-year-old has already amassed 19 caps for England. The Kiwi-raised No.8 has scored five tries for Steve Borthwick's side, resulting in an impressive strike rate of more than 1 in 5 appearances.
Cunningham-South already possesses a stellar highlight reel full of memorable moments. He famously stated that he's "getting paid to hit people", which reflects his love for the physical side of rugby.
His influential performance against the All Blacks last autumn saw the Harlequins forward smash Tupou Vaa'i in a tackle, resulting in a raucous approval from the Twickenham faithful. It was his try that put the icing on the cake of England's groundbreaking of Wales on Super Saturday earlier this year, and he even brought out the Cole Palmer celebration after scoring against Australia.
Where's it gone wrong?
Last year was such a significant one for the U20s graduate that some were even calling for him to be a Lions bolter, but last season saw the Sidcup-born player fall down the pecking order at Quins, despite still playing a significant role from the bench in the Six Nations.
In fact, the former London Irish back row played just as many international matches last season as he did for Harlequins (14) - only starting 10 of those for the Londoners.
No one can deny the potential of the wrecking ball, but there have been question marks over his consistency and ill-discipline, with a tendency to prioritise the big hit over a more sensible tackle.
His exclusion from England's 25-man Enhanced Elite Player Squad contract for the 2025/26 season is telling. Cunningham-South was at times, Borthwick's go-to back row/second row option in the Six Nations, but the inclusion of George Martin and Ollie Chessum fills that void in the squad, while Tom Willis and Ben Earl are the primary No.8 options.
Back row is arguably England's strongest position, but with the equally versatile Ted Hill continuing to rip up trees with treble winners Bath, it could be a struggle to return up the pecking order.
What's needed?
If you were to put a ceiling on the potential of Cunningham-South's selection rivals' ceilings, they wouldn't be higher than his purely because none of them are as physically blessed.
He will hope to oust the likes of James Chisholm and Alex Dombrandt at Quins and return to being one of the first names on the teamsheet at the Stoop before producing the kind of barnstorming form that quickly got the attention of Borthwick in the first place.
Time is on his side at just 22.