As I was lying awake in bed last night, unable to sleep, I started thinking – like I often do – about rugby.
I have been a long-time reader of The Roar but only a short-time commenter. One of the many reasons why I love this website is of course the dedication and passion shown by the contributors like your Bishops, McKays, Parkes and of course all of you folk out there reading this (hopefully!).
I then started running a hypothetical list over in my head about my favourite players from every major rugby-playing nation and I thought, ‘there’s an article in that!’ So here I am.
First off, the rules.
1. These are my favourite players from each of the big rugby nations. Not necessarily the best players, but players I have loved watching over time.
2. I’m only allowed to select five per nation otherwise it becomes too many.
3. I have decided to do it from players I have actually seen, either live or on TV, so that translates to about 1990 to now.
4. I will choose one tier one nation at a time – Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, Ireland, Wales, France, Scotland, Argentina and a special at the end of odds and sods. Apologies to Italy but I don’t really count them as a major playing nation although one player will make an appearance at the end. Apologies to Japan as well but I just don’t know enough of their players yet.
So, here we go!
Australia
Joe Roff
Wingers often get a hard time here on The Roar and rightly so! But even the most grisly, cauliflower-eared forward could admire the talent this man possessed. Roff made the impossible look easy and effortless. Did he ever look like he was running at full pace? He was an absolute superstar of the Wallabies’ golden era who contributed time and time again. Of course, Roff’s crowning moment was the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour where he single handedly won the second Test off of his own back. For those of you that don’t remember, Roff scored two tries in seven and half minutes as the Wallabies wrestled back the momentum of the match and series and the Lions could never take it back. It was one of the great Test series as well. He was a man crush for both me and my Welsh-born but Wallabies-supporting father after this effort.
Tim Horan
A lot of rugby supporters have forgotten how good Tim Horan was. I had a news clipping on my bedroom wall of Horan after the ’99 World Cup semi against the Boks and the headline said: “Horan Proves That Heart Can Be The Path To Glory”.
(Photo by Ross Setford/Getty Images)
For those of you that don’t remember, Horan was incredibly ill in the lead up to this match and couldn’t get out of bed with a stomach illness. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes Horan stood up alright! He played arguably the greatest match of his career. He was in everything and I strongly suggest tracking the match down and having a re-watch. Unless you’re South African, you should just re-watch the 2019 final instead.
George Smith
Where do you start? It’s not often in Australian rugby you can say you had someone that changed the way the position is played but in Smith, Australia did. Making his debut in 2000 against a hard bunch of Frenchmen, Smith announced himself on the world stage. He was an incredible fetcher and one of my earliest memories of him is being pinged by referees as they thought he wasn’t supporting his own body weight while hundreds of kilograms of garlic-infused Frenchmen were jumping on top of him. Of course, his battles with Richie McCaw later on were the stuff of legend and old Richie might get a go in the NZ edition. With Smith though you can’t not talk about his longevity. He only stopped playing pro rugby last year! Smith was a wonderful link man as well and had the incredible thing that has been missing from Australian rugby for so long: a brain. A freak.
Chris Latham
Like Joe Roff, I used to look at Latham and think ‘he’s not that fast!’ Clearly, I was wrong. Latham was an absolute monster of a player. At over a hundred kegs he was a big boy but boy could he motor. With over 40 Test tries he certainly knew his way to the try line as well. One of my favourite sights in rugby was watching Latham point to the crowd before he scored. I know that used to annoy lots of people but it showed me how much he loved the stage. In 2006 he was the first back awarded the John Eales Medal and the following year he was nominated for the World Player of The Year award. I remember at the time desperately hoping he would win after the awful exit at the World Cup quarter-final for the Wallabies. Latham always looked like he was having fun and was the sort of bloke you’d just love to play with. There’s not much more I can say.
John Eales
Of course, any rugby fan from any nation would, or at least should, have this man on the list. He was a remarkable man (maybe not administrator) who captained the Wallabies to everything they could possibly win.
(PASCAL PAVANI/AFP/Getty Images)
Choosing some career highlights for the man they call ‘Nobody’ is very difficult. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at the 2001 Bledisloe when Toutai Kefu stormed over for that try. Even the Kiwis sitting near us were happy for Eales (begrudgingly). Of course the 2000 Bledisloe kick is a real highlight and the story behind it as well. Stirling Mortlock was off the pitch at the time, which Eales was unaware of when he instructed the referee that they’d be taking the points. This resulted in Eales stepping up and taking one of the most impressive kicks in Australian rugby history. He was one of the finest leaders of any sport and an outstanding player.
