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RugbyPass Top 100: Picking the 70th to 61st 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.
The countdown to find the best player on the planet has begun as the first players included in the RugbyPass Top 100 have been unveiled. #RugbyPassTop100 https://t.co/dPeo57SIZi
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 3, 2022
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 70-61, with the remainder of the list to be released over the course of the next two weeks.
70: Brodie Retallick
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Age: 30
Test caps: 92
Nation: New Zealand
Club: Chiefs
Former World Rugby Player of the Year Brodie Retallick was once considered the pre-eminent lock in world rugby. After debuting for both the Chiefs and All Blacks in 2012, Retallick quickly made a name for himself as a bruising ball-carrier with silky soft hands and has regularly been employed as a link forward in the middle of the park. An injury in 2019 meant he only played a minor role in New Zealand’s run at the World Cup while a sabbatical coupled with the global pandemic has seen the big second-rower operating with a relatively light load over the past two seasons. Expect Retallick to make a big impact upon his return to the Chiefs this year, after spending the past two seasons representing Kobelco Steelers in Japan.
69: Pablo Matera
Age: 28
Test caps: 78
Nation: Argentina
Club: Crusaders
Although Pablo Matera has been an exceptional loose forward for Los Pumas for the better part of a decade, it was his performances during the 2020 Tri-Nations that really set tongues wagging. The specialist blindside flanker was a constant thorn in the sides of the All Blacks and Wallabies and although there were some off-field issues later that season, no one should doubt the prowess of the punishing 28-year-old. 2022 will see Matera represent the Crusaders in Super Rugby Pacific after previously playing for the Jaguares against that same side during the 2019 Super Rugby final.
68: Ben Youngs
Age: 32
Test caps: 111
Nation: England
Club: Leicester Tigers
England’s second-most capped player of all-time, Ben Youngs, has been a constant figure in the national side since his debut against Scotland during the 2010 Six Nations. With 112 games under his belt, Youngs is set to take over as the most capped English player outright when he inevitably runs onto the park for Eddie Jones’ side during the coming tournament. Youngs first made an impression as a snappy running scrumhalf with an eye for a gap and while he’s now over a decade older than when he was first elevated into the test arena, his running game is still right up there with the best while his tactical prowess has only improved.
67: Gael Fickou
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Age: 27
Test caps: 66
Nation: France
Club: Racing 92
Gael Fickou was a player that outwardly boasted immense potential from the moment he debuted for France as an 18-year-old. Still just 27, Fickou is capable of playing across the backline but has found a home for himself in Les Bleus’ midfield. While the hype surrounding Fickou hasn’t quite reached the same levels it did when he first appeared on the scene, the talented utility back is starting to again demand plenty of attention from the top analysts in the game and with a World Cup on home soil coming up, Fickou could go down as one of the top players of the era.
66: Codie Taylor
Age: 30
Test caps: 56
Nation: New Zealand
Club: Crusaders
Like many of his teammates, Codie Taylor appeared to suffer from the stop-start nature of the 2021 season, with few All Blacks ever able to notch up more than two or three matches on the trot due to the extensive schedule and fluctuations in the level of their opposition from week to week. Still, Taylor remains arguably the top running hooker in the game and is constantly accurate with his lineout delivery, even if his influence across the park didn’t quite reach the same heights this year as we’ve come to expect from the supremely talented rake. Don’t be surprise to see Taylor bounce back in a big way in 2022.
65: Paul Willemse
Age: 29
Test caps: 19
Nation: France
Club: Montpellier
Born in South Africa and schooled in Namibia, Paul Willemse eventually found a permanent home in France, where he’s now represented Montpellier for six seasons and earned his debut appearance for the French national side in the 2019 Six Nations. Although Willemse was not needed at that year’s World Cup, the second-rower has since made strides in the national pecking order and earned 11 starts in the two seasons since, forming strong combinations with the likes of Bernard le Roux and Romain Taofifenua.
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64: Courtney Lawes
Age: 32
Test caps: 89
Nation: England
Club: Northampton
After earning his formative caps as a second-rower, Courtney Lawes has reasserted his place in the England squad by taking over as the first-choice blindside flanker and made his first appearance as captain against Tonga during last year’s November internationals. While Lawes’ prowess in the air made him a more than competent lock, his dynamic work around the field has helped him grow into a world-class backrower while also ensuring England has one of the most oppressive lineouts in the business. At 32, Lawes will be looking to make one final surge towards greatness ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
63: Melvyn Jaminet
Age: 22
Test caps: 6
Nation: France
Club: Perpignan
Was there a greater bolter last year than France’s Melvyn Jaminet, the man who started the season playing in the Pro D2 before earning a call-up for Les Bleus’ tour to Australia and eventually emerging as one of the top fullbacks in world rugby? Few had heard Jaminet’s name prior to his selection for France in July but the goal-kicking utility back made every play a great one throughout 2022 and was unsurprisingly courted by clubs across France before eventually signing for Toulouse, who he will link up with following the current season. At just 22, Jaminet is set for a big future in the blue of France.
62: Rob Valetini
Age: 23
Test caps: 16
Nation: Australia
Club: Brumbies
While Australia have never struggled to produce excellent openside flankers, they’ve been lacking in the other backrower positions in recent years. In 2021, however, Rob Valetini was one of the loose forwards to really step up on the international stage and put in some punishing hits on opposition players when the given the opportunity. Valetini first debuted for the Wallabies ahead of the 2019 World Cup but managed just one cap throughout the year, then notched another three last season. In 2021, however, Valetini was on deck for 12 of Australia’s 14 fixtures and has firmly entrenched himself as their starting number 8.
61: Franco Mostert
Age: 31
Test caps: 49
Nation: South Africa
Club: Honda Heat
Such is the prevalence of flanker-lock hybrids in South Africa that it is starting to become a position in itself, and France Mostert is just one of the many supremely talented stars of the current Springboks side vying for time in either the second or third rows. Mostert is certainly well-travelled in rugby terms, having played professionally in South Africa, England and now Japan, where has is gearing up for a third season in Mie with Honda Heat. The behemoth of a forward has all the big-game temperament needed to be a world-class lock and after featuring throughout the knockout stages of the 2019 World Cup and earning two starts against the British and Irish Lions in 2021, it seems to not matter who the Springboks field in their forward pack, they’re going to be just as capable as any other top-level player on the planet.
Comments on RugbyPass
Wow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
1 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
12 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
1 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
1 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
16 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
16 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to comments