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RugbyPass Top 100: Picking the 60th to 51st best players in the world
Who is the best player in the world? It’s a question every rugby fan has an answer for, but rarely are any two answers the same.
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That’s why RugbyPass has undertaken a comprehensive deep dive into the last 12 months of test rugby to formulate an answer of our own.
In doing so, five members from our editorial team – split between the northern and southern hemispheres – compiled their own lists of the top 100 players on the planet.
From there, the cumulative lists were averaged out to create the RugbyPass Top 100, an overall list of the 100 best players on the planet based primarily on test rugby performances in 2021.
Other factors that, to a lesser extent, contributed to how players were ranked included test rugby performances from previous years, the influence of a player within their team, and how players fared at club and domestic level.
However, in essence, the RugbyPass Top 100 is a celebration of the stars who shone the brightest on rugby’s biggest stage last year.
That celebration continues today by announcing the players ranked 60-51, with the remainder of the list to be released over the course of the next two weeks.
60: Steven Kitshoff
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Age: 29
Test caps: 57
Nation: South Africa
Club: Stormers
Springboks prop Stephen Kitshoff is just one part of the humming pack that has rarely taken a step back over the past four years and, more often than not, well and truly dealt to their opposition, regardless of their calibre. Kitshoff has almost permanently remained a bench player for the Springboks, with 42 of his 57 appearances coming from the pine – although that’s not an indication of the strength and prowess the man possesses. At just 29 years of age, Kitshoff is only now coming into his prime as a scrummager – which should a scary thought for the opponents he’s dismantled in recent seasons.
59: Akira Ioane
Age: 26
Test caps: 13
Nation: New Zealand
Club: Blues
Despite his obvious potential from a young age, it’s taken Akira Ioane more time than many expected for the back-rower to break into the test arena – but he’s made almost every play a winner since finally earning selection in the All Blacks last year. Ioane could be the answer to New Zealand’s struggles in the blindside flanker role, with the former sevens star regularly leaving destruction in his wake. The big challenge for Ioane is to ensure that he delivers A+ performances against all opposition, with the big loose forward not struggling to assert himself against the likes of the Springboks and France in 2021.
58: Andrew Kellaway
Age: 26
Test caps: 9
Nationality: Australia
Club: Rebels
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Andrew Kellaway was an unsurprising nomination for World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year award and was arguably the most deserving of the title, given both Will Jordan and Louis Rees-Zammit actually debuted in 2020. The ball seemed to follow Kellaway last year, with the prodigious winger touching down for eight tries throughout the season. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Kellaway’s elevation in the Wallabies’ ranks, however, is the path he’s followed to get there, playing in Australia, New Zealand, England and Japan before finally earning his debut off the back of a strong season with the Rebels in 2021.
57: Trevor Nyakane
Age: 32
Test caps: 52
Nation: South Africa
Club: Bulls
As the fourth Springboks prop on the list, Trevor Nyakane highlights the exceptional depth that South Africa possesses in the frontrow, especially after factoring in the likes of hookers Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx. Like his fellow Springboks, Nyakane is useful around the field but incredibly dominant at scrum time and his ability to cover both sides of the scrum at test level is a credit to the work the man has done off the field in recent years. While Nyakane started out his career as a super-sub for the Springboks, playing 35 of his first 37 matches off the pine, he took over as their first-choice tighthead prop throughout much of 2021.
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56: Garry Ringrose
Age: 26
Test caps:36
Nation: Ireland
Club: Leinster
Staying injury-free has seemingly been the biggest challenge for Garry Ringrose throughout his still burgeoning test career, with the Irish midfield taking to test rugby like a fish to water. 2021, like many years gone by, was not the easiest season for Ringrose, with the talented centre clocking up just three appearances in the Six Nations, and three during the Autumn Nations Series. Still, Ringrose has shown time and time again that with a run of injury-free matches, he has all the skills necessary to be a world-class midfielder – especially given his ever-growing combination with fellow Leinster representative Robbie Henshaw.
55: Robbie Henshaw
Age: 28
Test caps: 53
Nation: Ireland
Club: Leinster
Somewhat unsurprisingly, given many people’s difficulties separating Leinster and Irish teammates Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw, the two occupy consecutive spots on the RugbyPass Top 100 players list for 2022. As with Ringrose, injuries haven’t always been kind to Henshaw, but he’s managed to stay on the park and earn some considerable minutes over the past few seasons, and was used as the starting outside centre by the British and Irish Lions in all three of their tests against the Springboks. Henshaw has always been earmarked for great things – ostensibly the heir-apparent to the great Brian O’Driscoll – and he’s now starting to consistently deliver on all that potential.
54: Aaron Smith
Age: 33
Test caps: 102
Nation: New Zealand
Club: Highlanders
The fact that Aaron Smith has been able to by and large maintain his exceptionally high standards since his debut back in 2012 until now is a sign of just how professional the halfback is. Many still consider Smith the greatest No 9 in the world and while he started off the year in electric form, his lack of availability in the latter half of the season certainly harmed his overall place in the pecking order for the Top 100. The All Blacks are a different team without their first-ever scrumhalf centurion running operations from the base of the ruck and with Smith set to return to the fold in 2022, that could be all that NZ needs to start ticking back into top gear.
53: Duhan van der Merwe
Age: 26
Test caps: 16
Nation: Scotland
Club: Worcester
Duhan van der Merwe is one of the new wave of Scottish players that’s helped transform the team from Six Nations also-rans to a formidable force. The South African-born winger was one of the pick of the British and Irish Lions’ players when they toured South Africa last year and his sizeable frame made him a useful weapon for the Lions under the high ball thanks to his ability to disrupt the opposition. Of course, no winger is complete without an eye for the try-line and Van der Merwe touched down five times during the 2021 Six Nations series, the most of any player in the competition.
The RugbyPass Top 100 continues to count down the top players in the world 👀 https://t.co/xv55M3fa9E
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 5, 2022
52: Len Ikitau
Age: 23
Test caps: 11
Nation: Australia
Club: Brumbies
While Andrew Kellaway was busy scoring tries out wide for the Wallabies this season, Len Ikitau was performing equally as important a role further in-field, shutting down countless opposition attacks with some expertly timed rushes on defence. In just his first season of test rugby, Ikitau looked like a seasoned defender and after watching the 23-year-old perform for the Wallabies, it’s no surprise that Dave Rennie selected the young midfielder despite only having limited experience at Super Rugby level. Ikitau has a hugely bright future in the game, if 2021 is anything to go by, and the Brumbies centre will look to build from his test performances when Super Rugby Pacific kicks off next month.
51: Andrew Porter
Age: 25
Test caps: 39
Nation: Ireland
Club: Leinster
Andrew Porter has quickly established himself as a key cog in the Ireland engine room and the heir-apparent to Tadhg Furlong – although he’s also proven himself capable on the loosehead side of the scrum when called upon. After debuting for Ireland in 2017 and playing second-fiddle to the likes of Furlong and John Ryan, few Irish supporters would now have any concerns seeing Porter named to pack down the scrum as the starting No 3, regardless of who he’d be butting heads with at the set-piece. With 39 caps to his name already and at just 25 years of age, Porter is on track for a lengthy career with the Irish national side.
Comments on RugbyPass
Dagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
4 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
36 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to comments