Rugby has had some brilliant players in the history of the sport and it is really difficult to crown someone the best player in the world, and yet it is a conversation we have often.
Who was the best rugby player in the world? Right now, most people would say that Antoine Dupont is currently the best player in the world. In the history of the sport, players like Richie McCaw, Beauden Barrett and Dan Carter have all been considered the best player in the sport at different times.
At the moment, the general consensus is that Antoine Dupont is the best player in the world, although this summer’s test series have added a bit more discussion. Considering just how good France have been over the last eighteen months, Dupont won the 2021 World Rugby Player of the Year award.
He followed that up with a brilliant performance to help France win their first Six Nations title in more than a decade. It was a brilliant achievement and gave France a lot of momentum going into the World Cup in 2023.
But after Ireland’s historic win this summer in New Zealand, there has been some talk about one of Ireland’s stars being one of the best players in the world. Guys like Josh van der Flyer, Johnny Sexton and Tadhg Furlong are all nipping at the heels of Dupont, but the Frenchman does still remain the best player in the world.
Who is the best rugby player of all time?
Since rugby became professional in the 1990s, there has been a lot of talk about who is the best rugby player in the history of the game. There are quite a few candidates from a few different countries who all have a good case for the title.
Is Johnny Wilkinson the best rugby player ever?
There is certainly a case for Johnny Wilkinson to be the best rugby player of all time. Wilkinson made his Newcastle Falcons debut in 1997, originally starting as an inside centre. He was so talented as a youngster that Wilkinson made his debut for England at the age of 18, originally playing on the wing.
But Wilkinson moved to fly half when he returned to Newcastle before taking over as fly-half for England in the next couple of years. Wilkinson was incredibly successful in his first few years with England, winning the Six Nations in 2000 and 2001.
His crowning moment is of course the 2003 World Cup final. After 100 minutes of rugby,
Australia and England were still tied on points. But with the clock in the red, Wilkinson nailed the drop goal which gave England their only ever World Cup victory. It was a brilliant moment that earned Wilkinson to be awarded World Rugby Player of the Year in 2003.
Wilkinson retired from international duty in 2011, having played 97 times internationally. Wilkinson retired as the second leading scorer in the history of test rugby. There is certainly a case for him being the best player of all time, but I don’t quite think he would be number one on that list.
Is Dan Carter the best rugby player ever?
There is an incredibly strong case for Dan Carter to be the best player in the history of rugby. Having grown up playing rugby, Carter came through the ranks at Canterbury before quickly signing to the Crusaders. Carter made his international debut at the age of 21, scoring 20 points on debut.
Just two years after making his debut with New Zealand, Carter was voted the best player in the world in 2005, becoming the first New Zealander to win the award. It was mainly because Carter was brilliant in the wins over the British and Irish Lions, finishing one of the tests with 33 points.
Many thought that Carter would struggle to recover after tearing his groyne tendon, causing him to miss the 2011 Rugby World Cup, which the All Blacks would win in his absence. But Carter returned with a vengeance and was the man of the match four years later when he scored the winning drop goal in the 2015 final.
Carter retired as the record points scorer in international rugby, a record that no one has really gotten close to since Carter retired. His accolades seem to never end. Carter won the World Cup twice, the Rugby Championship nine times and beat the British and Irish Lions in 2005.
Domestically, Carter won Super Rugby three times with the Crusaders as well as two Top 14 championships, one with Perpignan and one with Racing 92. Carter has a brilliant case for being the best rugby player of all time, but I think it has to go to one of his New Zealand and Crusaders teammates.
Is Richie McCaw the best rugby player ever?
I think that when you look at a sustained period of rugby dominance, it is difficult not to call Richie McCaw the greatest rugby player of all time. McCaw realised he could play rugby at a very high level early on, having won the World Championship with the New Zealand u19 team.
Despite only playing seventeen times for his provincial side, McCaw made his international debut at the end of 2001 and was man of the match in his very first game for the All Blacks. The personal accolades followed in the 2000s with McCaw winning the World Rugby Player of the year title in 2006, 2009 and 2010.
But after that third award, McCaw still did not have a world cup title and did not make the final in 2003 or 2007. But 2011 changed all of that when McCaw captained the All Blacks to the World Cup title, repeating that feat four years later which would be his last game with the All Blacks.
Seven years after retiring, McCaw still holds some incredible records. He has a whopping 110 caps as captain of New Zealand which is number one all-time as well as being second all-time in caps, having recently been overtaken by Alun Wyn Jones. McCaw has the most wins in the history of test match rugby as well as two World Cup titles, ten Rugby Championship titles and four Super Rugby titles.
An incredible resume for one of the best players we have ever seen and I think the best player of all time.