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Here are the best ten rugby union players in the world. They would dominate any other team, no matter who you added to fill out the teamsheet.
You could add any five guys (including Roarers Biltongbek at tighthead, Sheek in the second row, myself at eighth man, Uncle Argyle at 13, and Rugby Tragic at wing), and it would not matter.
This is my framework: two outside backs (including at least one fullback), one centre, two halfbacks, a hooker and a prop, one lock, and two loosies (including one opensider).
This is how my selections panned out.
Outside backs
My finalists are: Ben Smith, Israel Folau, Leigh Halfpenny, George North, Israel Dagg, Willie le Roux, Napolioni Nalaga, Alex Cuthbert, Bryan Habana, and Julian Savea.
I looked at this selection as a combination of a highball-kicking back and a pure trigger man killer: as in Dagg/Habana or Folau/North or le Roux/Savea.
I don’t see Halfpenny as a complete outside back any more (although he used to be more of an attacking player), and he is certainly not in the same class as Dagg, le Roux, and Folau (my finalists for fullback). Folau can still be exploited by a tricky halfback like Aaron Cruden or Fourie du Preez, so it’s got to be either Dagg or le Roux.
The wings can all fly and finish; but Savea and Habana seem top of the class. North, Nalaga, and Cuthbert can be turned too easily on defence, due to their bulk and (sometimes) disinterest in the dirty stuff.
I’ll go with Dagg and Habana. Both are very good rugby players in prime time and fill in each other’s deficits.
Centres
Wesley Fofana, Conrad Smith, Jamie Roberts, Jean de Villiers, and Ma’a Nonu are my finalists here and only one can make the cut.
Nonu has learnt to kick well, but is not as good as Conrad on defence. Brain bruisers Roberts and de Villiers can always bend a line and are opportunistic. But Fofana is magic. He gets my nod.
Halfbacks
My flyhalf finalists are: Aaron Cruden, Jonny Sexton, Dan Carter, and Quade Cooper.
As 2013 developed, it turned into a two man race for me: Cruden or Cooper. Cruden is a more polished rugby man; but Cooper, as he has matured, is the bigger force on the field. He’s like a video game, really.
But who will pass to him? It’s Aaron Smith, Fourie du Preez, or Will Genia.
I’ll go with du Preez simply because I would really love to see a Quade/du Preez combination.
Front Row
Tony Woodcock, Alex Corbiesero, Census Johnston, Matias Diaz, Marcos Ayerza, and Adam Jones compete for the prop spot.
I’ll go with Woodcock, because I like my props old, no-nonsense, experienced, and short-haired.
Next to him is Bismarck du Plessis, who beats out countryman Adriaan Strauss and the quietly brilliant Stephen Moore.
Lock
These finalists are formidable: Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Samu Manoa, and Eben Etzebeth.
Whitelock is better than Retallick, and Manoa is still raw. You could go with either Whitelock or Etzebeth. This is the toughest call out of the ten.
But Etzebeth ticks all the boxes for me. He burns hot all match long, he is a great leaper so he can steal a lineout without relying on lifters and he is powerful in tight-loose and scrum. Etzebeth can get over the gain line and seldom loses the ball in contact, and his tackling technique is almost perfect for a tall guy.
Loose Forwards
The opensiders were Francois Louw and Michael Hooper.
That’s it. Every other opensider was less durable (Sam Warburton), less active (Richie McCaw), or just inconsistent (Sam Warburton) on the big stage.
Both are dynamic, both can be hot-headed in rucks or the tackle, but both outplayed everyone else. I like Louw because he is a leader. He’s a complete player who can easily play eighth man if needed, but is an out-and-out fetcher, and he is smart.
Who is his partner?
I chose from this star-studded crew: Louis Picamoles, Sergio Parisse, Kieran Read, Sean O’Brien, Tom Wood, Liam Messam, Duane Vermeulen, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, and Toby Faletau.
There could really only be one: Kieran Read. A guy you’d love on your team and hate as a foe.
So, here are my 10 best rugby players:
Israel Dagg
Bryan Habana
Wesley Fofana
Quade Cooper
Fourie du Preez
Tony Woodcock
Bismarck du Plessis
Eben Etzebeth
Francois Louw
Kieran Read
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.