Honourable mentions
Michael Lynagh: I loved his control and the calmness he brought to the role. He was a great goal kicker too.
Stephen Larkham: A really hard one to leave out but a phenomenal player and one the best flyhalves I’ve seen.
Sekope Kepu: The forward revolution brought on by ‘Super Mario’ Ledesman benefited this guy more than most. He was a world-class tighthead.
Stirling Mortlock: He was a hard, physical and tough outside centre. He will always be remembered for the ’03 intercept.
There we have it Roarers. Who were/are yours?
jeznez
Roar Guru
1. Tatafu Polota-Nau 2. Joe Roff 3. Tim Horan 4. John Eales 5. Willie Ofahengaue Notable mentions to the Human Skewer - Ili Tabua and also to George Smith
sheek
Roar Guru
Peterj, Yes, you're right. My bad.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Got me hook, line and sinker then. Randwick did have some villains in their teams to strengthen the story too. Maxwell, Cheika and Conacher were all bad bastards people loved to boo. On topic, Campo beat us with non-wizarding skills too. Just perfectly positioned, perfect options taken every time. Looked like a Wallaby legend playing in a grade match
peterj
Roar Rookie
The headline says “My Favourite Wallabies of All Time” so I don’t see your point?
sheek
Roar Guru
ozinsa, I know, I’m just baiting. The school I attended is roughly halfway between Easts at Woollhara & Randwick at Coogee. It was tradition for most 1st & 2nd XVs forwards to go to Easts & most 1st & 2nd XVs backs to go to Randwick. Being a forward, I went to Easts. My family lived in Coogee for about 12 years (1970-80s), about a 10 minute walk downhill to Coogee Oval, home to the Galloping Greens. I never played for Randwick, but wish I had. There were two things I loved about Randwick rugby. One was their exciting ball in hand style & the other was those magnificent myrtle green jerseys. I’ve been out socially with Topo Rodriguez, a proud Warringah Rats man. He refers to the GGs as the Filth. Sometimes, I think he means it! BTW, the nickname of the Brisbane Brothers is the Filth, with I think is wonderfully ironic.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Yeah Sheek, they sure were blessed with inside backs.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Not sure if I’m missing the sarcasm here but if I am forgive the following. For the guy constantly banging on about tribalism to miss the self-deprecating attempt at light humour as I acknowledge Campo’s other worldliness and colour it with my tribal dislike of the side that stole our and other colts with a promise of an in run to rep sides, is a bit disappointing. I’m far from bitter. I enjoy having a villain with my rugby (it’s now Uni for similar perceived offences) and am quick to acknowledge my completely unreasonable bias against them. Are you a Randwick man in denial of past offences perhaps?
sheek
Roar Guru
ozinsa, You seem a bitter man. You need to make your peace with Campo. Embrace our greatest maverick!
sheek
Roar Guru
Jameswm, I would have my money on Glen. He was the jester of the 3 brothers. In 1982 in NZ when Mark was captain, he was too tired after one tour match to speak to the press, so he asked Glen to do it for him. Bad mistake! Glen went off the dial. Mark was horrified when he read the papers the next morning attributing all these outrageous comments to him. Only a brother, especially a twin, would do that. On Lloyd Walker, the story goes he missed out on the 1977/78 schoolboys, because it would have been embarrassing for this hillbilly school, Matraville High, to have 6 players in the touring team. However, the interesting side question is who would have been cut to accommodate Walker? Mick O'Connor, the baby of the team? Wally Lewis, the future league legend & a Queenslander? Mike Hawker, the imperious, quintessential private schoolboy?
sheek
Roar Guru
Peter, The banner headline says, "My five greatest players of all time". Of course, you're going to say The Roar editors chose this headline for you. But it is misleading. It's YOUR 5 best players (that you've seen), not necessarily the 5 best players of the past 120 years.
sheek
Roar Guru
Ken, Why would it be Campo's responsibility to go & play for say, Western Suburbs or Port Hacking?
