If there is a rugby equivalent of a mathematical equation to measure or quantify a young player’s talent and development, it might encompass some squiggles and a line where potential and opportunity bisect. The progress made by Jude Postlethwaite, Dan Kelly and Hugh Gavin makes for a reasonable case study on the topic.
They represent centres of attention as far as the Ireland senior management is concerned, an assertion that’s supported by recent evidence. Connacht’s Gavin, the youngest at 21, spent two years on the Ireland Under-20 team (2023 and 2024), playing all 20 matches and scoring six tries; the first season on the wing, the second at inside centre.
He won a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023 – scoring two tries in the final match against England in Cork – and was part of Richie Murphy’s team that was beaten in the World Championship final by France that summer.
The following year, Ireland won four matches and drew with England, losing out on the title because the latter had one more bonus point and lost to the same opposition in a World Championship semi-final. Gavin went on the Simon Easterby-led Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa later that year and made an obvious impression.
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At 6’4″, he cuts an imposing figure but also possesses an easy athleticism and power, nurtured in his days with Galwegians and while playing Gaelic football with Salthill-Knocknacarra. He was selected for Ireland’s summer tour and made his Test debut against Portugal, scoring two tries in Lisbon.
One of his many qualities is timing and angles when hitting the line, evident in the Portugal match but also in scoring a try against the Sharks in the URC, a game in which he had shifted from centre to wing. His challenge in leaving the Irish environment would have been to continue to shine. He has done so; he was superb in the defeat to Munster, to highlight one game.
Ulster’s Postlethwaite is another embodiment of a player who has started the season brilliantly. A Grand Slam winner with the Ireland under-20s in 2022, he also played international Sevens before being selected for Emerging Ireland’s trip to South Africa in 2024, and then for Ireland A against England in Bristol earlier this year.
The 23-year-old has had to ride out a couple of injuries, but when fit the 6’4″ centre is a real handful, whether he’s playing inside or outside centre. He played 18 matches for Ulster last season, where his form towards the end – scoring a try in each of his last three URC games – must have pushed him close to making Ireland’s summer tour.
The fact that he did not make it would have been a disappointment, but he enjoyed a try-scoring start for Ireland XV in a victory over Spain in Madrid. An injury to the unfortunate Stuart McCloskey while on Ireland duty meant Postlethwaite had to do the heavy lifting in the Ulster 12 jersey, responding with a couple of brilliant performances.
His footwork, power and fend have enabled him to break the gainline and beat multiple defenders, while his passing game and decision-making is evolving under the direction of Ulster backs coach Mark Sexton.
Postlethwaite’s midfield partner in Madrid was 24-year-old Dan Kelly, who has started the season in excellent fettle following his summer transfer from Leicester Tigers to Munster. Qualifying through his Irish grandparents, Kelly played for the Ireland under-20s as an 18-year-old and was a standout in a team that included his provincial buddies Jack Crowley and Tom Ahern.
Studying at Loughborough University, he accepted a senior contract with Leicester – making his debut for the Tigers at 19 – which led him to the England pathway. He won a single senior cap under Eddie Jones against Canada in 2021, was part of Leicester’s Premiership winning team in 2022 and the following year was selected for England’s Six Nations squad but withdrew through injury.
Kelly, who can play both centre positions, has requalified for Ireland since and was given his opportunity against Spain. His performance in the second half of Munster’s Champions Cup defeat to Bath was top-notch, one of the few players to regularly win collisions. He’s another very good athlete.
What will please Ireland head coach Andy Farrell is that the three young players excelled in the green jersey after being brought into various national squads, and from the get-go this season have continued to kick on in performance terms, but they’ll have to continue to do so.
It’s not about age. McCloskey did the same when he got a chance in November, so too did 32-year-old Tom Farrell when given his debut against Japan. What’s heartening is that Ireland’s frontline centres – Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw, Garry Ringrose and the injured Jamie Osborne – will be driven by the competition.
They won’t be offering up any jerseys, but it’s never any harm to have to fight for the one currently in their possession.
