Hugo Porta or Barry John for our favourite fly-half?

So far, we have JPR Williams, David Duckham, Gerald Davies, Philippe Sella and Danie Gerber named in my favourite overseas team and we need a fly-half to feed those brilliant backs.

A player with an educated boot, preferably a goal-kicker, drop kick exponent, attacking flair, tactically aware and plays his part in defence. After reviewing the cases for such players as Jonny Wilkinson, Phil Bennett, Naas Botha and Ollie Campbell, I settled on my favourite two. Barry John and Hugo Porta stand out in my memory and in many ways I could not separate them.

It is the classic case of the shooting star, John versus the long term option, Porta on an international level. Should a player be chosen based on how many caps he accrues against the player whose career burns brightly for a limited time? This is all about making a choice for our favourites team so we delve a little deeper into their backgrounds.

Barry John was born 1945 in Cefneithin, Wales and attended Gwendraeth Grammar School and Trinity College. At the age of seventeen he was playing top division rugby for Llanelli RFC and was selected for Wales in 1964. He had a slight build, like Allan Hewson, but had great control and power when it came to punting a ball. Because of his size he had to use his rugby brain to keep out of trouble, he had a nifty sidestep and was able to kick with either his left or right foot.

On the 1971 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in the first Test he controlled Fergie McCormick like a puppet and the All Blacks were moved around by the guile of John. It helped that the Lions had a formidable forward pack which assisted John and protected him.

To talk about Barry John is to talk about the 1971 tour which highlighted his array of talents. He played in all four Tests and finished as the Lions top scorer. As well as being a precision kicker, he possessed an evasive running game with a notable sidestep, evident in the match against Universities. John received the ball, then faked to drop-kick, dummied, then sidestepped the final tackler and scored one of his best tries between the posts. What made his performances noteworthy was that he was playing with the old rugby balls of the seventies, heavy and rain soaked, to lift the ball out of the mud quite a feat.

John was nicknamed “The King” by the New Zealand press and upon his return to Britain was treated as such. Fame and celebrity were enjoyed and the accolades were bestowed upon him, not received reluctantly. A good friend was George Best and they enjoyed things in common. After time however the fame became tiresome and the King abdicated, the final straw when a bank worker curtsied to him.

He retired at the youthful age of 27, becoming a journalist writing about the game he loved. It was a decision that in time he would have some regret about, I would say the glamour, attention and rewards were missed. Although his personality is one of self-independence, confidence and being a free spirit, he would have missed the camaraderie.

Carwyn James, said he “could read the game very well” and in such a pivotal position he had to be assured for his forwards and outside backs to trust.

Barry John was an unforgettable player who has stood the test of time as one of the all-time great fly-halves of our lives.

Hugo Porta was a similar player to Barry John in that he developed kicking authority, a skilful drop kick and added an incisive running game to his repertoire.

Porta was born 1951 in Buenos Aires, Argentina and attended the University of Buenos Aires. His entire rugby career was spent at Banco Nacion, but he almost signed for Boca Juniors, showing the football skills that Barry John also had. Porta played for Banco Nacion from 1966 to 1990 and became their president in 2018.

He made his international debut in 1971 and early highlights included a victory over Australia in 1979, three drop goals included, and draws with France 1977 and the All Blacks 1985, also three drop goals achieved. Yes, he had a penchant for drop goals and could reel them off like they were going out of fashion. He had the great ability to turn and within a millisecond calculate wind direction, offensive players and distance to bang over a goal. Drop kicking is an art not to be underrated. He accumulated 28 drop goals in his Test career, second to Englishman Jonny Wilkinson.

Porta achieved 58 caps with Argentina and captained them on 34 occasions, leading them to the 1987 Rugby World Cup at the age of 36.

Hugo Porta of Argentina in action during a match against the Ireland at Lansdowne Road in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Mandatory Credit: Russell Cheyne/Allsport

Hugo Porta played international rugby for twenty years, retired in 1987 and briefly came out of retirement at 39 in 1990 to tour Britain. Other highlights of his career were beating South Africa in 1982, scoring all 21 points and almost beating the grand slam Welsh team in 1976.

Will Carling, England captain ranked him in his list of the “top ten rugby players” of all time and Mark Ella stated that, “I’ve never played against a better fly-half.”

Hugo Porta was an imposing punter, had a keen eye for the drop kick and could also tactically control a game. He had an instinct for the gap and like John, would dummy to kick then take off on a searching run. One of the greats of our game.

Two quite different careers, the longevity of Porta versus the shooting star of Barry John who quit while he was on top, a’ la Mark Ella. How do rate that when deciding on the better player? Well, I just reminded myself it is all about favourite players and therefore go with Barry John, no offence Hugo! You could gather 100 opinionated rugby fans and it would not be conclusive as to the better player.

So, Barry John makes the favourites team and he joins his British mates JPR Williams, Gerald Davies and David Duckham. Looking like a good team!