sheek
Roar Guru
Peterj, I’ve been following rugby since late 60s, so I just missed seeing the likes of Ken Catchpole, Jim Lenehan, John Thornett, Jon White & Rob Heming, although I saw the likes of Phil Hawthorne, John Brass, Mike Cleary, Bob Honan & Dick Thornett (all dual internationals) in rugby league. Ironically, the older I get, the less sure I am of who really is the best. There are many reasons for this I won’t go into here. But I still abide by the Don Bradman observation that “a champion in one era is a champion in any era”. So on that basis, players can be compared across different eras based on the domination of their own era, so it is possible to compare players across the ages in this fashion. Consequently, Dally Messenger, despite playing only twice for the Wallabies, can compare favourably with David Campese, our first centurion. And so on. So most test appearances by itself doesn’t necessarily cut it. Anyway, without further ado, this is my best Wallaby XV of the past 50 years (c. 1968-present): 1-Topo Rodriguez, 2-Phil Kearns, 3-Ewen McKenzie, 4-David Giffin, 5-John Eales, 6-Simon Poidevin, 7-George Smith, 8-Mark Loane, 9-John Hipwell, 10-Mark Ella, 11-Brendan Moon, 12-Tim Horan, 13-Jason Little, 4-David Campere, 15-Matt Burke. Bench: 16-Dan Crowley, 17-Tom Lawton, 18-Andy McIntyre, 19-Tim Gavin, 20-David Wilson, 21-Nick Farr-Jones, 22-Steve Larkham, 23-Mick O’Connor. Smith is the only Wallaby of the past 15 years chosen. In fact, I don’t rate the modern Wallaby player. They are bigger, stronger, faster & more athletic, but their intrinsic skills & rugby smarts are often poor. Most damning of all, they have almost nothing to show in the winner’s cabinet. David Pocock is similar to George Gregan, methinks. That is, a great rugby player but not necessarily the best in his position. Ironic, isn’t it? The bench is structured for versatility. I won’t go into explanations on selections unless someone asks. But I will say I’m a huge fan of ying & yang, & picking opposites where applicable (eg, lock & wing). Some selections are very contestable. I’m sorry I can’t fit Mike Lynagh in somewhere, but Larkham can cover both flyhallf & fullback. Cheers.
Riccardo
Roar Rookie
Honourbale mentions from this All Black Fan: Roger Gould, Michael Lynagh, Nick Farr-Jones, Tony Daley, Mark Ella, David Campese, Owen Finegan, Jason Little. Only to complement what is a really good list mate. Thanks
peterj
Roar Rookie
Great suggestions. I also thoroughly enjoyed Folau but only at wing. Was a freakishly talent player. Loved your suggestions too. Gregan for me is somewhat tainted as I felt he played on slightly too long but for a period there was the top scrum half in the world. His battles with Marshall were a real highlight of the Bledisloe matches of the time.
Reds Harry
Roar Rookie
Cooper in 2011 for the Reds was sensational, the 2nd best attacking back I have ever seen on the Australian rugby field, only behind Campo at his peak.
Reds Harry
Roar Rookie
Great list and subject. Excellent picks Horan, Eales and Smith I'd also have, and rate Roff and Latham extremely highly as well. However for the purposes of discussion, the five below are amongst my favourites... Campo: Brilliant player, great rugby man and consistently maverick .... to the benefit of his teams. Would be on the list if I only considered him for one game, the RWC 91 semi final with those 2 moments of genius in the first half. Tony Shaw: Delivered much needed toughness, leadership and respect for Australian rugby and Wallaby forward play in the late 70s and early 80s. Particularly the series wins against Wales in 78 (they were a big, big scalp in those days) and the All Blacks in 1980. Roger Gould: Like Shaw, at the very least held his own against the All Blacks (something we can't say about any Australian player since about 2004) and did very well against other countries. Booming kick, another deceptively fast runner. George Gregan: Great competitor and superb tactician and game manager. Always took the right option and of course the famous 94 tackle on Wilson. Israel Folau: I don't want to get into a debate about his off field actions, but onfield he was a joy to watch from 2013 to 2018 with his unique aerial skills and athleticism. I believe one of the great tragedies of Australian rugby is the hamstring injury he picked up late in the pool round in RWC 15 against Wales, which meant for the playoffs, particularly the final, he was less than fully fit and at 100 percent efficiency. But tries like the one he scored against England at Twickenham in his last appearance were sensational.
peterj
Roar Rookie
One of my favourite moments in Aus rugby history.
peterj
Roar Rookie
Burke was an absolutely class player. Good call on Cooper in '11 season too. I remember the kick pass from his in goal! :shocked: :shocked: :shocked:
peterj
Roar Rookie
Obviously haven't been watching the current incarnation then? It's been brilliant.
peterj
Roar Rookie
Thanks for kind words. Kefu was right up there for me as well