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.
At least in an article form.
FloRugby analyst and reporter Philip Bendon has seen quite a few Rugby World Cups and is as plugged into the sports as any reporter in
Bendon recently undertook the daunting task of ranking the top 100 rugby players in the world.
Here is Bendon’s top 20 rugby players. Read the full series at FloRugby.com.
Dynamic, physical and creative, Dupont is the complete package and is head and shoulders above the rest as the best player in the world.
Sucking up the gut punch of being dumped out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in brutal fashion, the French maestro has led his club side Toulouse to the Investec Champions Cup and Top 14 titles in 2024, as well as taken the rugby sevens world by storm, leading France to two titles ahead of the Olympics.
Sitting comfortably in the pantheon of all-time greats at just 27 years old, Dupont is this generation’s Jonah Lomu.
Nipping at Dupont’s heels, All Blacks superstar and reigning World Player Of The Year Savea easily is New Zealand’s best player in this era.
Taking over the mantle from Kieran Reid and Richie McCaw as the talisman in the All Blacks pack, Savea is a combative force who is at the heart of everything for which New Zealand Rugby stands
A colossus in every sense of the word, Pieter-Steph Du Toit (PSDT) gave the All Blacks PTSD in the 2023 World Cup final, where he completed a whopping 28 tackles, most of which were dominant collisions.
Nearly losing his leg to an infection a few years back, PSDT had one of his father’s hamstrings surgically implanted into his knee.
Understanding the ‘why’ in terms of what the Springboks play for, PSDT matches his playing ability with an unrelenting passion for his country and is a key leader for the back-to-back world champions.
