Throughout its history, Super Rugby has taken on many forms. From a limited competition in Australia and New Zealand to including many of the major rugby-playing nations of the Southern Hemisphere and even Asian teams, one thing has remained consistent: the high quality of the competition's very best players.
Today, we'll see some of the finest players to have participated in the tournament, considering the best overall, top try scorers, top points scorers, the most successful players, and the players with the most appearances.
The Top 10 Super Rugby Players of All Time
The 10 players listed here are more of a subjective list that includes 10 excellent players who have played a lot of rugby in different positions and achieved a lot of success in Super Rugby.
Richie McCaw – Crusaders
Richie McCaw, known for his relentless work ethic and ability to win turnovers, was the driving force behind the Crusaders' dominance. His leadership was crucial to the team's most successful era.
Dan Carter – Crusaders
Another player who was a massive part of the Crusaders' success, Dan Carter, was the greatest fly-half of his generation. Tactically brilliant, his goal-kicking immensely helped the Crusaders to three titles.
George Gregan – Brumbies
George Gregan was a scrum-half for the Brumbies. His decision-making and leadership helped the Brumbies become Australia's most successful Super Rugby team, winning titles in the early 2000s.
Ma'a Nonu – Hurricanes, Blues, Highlanders
Ma'a Nonu was a centre for the Hurricanes, Blues, and Highlanders. He is famous for his powerful runs and offloading skills.
Christian Cullen – Hurricanes
Fast and brilliant on the counter-attack, Cullen was an excellent player for the Hurricanes in the early years of Super Rugby.
Bryan Habana – Bulls, Stormers
Bryan Habana was one of the most dangerous wingers in Super Rugby, thanks to his pace and finishing ability.
Victor Matfield – Bulls
Victor Matfield's leadership and lineout expertise helped the Bulls achieve great success in the late 2000s, winning three Super Rugby titles with the team.
Beauden Barrett – Hurricanes, Blues
Beauden Barrett has been a versatile player for the Hurricanes and the Blues, winning the Super Rugby title with the former. He was IRB Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and nominated in 2018.
Kieran Read – Crusaders
Kieran Read is a highly decorated Super Rugby player, winning 4 Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders across a hugely successful decade for the team.
He was a cornerstone of the team's success and a fine example of a player with longevity.
Damian McKenzie – Chiefs
Damian McKenzie, a fearless fullback/fly-half and a fan favourite for the Chiefs, is known for his ability to create tries. His contributions to the team's success are noteworthy and appreciated by fans and teammates alike.
Top 10 Super Rugby Try Scorers
While try scorers aren't the only important players in a Super Rugby team, it's still worth recognising the incredible achievements of those who scored more tried than any other in Super Rugby history.
TJ Perenara holds the record for the most tries in Super Rugby history, scoring 63 tries for the Hurricanes.
Christian Cullen, Bryan Habana, and Ma'a Nonu all feature in both lists, but here are the top 10 Super Rugby try scorers:
- TJ Perenara – Hurricanes – 63 tries
- Julian Savea – Hurricanes, Moana Pasifika – 62 tries
- Israel Folau – Waratahs – 60 tries
- Doug Howlett – Highlanders, Hurricanes, Blues – 59 tries
- Caleb Ralph – Chiefs, Blues, Crusaders – 58 tries
- Joe Roff – Brumbies – 57 tries
- Christian Cullen – Hurricanes – 56 tries
- Bryan Habana – Bulls, Stormers – 56 tries
- Stirling Mortlock – Brumbies, Rebels – 56 tries
- Ma'a Nonu – Hurricanes, Blues, Highlanders – 56 tries
Julian Savea, known as "The Bus," scored 62 tries, making him the second-highest try scorer in Super Rugby history.
Top 10 Super Rugby Points Scorers
Much like with tries, it's worthwhile considering the players to have amassed the most points during their careers in Super Rugby.
Dan Carter is the all-time leading points scorer in Super Rugby, with 1,708 points for the Crusaders.
We've already seen Dan Carter and Beauden Barrett. Still, there are other players whose conversions, penalties, and drop goals contributed to the top teams' successes.
