100 best rugby players in the world right now – 2019 edtition

Who is the best player in the world? In the new issue of Rugby World magazine we countdown the 100 best players in the world right now.

It’s 18 months since we last ran the list, when England fly-half Owen Farrell topped the chart, and it always causes plenty of debate, so we’re expecting plenty of feedback from you!

The list of the 100 players was put together by Rugby World’s expert panel, which included Olympic gold medal-winning sevens coach Ben Ryan, Wasps Ladies director of rugby Giselle Mather, broadcaster Ross Harries and Kiwi writer Liam Napier as well as the magazine’s editorial team.

We gave recent form precedence over past achievements and looked at players’ influence and importance in their teams – club and country – as well as skill-sets.

New Zealand have the highest representation of players on the list, with 21, followed by England (17), South Africa (12) and Wales (10). There are also nine Irish players and five Scots, with 15 countries represented in all.

The age of players spans from 21 to 37, while the most common positions are back three (19%) and back row (18%).

Pick up a copy of the new issue to see the complete list, with profiles of all 100 players as well as interviews with several of them.

Be sure to let us know what you think of the list using the hashtag #RW100 on Twitter and Instagram (@rugbyworldmag), getting in touch via Facebook (Rugby World Magazine) or by emailing rugbyworldletters@ti-media.com

As well as the 100 best players countdown, the new edition of Rugby World features an in-depth report on the life of journeymen players. The word often has negative connotations but RW’s Alan Dymock talks to lower-profile players who are making a living from the sport and having plenty of adventures along the way.

We also join Bath’s winger-singer Levi Davis for a gig to find out about his twin ambitions in sport and music. Plus, there’s a feature on three Frampton Cotterell players who have played more than 800 senior games for the club.

All in all, there’s something for everyone in the new August issue of Rugby World magazine.

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