Although he only played five tests this year, the class and quality of the Les Bleus star catapults him high up the rankings in an indication of his influence in the French set-up. A core member of South Africa’s 2019 World Cup-winning side, Lukhanyo Am continued to blossom into one of the game’s most dependable midfielders this year. Rock-solid on defence and supremely adept with ball in hand, Am has become a staple of the Springboks backline and has formed a tired and trusted midfield combination with Damian de Allende. With the World Cup just a year away, Am is set to play a crucial role in South Africa’s chances of retaining the Webb Ellis Cup. The top spot should come as little surprise after Antoine Dupont led Toulouse to both Investec Champions Cup and Top 14 title.

English Premier League

As a result, several of the sport’s finest have cemented their reputation at the tournament. This includes rugby legends like Jonny Wilkinson, Alun Wyn Jones and Ronan O’Gara, whose names remain synonymous with the championship. Very few players, if any, throughout the world of rugby exude leadership, passion and dedication like Michael Hooper does whenever he plays for the Wallabies.

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Was also a menace at the breakdown, coming up momentum swinging steals in both halves, and made more tackles than any other Welshman. 2 – Elliot Dee – 6On a long list, it was the line-out that was most abject in Wales’ game last week. Dee’s accuracy here meant England wouldn’t get handed free balls at the set-piece. It was a brave call to go to the back of the line within striking distance, but it worked and Wales won a penalty try from the subsequent maul. As the Barrett brothers have proven time and time again, it is hard to keep any of them down (especially when playing together).

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Usually, the best rugby players in the world only gather in one place every four years when the Rugby World Cup tournament begins, but as the international rugby season is underway, it’s good time to get them together. The former captain Nayacalevu noted that this issue had a mental effect on the players. When preparing for the big games, the team wanted their minds to be focused on that game, rather than underlying pay disputes. They also expected transparency from FRU and everything to run smoothly, noting that this is not an issue that should be experienced in international rugby. Dragons wing Rio Dyer is proving himself to be a favourite with Wales head coach Warren Garland, and it’s not hard to see why, when he plays every game like it could be his last. He’s beaten 12 defenders so far, level with Ben Earl (who some pundits have even suggested should be played at centre).

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Ireland, which includes players from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the team, are the current tournament holders having won the Six Nations in 2023. The Six Nations is the oldest international rugby tournament in the world. First held in 1883, it was originally called the Home Nations Championship, with England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales all taking part. The Six Nations is a rugby union tournament played every year between top countries in Europe. Planet Rugby have been going through the ‘Top 50’ over the last few weeks and they’ve finally named their all-important ‘Top 10’ with one Irish player making the cut. At the Six Nations, we will see if he can meet the challenge of blending youth, experience, and managing players he has played alongside for a long time.

Marcus Smith – Harlequins

Previous captain Owen Farrell is unavailable, saying he wants to “prioritise his mental wellbeing”, so Jamie George takes over the role, leading the squad as the new captain. Ireland, who won the Six Nations last year, come into this year’s tournament with something to prove, having gone into last year’s World Cup with high expectations, only to lose out in the quarter-finals. France joined https://just-bet.org/ the tournament in 1910, with five teams competing for 90 years until Italy were invited to join the competition in 2000. The latest edition of the men’s Six Nations is fast approaching, with the 2024 championship starting the first weekend of February. He is up there as one of the best No 8s in world rugby and will be key to Les Bleus navigating the tournament without Antoine Dupont.

Springboks over a point clear at top of World Rugby Men’s Rankings

Was too easily brushed off by Earl and perhaps needed a bit more grunt at times. 1 – Gareth Thomas  – 6Won a big scrum penalty after a stodgy sequence when the game was scoreless, allowing Wales to scratch out a foothold. Sinned when he went early on another scrum when Wales had the feed on England’s line. 9 – Tomos Williams – 6.5It was his frenetic spark that turned the game against Scotland last week.

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Are you suggesting that we have a weakness at 10 because Manie has a problem place kicking? A kicker without a game is like going to a great restaurant and having nothing but a slice of white bread. However, in essence, the RugbyPass Top 100 is a celebration of the stars who shone the brightest on rugby’s biggest stage last year. That’s why RugbyPass has undertaken a comprehensive deep dive into the last 12 months of test rugby to formulate an answer of our own. Edinburgh have confirmed they expect to be without full-back Emiliano Boffelli for a large chunk of the season as the Argentine star prepares for further surgery on a longstanding back problem. Others are preparing to represent their countries at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris in the rugby sevens tournament.

