The 100 best players in the world right now!

Sarah Mockford

Find out who makes the cut in the new issue of Rugby World

100 best rugby players in the world

The 100 Best Rugby Players in the World

Eighteen months have passed since Rugby World last compiled the ultimate list of the 100 best players in the world right now. England fly-half Owen Farrell topped the chart back then, but who is the best player in the world right now?

It’s no easy task to put together a list like this, so as well as seeking the opinions of our writers from across the globe, we brought together a panel to debate who should make the cut.

Fiji’s gold medal-winning sevens coach Ben Ryan, Wasps Ladies director of rugby Giselle Mather, Welsh broadcaster Ross Harries and Kiwi writer Liam Napier joined us for the selection meeting after this year’s European finals – and more than 200 names were thrown into the mix!

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Cutting those down to 100 meant making tough decisions. Players’ recent form has been given precedence over previous achievements – Johnny Sexton is lower down the pecking order as it hasn’t quite clicked for him in so far 2019 – and we haven’t included those who’ve struggled with injury over the past year, the likes of Taulupe Faletau and David Pocock, as there is no form to judge them on.

Comparing players across competitions, positions and genders is difficult, so we looked at players’ influence in their teams as well as their skill-sets.

Follow the links below to find out who makes the cut…

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%).

We know it will spark opinions and we don’t expect you to agree with all our choices, which is why we want to know YOUR views. Is the right person at No 1? Who is too high or too low? Who have we excluded that you think should be in?

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

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