Best rugby union players of all-time

The best rugby players of all-time is a subjective experiment, but there are some that have stood out over the last 180-odds years.

As with most sports, creating any sort of list of greatest players is certain to draw cries of disbelief, but we’ll have a crack anyway.

Here are our greatest players from the top 10 rugby-playing nations.

New Zealand

Love him or hate him (as many rival fans do, though all respect him) Richie McCaw sits comfortably among the best players of all. Nigh on unbeatable at the breakdown and arguably the toughest player to have laced up a boot in the code. There are no shortage of contenders for the All Blacks, but McCaw gets our vote. Sean Fitzpatrick is a predecessor of McCaw’s cut from the same cloth and would be a worthy pick.

South Africa

Francois Pienaar. Who can forget the images of him shaking hands with Nelson Mandela after leading his Springboks to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup on home soil. Mandela wore a Springboks jersey as he presented the William Webb Ellis Cup. John Smit and Victor Matfield also spring to mind.

Ireland

Brian O’Driscoll stands head and shoulders above the field here as probably the greatest outside-centre in the history of the game. He played 141 Tests for Ireland (83 as captain) and was widely known at home as BOD. As in, “in BOD we trust”.

England

Stiff competition here but one moment of magic gives Jonny Wilkinson the nod for us. That drop goal under immense pressure to win the World Cup for England in 2003. Incredible. A wonderful player, though that magic moment came relatively early in his career. Towering lock Martin Johnson has strong claims.

Wales

Gareth Edwards, the scheming scrum-half, would be welcome in any best XV team in the world. A true master of his craft.

Australia

David Campese is another somewhat divisive figure but if the sport is about entertainment, he surely must be near the top of the list. Could produce moments of inspiration quickly followed by moments of madness. Honourable mention to the likes of John Eales and Mark Ella. Campese and the rampant Wallabies via our rugby betting obsession, were a constant cash cow during the 80s.

France

Serge Blanco. A member of the IRB Hall of Fame, Blanco broke Australian hearts with the decisive try in France’s narrow win in the semi-final of the inaugural Rugby World Cup in Australia in 1987. The dashing fullback has scored more tries than any other for Les Bleus.

Argentina

Hugo Porta. The fly-half was instrumental in the emergence of the Pumas on the world stage. He led the way in their famous win in 1979 against the Wallabies in Buenos Aires.

Mario Ledesma, who is the coach of the Pumas, is another standout when you talk about Argentina’s best ever rugby players, with the tough hooker regularly mentioned when the topic comes up.

Samoa

Va’aiga Tuigamala played for Samoa in union and league and also played for New Zealand. He was among the first of the super-sized wingers, blessed with incredible pace for a man of his size. He became a star in the powerhouse Wigan rugby league team of the 1990s.

Scotland

Gavin Hastings. A great fullback who captained his country and the British Lions. Led Scotland to a Grand Slam. Flying fullback Andy Irvine is another who would carry the tag of Scotland’s greatest comfortably.