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And being named co-captain with Rory Darge signals an end to his previously stormy relationship with head coach Gregor Townsend. Following his recent move to Lyon, Monty Ioane is also one of this year’s Six Nations players to watch. The same goes for Lorenzo Cannone, another up-and-coming player whose powerful tackles have cemented his place in the Italian squad.

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Aki possess the rare skill of being able to generate tremendous power from a standing start, even against defence as robust as South Africa’s. Ben Earl is far and away England’s main man when it comes to carries. So much so, in fact, that he’s the only Englishman in the top ten here, and is the overall leader with 42. Fellow back rower Aaron Wainwright for Wales has also underlined his exceptional Championship – in an otherwise disappointing year for his country – with 38. Welsh fans may also be heartened by the precocious presence of fullback Cameron Winnett, who for many will have come from nowhere and sits third with 37 carries (see below for another impressive Winnett-related feat). Captain of two-time European Cup-winning Stade Rochelais, Alldritt is a key leader for the French national side.

• Then representatives from FRU came and promised that if they made the quarter-finals, they would receive a bonus.
• This will, of course, not be the role he wants to occupy long term, and he likely will push Crowley, if given an opportunity.
• No. 8 Ardie Savea was named World Rugby’s Player of the Year in 2023 after picking up a silver medal at the Rugby World Cup.
• He backed up his good performance against the old enemy in the 2024 Six Nations, scoring a hat-trick – with each try coming from some individual brilliance.
• This includes rugby legends like Jonny Wilkinson, Alun Wyn Jones and Ronan O’Gara, whose names remain synonymous with the championship.

Dafydd Jenkins will make history in 2024 by becoming the second youngest player to captain the Wales rugby team. The 21-year-old earned his first cap in 2022, when he came off the bench against Georgia. He was then named in the 2023 Six Nations squad and he made his first start against Scotland. ‘Industrious’ doesn’t begin to sum up the workrate of Azzurri captain Michele Lamaro, but it’s a good start. The back rower has made a breathtaking 55 tackles after three rounds of play – he also tops the dominant tackles list, with six – with Wales’ Tommy Reffell nine behind.

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He was once a good footballer who could play in the halves and slowly he turned himself into what he is now, which is a great half. He could have performed well in that role that way for the rest of his career and reaped plenty of spoils from it. Cameron Munster was a fullback during the years Slater lost to injury, until Slater got healthy again and Munster had to play somewhere, so he went into five-eighth as well and now he’s one of the best of his era. 16 – Ryan Elias – 5Hit first jumper but missed his most important throw when Wales had to chase the game.

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One of the standout All Blacks of 2023, Roigard is looming as the perfect successor to Aaron Smith in Scott Robertson’s starting side. Scoring nine tries last year, he’ll be in stiff competition with teammate TJ Perenara for starting caps in both Wellington and the national side. Along with Fraser McReight and Jordan Petaia, Tate McDermott is set for a critical season at the Reds. Scott Robertson won’t be disheartened, though, as there were many positives. However, his Achilles’ heel was the bench’s inability to close out games as well as they started.

• Could have benefited from more punch through the rush, but didn’t need a midfield thanks to his sniper-accurate cross-kicks.
• The Triple Crown is given to the team that defeats all the other original home nations and only England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are able to win it.
• ‘Industrious’ doesn’t begin to sum up the workrate of Azzurri captain Michele Lamaro, but it’s a good start.
• The sport continues to gain popularity and may eventually land players on the list.
• Gets extra points for a one-on-one tackle on the much larger Tommy Freeman that saved a try early in the second half.
• The versatile back, who has won the Super Rugby title multiple times with the Crusaders, has at least one more Rugby World Cup cycle in him to add to his points tally.
• George has been picked by the England head coach for his tactical nous, ability to build relationships, and emotional intelligence.

