Top 10 Rugby Players
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×Gareth Edwards
Gareth Owen Edwards CBE (born 12 July 1947) is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half, who was described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey".
In 2003, a poll of international rugby players conducted by Rugby World magazine, Edwards was declared the greatest player of all time. In 2007, former England captain Will Carling published his list of the '50 Greatest Rugby players' in The Telegraph, and ranked Edwards the greatest player ever, stating; "He was a supreme athlete with supreme skills, the complete package. He played in the 1970s, but, if he played now, he would still be the best. He was outstanding at running, passing, kicking and reading the game- ×
Barry John
Some will never have heard of Barry John, others will wonder how he has made this shortlist. But in a career that saw him earn 25 caps for Wales between 1966 and 1972, John’s talents as a fly-half – and his almost telepathic relationship with scrum-half Gareth Edwards – earned him the nickname The King and saw him revered by the entire nation. Sadly, he quit rugby union at just 27 due to media attention disappeared from the sport all too soon.
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Jonah Lomu
A giant of the rugby union game quite literally as he weighed in at a staggering 18st 13lb (120kg). The New Zealand winger was like a battering ram to opponents, the smaller guys - still quite some size themselves but tiny in comparison - just bouncing off him. A kidney-related disease halted his career before transplant surgery allowed him to make a comeback. Lomu never won the World Cup but with a record 15 tries in Rugby World Cups, for me he deservedly takes top spot.
×Phil Bennett
Phillip Bennett (born 24 October 1948) was a Welsh international rugby union fly half from 1969 to 1978. His flair and range of tricks, including his famous sidestep and swerve, meant he was a firm favourite with crowds.Bennett's form meant that he joined the British Lions on their famous tour to South Africa in 1974, scoring 103 points. His 50-yard try against South Africa at Pretoria on that tour was a career highlight.
×Michael Jones
La'auli Michael Niko Jones (born 8 April 1965) is a former New Zealand rugby union player and coach. He was nicknamed 'the Iceman' or 'Ice' because of the cool but confident manner in which he played, and the number of icepacks he needed for injuries. He has been voted by Rugby World magazine as the third best All Black of the 20th century after Colin Meads and Sean Fitzpatrick. John Hart, who first selected him for Auckland, called him "almost the perfect rugby player".
×Gerald Davies
Thomas Gerald Reames Davies CBE (born 7 February 1945 in Llansaint) is one of the acknowledged greats of Welsh rugby, playing for the side between 1966 and 1978.For Wales: 46 Internationals, of which Wales won 29, lost 14 and drew 3 (points for 758, points against 507). 20 tries, 8 of them before the value of a try was raised to four points in the 1971-72 season (72 points in all).
For the British Lions: 5 Internationals of which the Lions won two, lost two and drew one (points for 54, points against 53). Davies scored three tries for the Lions during Test games, all of them on the 1971 tour to New Zealand (9 points).
×Colin Meads
Sir Colin Earl Meads, KNZM, MBE (born 3 June 1936), is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played 55 test matches (133 total games), most frequently in the lock forward position, for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks, from 1957 until 1971.
Meads is widely considered one of the greatest players in history. Nicknamed 'Pinetree', he is an icon within New Zealand rugby, and was named the country's Player of the Century at the NZRFU Awards in 1999.
×Jean Pierre Rives
Jean-Pierre Rives (born 31 December 1952) is a French former rugby union player who won 59 caps for France as a flanker. Although considered too small by some for the position, Rives displayed tremendous courage and flair, epitomising the spirit of French rugby.ives played club rugby for TOEC, Beaumont and Stade Toulousain, then in 1981 he left Toulouse to join Racing Club de France. During his rugby career, Rives was dubbed the Casque d'or (French for "Golden helmet") due to his long blond hair. It was his hair, along with his bravery, which also brought him the nickname Asterix.
×Mike Gibson
Gibson's distinguished career began Ireland in 1964, and earned his 69th and final cap in the second and final test win against Australia in Sydney in 1979 at age 36. A versatile player, he represented his country in four different positions. Gibson had a distinguished international career; The Irish Solicitor's all-round talent marked him out as arguably the greatest centre of any era. Gibson's brilliance lay in the perception and timing of his attacking play, the focus and anticipation of his defence, and the rare dedication and commitment with which he applied himself across a 15-year international career in which he appeared in a then-world record 81 Tests.
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Dan Carter
New Zealand rugby union fly-half Carter has to make the top 10 in my mind, like Wilkinson for his goalkicking abilities which have ended the hopes of many a nation taking on the All Blacks – so much so the All Blacks have lost just eight games when Carter has featured since 2003. Accurate would be the only suitable word to describe Carter’s kicking, whose deadly skills on conversions, penalties and drop goals can only be described as "awesome". His general play in the game itself was world class too.
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Gwyn Elfyn updated this Top10
16th February 2012
Gwyn Elfyn remixed this Top10
16th February 2012
