Only two All Blacks? UK media ranks best 20 rugby players in the world

By Charlie Morgan, Ben Coles and Charles Richardson of The Telegraph

Only two All Blacks made the cut when the UK’s Telegraph Sport journalists ranked the world’s finest 100 players. Here is their list.

20. Will Jordan (New Zealand)
One can often evaluate the intuition of a player from their movement off the ball and Jordan possesses rare feel in this regard, whether holding width or accelerating off the shoulder of a teammate to find space. His aerial prowess was palpable as New Zealand stunned South Africa with an opening blast in Auckland recently, and makes him equally adept on the wing or at fullback.

19. Steven Kitshoff (South Africa)
The world’s best loosehead, no question, given Kitshoff’s ability to overwhelm opposing tightheads and muscle his way around the field. It would hardly be a shock to see him get through 80 minutes, although South Africa’s preference for the ‘Bomb Squad’ makes that a rarity. Ulster fans should be very excited about his impending arrival in Belfast following the Rugby World Cup. When the knockout games in France get tight, it will be Kitshoff who delivers at scrum time.

18. Malcolm Marx (South Africa)
The criticism of Marx used to be an easy one - that his lineout accuracy was not quite up there with the best, one of those annoying tags for a hooker that is hard to shake. Safe to say it is a myth - his lineout accuracy in the Rugby Championship is up around 90 per cent - and when you then add in his phenomenal work at the breakdown winning turnovers and ability to crack defences open with ball in hand, then you have some player, dovetailing well for the Springboks with Bongi Mbonambi.

17. Samu Kerevi (Australia)
You are unlikely to find ball-carriers in the game more unpleasant to tackle than Kerevi. Eddie Jones and his predecessors have been searching for players to plug holes in Australia’s best side in recent years but inside centre is far from an issue, with Kerevi’s dynamism and physicality a huge asset for the Wallabies while understandably earning him a top salary playing in Japan. Factor in Kerevi’s offloading game and ability to get over the gain line, and he is a player any side would love to have.

16. Thomas Ramos (France)
Two seasons ago, who would have thought that Ramos would feature in this list? Then, he was third-choice full-back for France and flitting in and out of the Toulouse team. Now, he is a deserved regular for both. The classiest full-back in this list — and Deadeye Dick off the tee.

15. Levani Botia (Fiji)
The La Rochelle limpet is just a strong World Cup showing away from top-10 status. After some of the most blistering performances that the European club stage has ever seen - including inhuman breakdown burglary - Botia has conquered the continent. International stardom is deserved, and should await him.

14. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
To watch Sexton over the past couple of years has been to appreciate a master in the craft of manipulating defences and orchestrating slick, intricate team attack. On a cerebral level, few can match the veteran first five. His durability, which seemingly cost him a place on the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour, will come under the microscope at the World Cup. Two tough pool matches and a difficult quarter-final will not be easy to navigate.

13. Julien Marchand (France)
The best jackaller in France, the best tackler in France - and his arrows are sharp, too. In a crowded field, Marchand is the world’s second-best hooker. If Les Bleus fulfil their promise this autumn, expect Marchand to star.

12. James Ryan (Ireland)
Few individuals have done more to shift the perception that Ireland are a team who can be bullied by bigger, nastier opponents. Ryan’s stout maul defence and his aggression at the breakdown have enhanced the team. Add in immense workrate, on both sides of the ball, and you have a special player. His absence was felt by Leinster when he was replaced during the Champions Cup final against La Rochelle.

11. Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
When Sheehan made his first est start for Ireland in the 2022 Six Nations, it was as if he had been shot out of a cannon into test rugby. Bursting with mobility, pace and set-piece accuracy, the No 2 shirt that seemed like an open competition for Ireland following Rory Best’s retirement now belongs to the lively Leinster hooker, who was named URC players’ player of the season for 2022-23. The timing of his pass to set up a try for Robbie Henshaw in that series win over the All Blacks was exquisite. At 24, his potential is fascinating.

10. Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
In this age of the game where top Test coaches stress the importance of being able to win the battle in the air, here is a crucial fact to remember about Keenan; he is only 1.8 metres tall. The assumption that test fullbacks need to be tall to dominate in the air looks a bit silly when you watch Keenan control the kicking contest so well, with a prime example being his performance in Ireland’s Six Nations win over Wales. His impact on Ireland’s recent triumphs in New Zealand and in winning the Grand Slam cannot be overstated.

9. Damian Penaud (France)
Penaud’s rise, on the face of it, is bewildering and mesmerising in equal measure. That the wing has become a shoo-in for a world XV and one of the sport’s most prolific try-scorers is testament to his wondrous evasive capabilities, with arms and legs flapping like snagged octopuses. Often it seems as though not even he knows what is coming yet - that could make him a nightmare to play with, but it makes him even more of a nightmare to defend.

8. Jonathan Danty (France)
Such is Danty’s importance to France, when he is absent, the World Cup favourites look somewhat rudderless - and his absence for the opener is a huge blow. France possess the greatest wealth of rugby talent on the planet but Danty’s direction and drive is crucial to sew it together. A star for European domestic titans, La Rochelle, too.

7. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
Before the last Rugby World Cup, Beirne was a success story domestically after his time with Scarlets but still a Test newcomer, having only made his debut the previous autumn. His development during the subsequent four years has been remarkable under Andy Farrell, shedding the utility tag. Beirne’s pilfering at the breakdown became his trademark but it is the other aspects to his game - his maul disruption, high tackle and ruck hit counts - that make him exceptional.

6. Will Skelton (Australia)
If Giteau’s Law was not already in place then Rugby Australia might have decided to name it after Skelton, whose performances in Europe, first for Saracens and more recently with La Rochelle, have earned him world-class status. Relentlessly physical, Skelton will smash rucks and opponents until the tank runs empty while improving Australia’s scrum with the ballast he provides in the second row. A difference-maker, and now the Wallabies skipper as well.

5. Caelan Doris (Ireland)
Following a period beset by concussion concerns, Doris has established himself as a force at the top level. Most effective at the base of the scrum, the back rower blends subtle footwork and handling skills with rare athleticism. He has not surrendered his standing as a breakdown nuisance in defence, either. A thoroughly classy, rounded operator capable of magical moments.

4. Grégory Alldritt (France)
It is the deceptive strength of the France No 8, coupled with prodigious rugby intelligence, that is his point of difference in a crowded field. There are more destructive carriers, better tacklers, and more athletic No 8s, but none with as rounded a package as Alldritt.

3. Ardie Savea (New Zealand)
Strange now to think that at one point there were questions about Savea playing at No 8, because he has excelled in the role ever since Kieran Read’s retirement. Outstanding at the breakdown, a relentless ball-carrier and now key leader for the All Blacks, it is hard to see them being successful in France without Savea leading the charge.

2. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
Ferocious, dynamic and shrewd, Etzebeth is the apex enforcer of test rugby union. He will turn 32 the day after the World Cup final and, having recovered from a shoulder injury, will have a significant say in whether the Springboks defend their title. From tip-toeing around rucks to pickpocket halfbacks to stretching his legs in open play, via the unglamorous grunt, the lock is incessantly menacing.

1. Antoine Dupont (France)
What more is there left to say or write about rugby’s Hercules, France’s hero, who is already threatening inclusion in all-time world XVs and attracting god-like status in French rugby mythology? France’s indomitable halfback and skipper is pound-for-pound the strongest and most skilful player on the planet. All that remains is rugby’s Mount Olympus - the lifting of the Webb Ellis Cup.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission