The United Rugby Championship continued its postseason awards rollout Wednesday by naming Cardiff Rugby winger Tom Bowen as the 2025-26 Next-Gen Player of the Season while also unveiling the league's Elite XV.
Bowen's breakthrough campaign has already earned widespread recognition in Wales, and the 20-year-old added another major honor after being selected by a media vote covering all five URC territories. The award recognizes the top young player in the competition and was open to players aged 23 or younger who had no more than five international caps entering the season.
- More Info On The United Rugby Championship Playoffs
- What's Streaming On FloRugby? Take A Look At The Schedule
- Top 50 Rugby Union Prospects 2026: No. 10-1 | FloRugby Rankings
The announcement comes after a remarkable year for the Cardiff academy product, who helped lead the Welsh side to a historic playoff appearance while emerging as one of the league's most exciting attacking players. Bowen scored six tries in 11 regular-season appearances and crossed 10 times in all competitions during the campaign.
Alongside Bowen's recognition, the URC also announced its Elite XV, a media-selected team featuring the best player at each position from the regular season. Seven different clubs were represented in the squad, with the DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls leading the way with three selections apiece.
Bowen's Rise Continues
Few young players enjoyed a breakout season quite like Bowen.
The Cardiff winger was already honored at his club's awards ceremony after being named Breakthrough Player of the Season and Fans' Player of the Season. His try against the DHL Stormers in the victory that helped secure Cardiff's playoff berth was also recognized as the club's Try of the Season.
Now, he adds a league-wide accolade to an already impressive collection.
Bowen, who remains uncapped at senior international level for Wales, quickly became one of the most dangerous finishers in the competition thanks to his speed, athleticism and creativity in open space.
"It's been a pretty special season," Bowen said after receiving the award.
Stormers And Bulls Lead Elite XV
South African teams dominated the Elite XV selections.
The Stormers placed three players in the team, including No. 8 Evan Roos, loosehead prop Ntuthuko Mchunu and fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Although Feinberg-Mngomezulu has since been ruled out for the remainder of the season through injury, his regular-season performances were enough to earn recognition after finishing as the URC's leading points scorer.
The Bulls also had three representatives selected.
Hooker Johann Grobbelaar, lock Cobus Wiese and scrum-half Embrose Papier all earned places after helping guide Pretoria's side to another semifinal appearance.
Glasgow, Ulster And Connacht Well Represented
The playoff field was also heavily represented throughout the team.
Glasgow Warriors backs Kyle Rowe and Stafford McDowall were both selected after standout campaigns. Rowe in particular enjoyed an exceptional season, beating 52 defenders, making 21 clean breaks and running for 783 meters in just 13 league appearances.
Ulster Rugby contributed two players as well, with Stuart McCloskey earning the inside-center spot and Werner Kok rewarded after scoring 10 tries.
Connacht's forward pack was recognized through the inclusion of Cian Prendergast and Darragh Murray.
Lions And Leinster Round Out The Team
The Fidelity SecureDrive Lions' historic season was acknowledged with two selections.
Flanker Ruan Venter earned a place in the back row, while fullback Quan Horn was selected after playing every minute of the regular season. Horn also claimed the league's Ironman Award for the second time.
Leinster Rugby's lone representative was tighthead prop Thomas Clarkson.
Despite the province finishing second in the table and reaching another semifinal, Clarkson was the only Leinster player voted into the competition's best XV.
2025-26 URC Award Winners
Several individual honors have now been announced by the league.
Chris Smith of the Lions captured the Gilbert Golden Boot Award, Dragons RFC lock Ben Carter won the IPVanish Tackle Machine Award, and Ospreys playmaker Jack Walsh earned the Playmaker Award.
Roos finished as the URC's top try scorer, while Bowen's emergence was rewarded with the Next-Gen Player of the Season honor.
With the semifinals still to come, the awards provide a final opportunity to celebrate the regular season's biggest individual achievements before attention fully turns toward the race for the championship.
URC Elite XV (2025-26)
Ntuthuko Mchunu (DHL Stormers) – Loosehead Prop
Johann Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – Hooker
Thomas Clarkson (Leinster Rugby) – Tighthead Prop
Darragh Murray (Connacht Rugby) – Lock
Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls) – Lock
Cian Prendergast (Connacht Rugby) – Blindside Flanker
Ruan Venter (Fidelity SecureDrive Lions) – Openside Flanker
Evan Roos (DHL Stormers) – No. 8
Embrose Papier (Vodacom Bulls) – Scrum-Half
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – Fly-Half
Kyle Rowe (Glasgow Warriors) – Left Wing
Stuart McCloskey (Ulster Rugby) – Inside Centre
Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors) – Outside Centre
Werner Kok (Ulster Rugby) – Right Wing
Quan Horn (Fidelity SecureDrive Lions) – Fullback
2025-26 URC Award Winners
- Gilbert Golden Boot: Chris Smith (Fidelity SecureDrive Lions)
- IPVanish Tackle Machine: Ben Carter (Dragons RFC)
- Ironman Award: Quan Horn (Fidelity SecureDrive Lions)
- OFX Top Try Scorer: Evan Roos (DHL Stormers)
- Playmaker Award: Jack Walsh (Ospreys)
- Next-Gen Player of the Season: Tom Bowen (Cardiff Rugby)
How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby
Professional club rugby in Europe all streams on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:
FloRugby is also home to match archives and match replays.