- Dan Carter – Crusaders – 1,708 points
- Morne Steyn – Bulls – 1,467 points
- Beauden Barrett – Hurricanes, Blues – 1,234 points
- Bernard Foley – Waratahs – 1,225 points
- Andrew Mehrtens – Crusaders – 990 points
- Elton Jantjies – Lions, Stormers – 989 points
- Matt Burke – Waratahs – 959 points
- Quade Cooper – Reds, Rebels – 944 points
- Aaron Cruden – Chiefs – 925 points
- Grant Fox – Blues – 917 points
Top 10 Most Successful Super Rugby Players (Titles Won)
While not necessarily true, good players typically end up in successful teams. While there are plenty of examples of great players who ended their careers without a Super Rugby title, here are the players who ended up with the most.
Again, you'll start to recognise names like Richie McCaw, Kieran Read, Dan Carter, Victor Matfield, Morne Steyn, and Julian Savea, as these players feature in either the lists of top 10 players, top points scorers, or top try scorers.
- Wyatt Crockett – Crusaders – 4 Titles
- Richie McCaw – Crusaders – 4 Titles
- Kieran Read – Crusaders – 4 Titles
- Sam Whitelock – Crusaders – 4 Titles
- Dan Carter – Crusaders – 3 Titles
- Victor Matfield – Bulls – 3 Titles
- Morne Steyn – Bulls – 3 Titles
- Stephen Moore – Brumbies, Reds – 2 Titles
- David Pocock – Brumbies – 2 Titles
- Julian Savea – Hurricanes – 1 Title
Kieran Read, another Crusaders legend, also secured four Super Rugby titles and earned 156 caps during his career.
Top 10 Super Rugby Appearances
Last but not least, we need to honour the players with the longevity to have played hundreds of games of Super Rugby.
Anyone who's played rugby will know how physically demanding the sport is. These players, who played at the highest level of club rugby in the Southern Hemisphere, demonstrated their commitment and endurance by playing a significant number of games.
With Richie McCaw, Kieran Read, Victor Matfield, Wyatt Crockett, and Stephen Moore appearing in this list, it goes to show that the more you can show up at the matches, the greater your chances of being the best.
Wyatt Crockett also holds the record for the most Super Rugby appearances, playing 202 matches for the Crusaders.
- Wyatt Crockett – Crusaders – 202 appearances
- Liam Messam – Chiefs – 179 appearances
- James Slipper – Brumbies, Reds – 178 appearances
- Stephen Moore – Reds, Brumbies – 176 appearances
- George Smith – Brumbies – 164 appearances
- Nathan Sharpe – Western Force, Reds – 162 appearances
- Kieran Read – Crusaders – 156 appearances
- Adam Ashley-Cooper – Waratahs, Brumbies, Reds – 154 appearances
- Richie McCaw – Crusaders – 145 appearances
- Victor Matfield – Bulls – 142 appearances
We've highlighted so far the players who appeared across multiple lists. The standout players across these include Richie McCaw, Kieran Read, Victor Matfield, and Dan Carter. All of these players are listed as top players, as well as two of the other lists (either top points scorers, most titles, or top appearances).
Surprisingly, none of the top try scorers featured in three of our lists, which shows how important everyone on a Super Rugby team is, not just those scoring the tries.
Here, you can see how the top players are featured in several lists.
| Player | Top Players | Top Try Scorers | Top Points Scorers | Most Successful | Top Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richie McCaw | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (4 Titles) | ✅ (145 Caps) |
| Kieran Read | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (4 Titles) | ✅ (156 Caps) |
| Victor Matfield | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (3 Titles) | ✅ (142 Caps) |
| Dan Carter | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ (1,708 Points) | ✅ (3 Titles) | ❌ |
| Beauden Barrett | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ (1,234 Points) | ❌ | ❌ |
| Wyatt Crockett | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (4 Titles) | ✅ (202 Caps) |
| Stephen Moore | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (2 Titles) | ✅ (176 Caps) |
| Julian Savea | ❌ | ✅ (62 Tries) | ❌ | ✅ (1 Title) | ❌ |
| Morne Steyn | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (1,467 Points) | ✅ (3 Titles) | ❌ |
| Christian Cullen | ✅ | ✅ (56 Tries) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Across multiple formats and eras, Super Rugby has produced some of the best talent the world of Rugby has ever seen in the southern hemisphere (and Japan for a brief spell).
From the legendary players whose leadership and skill have brought their teams many victories to the unrelenting players who have shown up across hundreds of matches, it's impossible to do them all justice in a single article.
Whether scoring tries, scoring points, winning titles, or just playing incredible rugby, we hope we've included your favourite Super Rugby players.
If not, please let us know in the comments who'd be worthy of inclusion in a top list or which stats we could have also considered to fairly honour the best of the best!
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