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Handrè Pollard is the definition of a clutch player – always there to depend on in the tough moments. Aaron Woods always wanted to be a rugby league player – but the talented media performer, unsurprisingly, would’ve been talking people’s ears off if he wasn’t one. For some of the boys playing in the national team, playing for the Flying Fijians is how food gets put on the table for their families and they can’t support their families if they don’t get paid. I wholeheartedly agree with Botia’s statement that FRU should not expect the best out of their players if they are not able to pay the players who decided to join them. He also noted that had FRU kept their promises, the players that represented their country would be more focused on the upcoming games rather than the payments that FRU had either failed or refused to give them.

The Wales side was also hit with the shock announcement that one of their star players, Louis Rees-Zammit has quit rugby union to try and play American football professionally in the NFL. In contrast with the other Six Nations teams, Ireland’s squad contains more experienced players and fewer new talents. At the top of Andy Farrell’s Six Nations players to watch list is talented centre, Garry Ringrose. The Leinster co-captain was previously referred to as ‘the next Brian O’Driscoll’, a claim that added undue pressure. A versatile and powerful forward who is comfortable in the second row, at blindside flanker or number eight, Cunningham-South will make his debut at the upcoming tournament. He will likely vie for pitch time alongside Alex Dombrandt, with Steve Borthwick adding both players to his Six Nations squad.

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A force on both sides of the ball, the 23-year-old will be looking to transfer his impressive form for Benetton on to the Test arena. His significant size in the backrow opens up a whole world of possibilities at set piece for Los Pumas – in particular, his explosive power getting off the ground quickly for lineouts and kickoff receipts. Not since the great Joe Rokocoko has New Zealand Rugby had a winger who ties together immense physicality with guile to the level of Telea.

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Fresh from his mid-season break, Alldritt is expected to lead from the front for France, his power and commanding presence in the pack giving his side confidence. Head coach Warren Gatland believes he can grow into an Alun Wyn Jones-style of leader- the highest of compliments for the young man. Potentially the best scrum-half in England at the moment after an incredible season with Northampton, Alex Mitchell could really come into his own at this tournament. In addition to Ringrose, Irish supporters will be excited to watch new captain, Peter O’Mahony. Farrell will be hoping that O’Mahony can fill the void left by behemoth Johnny Sexton, who retired after the 2023 Rugby World Cup. All eyes will also be on hooker and new England captain, Jamie George.

With Biggar now retired from international rugby, and Gareth Anscombe playing his club rugby in Japan, Costelow is the last remaining fly-half option from Wales’ 2023 Rugby World Cup squad. An already established member of the All Blacks’ starting 23, Anton Lienert-Brown will be hoping to kick-start a stronger season in Waikato. Walking into their starting side with the likes of Lalomilo Lalomilo and Alex Nankivell departing the team, 2023 felt like like Lienert-Brown was still finding his feet again after an injury-ridden 2022 season. The fastest player ever to reach 40 tries in Super Rugby, Sevu Reece, in partnership with former Crusader Leicester Fainga’anuku, was a major reason behind their team’s insane ability to score tries. A ruthless finisher, Reece is still no less of a threat out on the wings for Canterbury, and many backlines will have their work cut out just trying to shut him down.

• In the next game, he set up Edoardo Padovani’s winning try against Wales.
• A contender for player of the 2023 World Cup by the end of the group stage because of his barnstorming runs, power in the tackle and work over the ball.
• In doing so, five members from our editorial team – split between the northern and southern hemispheres – compiled their own lists of the top 100 players on the planet.
• And, as his impressive attacking stats prove, he is a player who can “turn a game on its head with a single moment of brilliance”.

He made 10 clean breaks, beat 30 defenders, made 28 tackles and scored five tries at the tournament. Aki has won two Six Nations titles with Ireland and the Pro12 with club Connacht. “I always asked a thousand questions and a lot of times some coaches took it the wrong way, even when I was a leader or a media player,” he explained. “We’ve always been that rugby league player where people have done our health insurance and our pay and all that sort of stuff. If you haven’t looked into that while you were playing now you’ve got to go out and really get to know what the real world is all about. This issue is quite concerning for the Flying Fijians as they are one of the best Tier 2 nations in World Rugby and, quite frankly, don’t deserve to be labelled as such.

