New Zealand have long been the dominant force, but did Beauden Barrett underline his status as the golden boy of rugby? • Download ESPN from Google Play Store Where does Jonathan Davies now rank after his player of the series performance for the Lions? [3] The voting panel select a list of nominees who can then be voted for by players, coaches, media representatives and the public via Twitter. Here are the best professional rugby players of all time: Jonah Lomu (New Zealand) Jonah Lomu is the one who made rugby popular. 15 Test shirt until his unfortunate collision with Murray which ended his tour. Countries like Australia, France, South Africa and Ireland have produced some outstanding players too. But who are the best players at the tournament? Nicknamed ‘The Iceman’ for his coolness under pressure at key moments, the fly-half was one of the stars of the 2015 Rugby World Cup and is now firmly established as the Wallabies’ pivot, providing an exciting runner option together with an astute kicking game. Smith has somehow avoided major injury setbacks while revolutionising the hooker role, steering his club, state and nation to enviable success. Never beaten, Lockyer led teams by example. Our list features 3 players from New Zealand, 1 from Australia and 1 from Ireland. Still, we hope that this list would satisfy most of the rugby lovers and seem to be acceptable to them. With the dust now settled after an epic British and Irish Lions Test series against the All Blacks, we have witnessed some of the game’s leading players lock horns in the southern hemisphere. There are some high-calibre players we have had to leave out, but our rugby writers, after much debate, take a stab at the top 30 players in world rugby. His performance against the All Blacks during the World Cup pool match in Cardiff was one of the great individual displays of the tournament. Gasnier's career was cut short by a bad leg break at the age of 28, but his swerving runs and ability to accelerate through the slightest of gaps live long in the memories of those who saw him play. The new rules on exercise and playing sport in Wales as fire-break lockdown shuts gyms, golf clubs and leisure centres, Wales will enter a fire break lockdown at the end of this week as new guidelines and regulations are introduced around exercise and playing sport, Welsh rugby's winners and losers as ignored Welshman shines in European final and Will Carling defends Nigel Owens, It was a hectic weekend of rugby, with two European finals serving up all sorts of drama. The wirey young man with the colourful headgear would go on to be one of the game's greatest ever halves, whether wearing the No.7 for his club or the No.6 for Queensland and Australia. Top 10 Greatest Rugby Players of All Time. Powerful and aggressive in the contact, Retallick also possesses a smart off-loading game. A towering presence in the opening encounter against the Lions, the 2014 world player of the year continues to set the second-row bar mightily high. There aren’t too many players who break the 100 cap mark in international test rugby, Sella however was one of the greats. It is also tough to rank those players whom you never had the privilege of watching in the flesh; it is often the strength of their legend that carries them through. In terms of the best all-round rugby player in the world, there are few who can match the Ospreys and Wales flanker. The debate is always enhanced by those incredible players who fail to earn a spot in such a list. He also scored a wonderful last-minute try to beat the Wallabies in a crucial Bledisloe cup match. 10. Get live scores, news and videos ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. The best tight-head in the game? Has had his brushes with officialdom, on and off the field, but on his day is a mesmeric playmaker. If you support an opposing team you hate him, which is testimony to how competitive and commanding he has been. He started his career as a schoolboy in the centres for the Panthers and was playing for New South Wales and Australia not long after. There are also nine Irish players and five Scots, with 15 countries represented in all. McCaw is also the best player of all time in rugby profesional era.He playing a total of 148 tests in his career and as a captain he led the All Blacks to successive Rugby … The spearhead of England’s surge to successive Six Nations titles, injury robbed Vunipola junior of a tilt at Lions glory this summer. Lions fans will argue otherwise, but it was a crying shame we didn’t see the full Sonny Bill repertoire during the Test series. 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She represented England at the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup and is included in the squad to the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup in France. He played with Manly before moving to the Roosters, and he represented Australia 35 times. In defence, the lock forward had a roving commission; Coote was among the best cover defenders the game has ever seen. NRL Finals Wk 3 teams: Munster named to play, Six Again: Cook's miraculous knee carrying the Bunnies, Rabbitohs overpower Eels in NRL semifinal, Raiders end Roosters' reign in gripping semifinal, Six Again: Rule clarity needed urgently for fans, Rabbitohs end Knights' season with commanding win, Injured Cook leads Souths to NRL finals win, Storm blow away Eels for spot in preliminary finals, Munster hurt as Storm eclipse Eels in NRL, Raiders take down Sharks in elimination final, Panthers survive Roosters scare for preliminary finals spot, Cleary leads Penrith to win over Roosters. A commendable number of players have emerged from the sport and have earned massive respect globally. Love the NRL?