As one of the most popular sports on the globe, rugby fans are always trying to answer the big question about who the best rugby players are to ever play the sport. Rugby’s popularity has spread beyond Great Britain and is now played on all continents, with nearly seven million players worldwide.
In the Western Hemisphere, Argentina has positioned itself as one of the top countries, with many notable international accomplishments. Playing at the best online casino may also give fans the option of wagering on rugby, which is now a popular market among sports bettors.
All popular spectator sports will have certain players that will leave a legacy of incredible plays and records at the end of their careers, with a generation of young fans that aspire to follow in their footsteps.
Gareth Edwards
Gareth Edwards, a former Rugby Union player from Wales, has been long considered to be the greatest rugby union player ever to have played for the Welsh national team. He scored 88 points in 53 matches between 1967 and 1978.
He was also a 12-season player for Cardiff RFC. In his 195 matches, he scored 69 try. In a 2003 Rugby World magazine poll, Edwards was named the greatest player ever. He is also one of the few Welsh national team players who has won three Grand Slams.
Zinzan Brooke
Zinzan Brooke was a legendary flanker for New Zealand and a captain of the Auckland Blues. In 1996 and 1997, he led them to Super 12 championships. He also played 42 matches in non-international for the team.
Brooke had 17 tries in Test matches, which was the record for a forward at the time of his retirement. The Telegraph in 2007 ranked him eighth on their list of 50 Greatest Rugby Players.
Jonny Wilkinson
Jonny Wilkinson is best known for scoring the game-winning goal for England in the last minute of extra time in the 2003 World Cup final against Australia and is known as one the greatest to ever play in rugby union.
England was victorious in 67 of the 91 games he played in, and Wilkinson holds the record for points in the Rugby World Cup with 277. He’s also the only player to score in two World Cup finals.
Dan Carter
Dan Carter, a former New Zealand rugby union player, is the highest-scoring Test match rugby player ever and is widely regarded as one of the all-time best in the game. He was an All Blacks player who scored 1,442 points and earned 100 caps. He was also the leader of his country to the 2011 Rugby World Cup title and racked up six Tri-Nations Rugby Championships.
Carter won four Super Rugby Championships with the Crusaders and was also named Rebel Sport’s player of the Year twice in 2004 and 2006. The International Rugby Board also named him player of the Year in 2005 and 2012.
Brian O’Driscoll
Brian O’Driscoll is the most respected outside center in the history and evolution of the sport. His popularity was such that he was able to wear T-shirts with the words “In BOD We Trust” at his matches. From 2003 to 2012, he was Ireland’s captain and played in 141 matches, with 83 of them as captain.
O’Driscoll is still the most captained Irish rugby player in rugby union history. O’Driscoll is also the 8th-best international try scorer and has the highest number of try-scores for Ireland. His name is one that always stands out in rugby conversations.
Richie McCaw
Holder of the New Zealand title of “Player of the Decade,” Richie McCaw was the first player for the national team to reach 100 caps and the first to win 100 tests. He was named Rugby World Player of the Year on three occasions in 2006, 2009, and 2010. His superior athletic skills helped him dominate the game with no weaknesses.
McCaw’s inspirational leadership also helped make him the best All Black player ever. He captained the team in 110 of 148 test matches and is the record holder for the most capped test rugby player in history.