They will open this year’s tournament against favourites France, with the winner opening up the path to another perfect championship. Although it gives a team a great chance of overall success – winning the Triple Crown doesn’t always mean you win the Six Nations. The Grand Slam is the cherry on top of the cake for any team that has won the Six Nations, as this additional achievement is only awarded to a team that has won all of their matches during the tournament. The game is played by two teams of 15, with each team made up of eight forwards and seven backs. The sides all compete in one group with all the teams trying to win more points than the others. The team with the most points at the end of the tournament wins the championship.

• The same goes for Lorenzo Cannone, another up-and-coming player whose powerful tackles have cemented his place in the Italian squad.
• A link player of the highest order, Am’s eye for a gap and top notch skills to either finish or put a teammate away has revolutionized Springboks Rugby from an attacking standpoint.
• As a goal-kicker, there are few more reliable than the versatile playmaker who will not only create tries.
• The 2024 Six Nations brings with it more change than just about any of the previous ten editions of rugby’s oldest international tournament.
• Edinburgh have confirmed they expect to be without full-back Emiliano Boffelli for a large chunk of the season as the Argentine star prepares for further surgery on a longstanding back problem.
• Australian rugby is clearly feeling the effects of a disruptive tenure under Eddie Jones.Joe Schmidt has a massive job ahead of him.
• Owen Farrell’s absence presents an “important moment to one of the brightest talents in English rugby”, said Rugby Pass.
• His performance against the All Blacks in the 2019 World Cup semifinal is up there with the best individual showings of all time.

Fijian Rugby’s spiritual leader, Nayacelevu led his team to within an inch of a Rugby World Cup semifinal in 2023. England’s chop-tackling maestro is back to his best and has added another layer to his game as a game-changing carrier. Still just 27 years old, the 2019 Rugby World Cup star brings a nasty edge to an explosive England pack.

Here we take a look at five stars expected to grab the headlines when the tournament kicks off on February 2nd. “Dan Sheehan might not be a kicker but he is incredibly quick for a hooker, his set piece is good, a leader in terms of what he does, very explosive, good skill set, try scorer,” Jackman marvelled. Ex-Ireland hooker Jackman highlighted one of his fellow countrymen and a superstar of the 2024 Six Nations.

He’s the only other player on the list to earn over $1 million a year for his services. The former Scotland centre turned schools coach is taking a holistic approach to developing young players. Bestowed the crown of World Rugby Player of the Year in 2021, the recent renaissance of French rugby has largely centred around halfback Antoine Dupont. While France are currently blessed with a raft of talented youngsters who have thrust Les Bleus back to the peak of their powers, few wield the influence Dupont has on both his team and the matches he plays in. Being central to such a significant comeback after years of dormancy deserves recognition, hence why Dupont has claimed top spot in the RugbyPass Top 100. FloRugby broadcasts dozens of international rugby matches throughout the year, including the summer rugby internationals from July to September.

The return of Len Ikitau also provided much-needed defensive strength and attacking creativity. Some of the changes he made, like the elevation of Tomás Albornoz, gave the team more control in terms of game management, resulting in major improvements. There is plenty for Contepomi to build on with this Los Pumas side. There is a further update on England’s coaching situation and it is not good news for Steve Borthwick.

The captain of South Africa’s Rugby team, Siya Kolisi, makes the list at fifth. Kolisi plays for the French club Racing 92 for an estimated $800,000 to $850,000 a year. Ireland head into the World Cup as the number-one ranked side and have six players in the top 20. Defending World Cup champions South Africa have three entries, two of which are front rowers.

In response to these allegations, he FRU has disputed claims the bonuses weren’t paid or that players were left without their paychecks for long periods of time. They have also recently authorised an audit of player payments in response to the allegations made by its star players. List of England national rugby union players is a list of people who have played for the England national rugby union team.

Having been among the world’s premier players for some time now, Maro Itoje enjoyed another fruitful season in 2021. The veteran lock was a shining light in England’s below-par Six Nations campaign to become a regular test starter for the British and Irish Lions on their tour of South Africa. Itoje then capped off his year with a string of standout showings as England swept the Wallabies, Springboks and Tonga in the Autumn Nations Series. Of equal importance to the Hurricanes is the performance of their star centre, Jordie Barrett. Head coach Warren Gatland has been forced to pick one of the youngest squads of his career following retirements, transfers and injuries to key players. Arguably only the second true utility player on this list alongside Levani Botia, former sevens specialty Smith is one of the best back row players in the world.