The question of the best rugby players in the world always arouses a never-ending debate whenever it is asked. We have tried to answer this question for you by sorting the ten best rugby players of all time. However, this list is based on popularity and personal opinion, and a collective viewpoint.
Here we go!
10. Zinzane Brooke (New Zealand)
Zinzane Brooke, a former New Zealand Rugby Player, is regarded as one of the finest flankers in sports history. He was the skipper of Auckland Blues and led his squad to victory in the Super 12 Championship in 1996 and 1997. Brooke has an unmatched ability to be an agile forward and has an impressive kick to his team. He ended his professional career with 17 tries in test matches, which was a world record for a forward at that time. Zinzane was the first player to win Kelvin Tremain Trophy awarded to New Zealand’s best rugby player since 1994.Also, he was ranked the eighth greatest player on The Telegraphs’ list of 50 greatest rugby players of all time.
9. Gareth Edwards (Wales)
At the age of 19, Gareth Edwards started playing rugby for Wales, and in his 20s, he was the skipper of the side. Edward transformed into a strapping athlete in his teenage years and became a hurdling and long jump champion in Wales school. He won 53 consecutive caps for Wales, and only four men have played more test matches than Edwards. Gareth Edwards is considered an undisputed legend of the sport, not just one of the greatest rugby players.
8. Jonny Wilkinson (England)
Jonny Wilkinson will be remembered forever as a great who won England in Rugby World Cup 2003 held in Australia. He smashed many world records and has collected plenty of trophies personally and for his team. If Jonah Lomu had amazed the world with sheer physical power, Johny Wilkinson would have had a similar impact with his unbeatable professionalism. Johny Wilkinson has an unbelievable rugby-centred brain and was one of the finest placekickers the world has ever witnessed. For sure, he was at the top of the list of greatest rugby players in England.
7. Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
Brian O’Driscoll also known as BOD, a former Irish professional rugby union player, is primarily regarded as the best outside centre in rugby history. His fame and fan base were so enormous that his fans wore T-shirts with the slogan “In BOD We Trust ” to his games. He captained Ireland’s national rugby team from 2003 to 2012 and the British and Irish Lions on their 2005 tour of New Zealand. Brian also played for Leinster, an Irish provincial team, in addition to international matches. He played 141 test matches for Ireland, including 83 as captain, and 8 for the British and Irish Lions, making him one of the most-capped rugby players in the country.
6. Martin Johnson (England)
Born in Solihull, south of the West Midlands and raised in Market Harborough, Martin Johnson is a great rugby player for England. He is the only English captain that lifted the rugby world cup and the William Webb Ellis Trophy. Out of 39 test matches in which Martin led the team, the team won 34 matches, making him one of the greatest rugby players of England. Martin Johnson has a decorated domestic career with the rugby club Leicester Tigers, for which he played 362 matches and led the team to four Premiership titles and two Heineken Cups.
5. Shane Williams (Wales)
Williams has had an enormous fan base and since his debut as an international at 21. He is known for his incredible pace, jinking runs, and stunning sidestep. He has 87 caps for Wales over that time, scoring 290 points in the process. Shane began his career as a scrum-half for Amman United before shifting to the wing for Neath. After joining the team, he played with the Ospreys for nine years, scoring 293 points in 141 league matches. Graham Henry, one of the great rugby players of Wales, gave him his first Wales cap as a replacement against France in 1999–2000 Six Nations season.
4. Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)
Born in South Auckland on May 12, 1975, Jonah Tali Lomu was blessed with unmatched speed and size. He was famous as an athlete and rugby player at Wesley College, and soon, he represented New Zealand in his age group. Besides being 196 cm tall and weighing around 120 kg, he had a great pace and balance, making him one of the most fearsome rugby players, the almost unstoppable scorer for New Zealand’s national team. Unfortunately, Lomu had a kidney disorder that forced him to quit early from the game.
3. Keith Wood (Ireland)
Born in Killaloe, County Clare, Keith Gerard Mallinson Wood was the son of Gordon Wood, one of the most prominent rugby players of Munster and Ireland in the 1950s and 60s. Keith started his rugby career with the Garryowen club and helped his team to win All Ireland Titles in 1992 and 1994. He was an esteemed and most exemplary hooker of all time and was an iconic figure of Ireland. In 1994, he made his test debut against Australia in Brisbane, and later in 1995, he joined the well-known Harlequins club.
2. Dan Carter (New Zealand)
Dan Carter is considered as one of the greatest rugby players of all time. Retired from international rugby in 2015, Carter played 112 games for New Zealand’s national team and made his debut against Wales in 2003. Also, he was a member of New Zealand’s world cup winning team that held the trophy in the 2011 edition. His productive point-scoring, skill set, and comeback from weak form and flop performances to be the player of the 2015 World Cup has made Carter one of the greatest rugby players in history.
1. Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
Undoubtedly, a living legend of the modern game, Richie McCaw is the only skipper who has led a team to two world cups in 2011 and 2015. McCaw’s records advocate for him itself. At the age of 20, he started his career against Ireland in 2001 and became the most-capped player in the nation. Overall he has played 148 games for New Zealand, in which he captioned the side for 110 matches. He was the only second player with his mate Dan Carter, who has been honoured with a “World Rugby Player Of The Year Award” thrice. All these achievements make him one of the greatest rugby players of all time.
More than talent, all these great legends were team players who put their team ahead of their professional achievements. They are the pride of their nation and have a huge fan base all across the globe.
