All sports are subject to ongoing debates about greatness. After all, we'll all have our favourite players, teams, franchises, etc. and not only will personal biases affect the debate, but so will the factors that we even consider.
One person's "great" mightn't even get a mention in another person's list. Here, we've put together 15 great rugby players, but feel free to add any glaring omissions in the comments!
In this list, we haven't ranked them. Instead, there's a good selection of excellent rugby players and we'll let you decide who you think the very best is since not everyone values different aspects of the game equally.
What we can say is that everyone of us would love to have a fraction of the talent displayed by these players during their careers.
Brian O'Driscoll (1979- )
Brian O'Driscoll is one of Ireland's most famous players. In terms of stats and records, he's one of the most-capped rugby union players ever (4th at the time of writing) and the 8th-highest try scorer in international rugby union history.
He captained Ireland 83 times as well as the British & Irish Lions 8 times.
He was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2016.
One of the most impressive things about all his achievements is the fact that he grew up playing Gaelic football before switching to rugby, which didn't seem to hinder him in any way, shape, or form!
Colin Meads (1936-2017)
Colin Meads was a New Zealand rugby player who typically played as a lock or number eight. For many, he's New Zealand's greatest-ever player.
He was in the International Rugby Hall of Fame (IRHOF) until its integration into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2014. He still remains in the World Rugby Hall of Fame, with his induction taking place at the time of the merger.
He was famous for his physicality, which at 1.92m and 102kg, was put to good use. He was also incredibly tough, having even once finished a match with a fractured arm!
Dan Carter (1982- )
Dan Carter is another of New Zealand's greatest rugby players who typically played first five-eighth and second five-eighth.
He earned 112 caps for New Zealand while also playing his domestic rugby around the world for Canterbury, Crusaders, Perpignan, Racing 92, and Kobelco Steelers.
He won the Rugby World Cup with New Zealand in 2011 and 2015 as well as The Rugby Championship 9 times between 2003 and 2014.
He's currently the record holder for points scored in rugby union test matches with 1598, over 200 more than Owen Farrell in second place.
David Campese (1962- )
David Campese (or Campo) is an Australian rugby player who now, like many retired players, works in broadcasting and punditry.
Campeses played as a wing or fullback and after playing, also went on to coach, working for the Singapore national side, Sharks, and the Tonga sevens rugby team.
With Australia, he won the Rugby World Cup in 1991.
Francois Pienaar (1967- )
Francois Pienaar is a South African rugby player. He's famous for being the captain of the South African rugby team that won the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa.
He was also the subject of the movie Invictus in which he was portrayed by Hollywood actor Matt Damon.
He predominantly played as a flanker. His domestic rugby was played for the English rugby team Saracens, a team he also coached for 2 years after his playing career.
Gareth Edwards (1947- )
Gareth Edwards is a Welsh scrum-half who played most of his international rugby during the 1960s and 1970s.
He's considered by many to be the greatest ever Welsh rugby player and earned 53 caps for Wales as well as 10 for the British and Irish Lions, including the 1971 Lions team that won a series in New Zealand and were unbeaten in 1974 in South Africa.
George Gregan (1973- )
George Gregan is Australia's most-capped player with 139 appearances for the Wallabies. With Australia, he won the Rugby World Cup in 1999, the Tri-Nations (now The Rugby Championship) in 2000 and 2001, and the Bledisloe Cup 6 times between 1994 and 2002.
John Eales (1970- )
John Eales is another Australian rugby player who played as a lock or number 8 during his career.
He is one of very few Australians to have won the Rugby World Cup twice, with Australia's two Rugby World Cup victories coming 8 years apart.
Many more New Zealand and South African players also enjoy this honour as their sides had subsequent victories in World Cups in 2011 and 2015 and 2019 and 2023 respectively. Eales shares this exclusive honour with just 4 of his compatriots.
Jonah Lomu (1975-2015)
Jonah Lomu was a New Zealand wing and number 8 who is likely to be the most famous rugby player ever. Even for those outside of rugby, Jonah Lomu was likely a household name but not everyone ranks him as #1.
He was a part of the New Zealand sides that finished runners-up in the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa and third place in the 1999 tournament in Wales.
He represented New Zealand 73 times during his professional international career between 1994 and 2002.
Jonny Wilkinson (1979- )
Jonny Wilkinson is another of those rugby players known outside the sport, at least in England after he scored the winning drop goal in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final to bring them their first and only Rugby World Cup.
Wilkinson represented England 91 times during his career and the British & Irish Lions 6 times. Since retiring from professional rugby, he now works predominantly as a television pundit in the UK for international rugby tournaments like the Six Nations Championship and the Rugby World Cup.
Joost van der Westhuizen (1971-2017)
Joost van der Westhuizen was a South African scrum-half. He was part of the South African side that won the Rugby World Cup in Johannesburg in 1995 and also finished third in the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
In 2011, van der Westhuizen was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. He died in 2017 aged just 45.
Martin Johnson (1970- )
Martin Johnson is an English rugby player and lock. He represented England 84 times between 1993 and 2003 and was part of the Rugby World Cup-winning England side in 2003.
The same year, Johnson played in four of England's five matches in the 2003 Six Nations Championship, where England won every match.
Johnson was also part of four other Six Nations victories with England between 1995 and 2003, two of which were grand slams.
Michael Jones (1965- )
Michael Jones is a New Zealand rugby player, flanker, and number 8. He represented New Zealand in the 1980s and 1990s a total of 55 times.
With New Zealand, he won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 and the Tri Nations (now The Rugby Championship) twice in 1996 and 1997.
Richie McCaw (1980- )
Richie McCaw is a New Zealand rugby player who was mostly a flanker or number 8. He represented New Zealand 148 times.
McCaw holds several records including the most World Rugby Player of the Year Awards, the most-capped player until 2020, and the record for most appearances at the Rugby World Cup.
He captained the New Zealand sides that won the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and 2015. He also won the Tri Nations/The Rugby Championship 10 times with New Zealand and came runners-up 3 times during an era that cemented New Zealand's position as one of rugby's greatest nations.
Sergio Parisse (1983- )
Sergio Parisse is an Italian rugby player. Though Parisse was born in La Plata, Argentina, and grew up there, he was raised by Italian parents in an Italian-speaking household.
He represented Italy 142 times between 2002 and 2019, though he could have also represented Argentina.
While playing for Italy didn't come with any Six Nations or Rugby World Cup titles, Parisse was present for and instrumental in some of Italy's biggest wins.
In the 2013 Six Nations Championship, Italy beat both France and Ireland, both avoiding the Wooden Spoon and enjoying one of their most successful tournaments ever and the first time Italy had ever beaten Ireland.
Learn to Play Rugby with Superprof
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While face-to-face coaching is usually better for hands-on skills like playing rugby and other sports, you could still benefit from online coaching, especially if you're looking for training plans, diets, etc. Online tutors and coaches tend to charge less per hour, too.
Just search for rugby coaches where you live and start finding the perfect coach today!
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