By Daniel Nhakaniso
Zimbabwean teenage rugby sensation Tadiwa Chikutiro has been named one of the top U21 players from emerging rugby nations to watch in 2025 by the respected Ireland-based digital rugby platform RugbyPass.
RugbyPass is the world’s largest digital rugby platform combining live OTT broadcasting with unique and engaging video and print content for rugby fans around the globe.
With 2025 just around the corner, RugbyPass , which was acquired by the game’s global governing body World Rugby two years ago, published a list of 22 promising U21 players to watch in the New Year.
The list features some of the global game’s brightest stars who were born at most on or before 2004.
Zimbabwe is represented on the list by rising star Chikutiro, who has been enjoying steady rise since completing his move to the youth side of French Pro D 2 side Club Aurillac last year.
The 19-year-old outside centre, who was schooled at Kingswood College in South Africa, moved to Club Aurillac, north of Toulouse, together with his schoolmate and compatriot Stanley Muranganwa.
His progress in France has certainly impressed RugbyPass writer Francisco Isaac, who reckons the young Zimbabwean is destined for stardom.
Isaac wrote in his piece published on Christmas Day: “Aurillac invested massively in their scouting in Africa and found Tadiwa Chikutiro, an excellent prospect from Zimbabwe, an exciting centre. Proprietor of a dominant tackling game, Chikutiro has a brilliant road ahead of him and the Pro D2 is the right stage for that.”
Born in Harare, Chikutiro started his rugby journey at Hartman House Primary School before progressing to St. George’s College.
He was playing at a school rugby festival in Zimbabwe in grade 7 when talent scouts from Kingswood noticed him, and shortly thereafter he headed to South Africa before last year’s breakthrough move to France with Aurillac.
Aurillac has a rich history spanning more than 100 years.
The professional side competes in Pro Rugby D2, France’s second professional division.
However, the club’s academy is rated among the best development programmes in the country, and young players coming through their ranks are immediately on the radar of top-tier first-division French sides.