LONG READ The best rugby commentators and pundits of the season

Rugby players always get the plaudits, but where’s the love for the pundits? For a bit of fun, here are my list of top pundits and commentators from the 2025/26 season – not in any particular order, just some of the best to take the mic*.

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Sam Warburton

Very few players dominate their rugby playing career, retire, and then instantly dominate the comms and punditry world. Warburton did just that. His approach to commentary is exactly as he played – heavy on detail and executed in a way that fans understand. Most players have in-depth knowledge of their position, and the game as a whole, but very few can convey it with brevity. To watch him speak on TV makes it clear why he was captain at every level he played at and why Gatland made him Lions’ captain twice. Warburton’s arrival on the commentary scene came at a time when the rugby public was looking for more detail from their pundits. Gone were the days of just adding a bit of colour to commentary and chatting about the emotional aspects of the game. The public wanted technical analysis and Warburton rewrote the PowerPoint for the whole of rugby comms. Still the best in the business.

John Barclay

Barclay was technically proficient as a backrow forward and he’s the same on the mic. He delivers a level of consistency of knowledge and accuracy of judgement that you could bet your house on – it’s probably why he’s named after a bank. Whilst some pundit’s opinions can change depending on the teams playing or the competition, Barclay’s opinions never deviate regardless of the occasion. Many supporters in rugby are craving complete neutrality from players and officials, but in terms of pundits that level has already been reached – by Barclay.

David Flatman

Flatman is one of those rare breeds of former props with a 1:1 ratio of mass to eloquence. Whilst some former front row forwards (on comms) tend to ‘lean into’ the stereotype of an aggressive ruck smasher, Flatman went the other way – he’s less wild, and more Wilde. Of course, his knowledge of the front row is vast, but his delivery is so refined that it makes what can be a very agricultural process (scrummaging) seem almost poetic.

Austin Healey

It’s difficult not to love the man that everyone loves to hate. His knowledge of the game is remarkable and his real-time spotting of events on the pitch is unrivalled. Whilst most are telling you what’s just happened, Healey is telling you what’s about to happen and hoping that the director will have the awareness to cut to the relevant position on the pitch. But perhaps Healey’s greatest skill is in realising that rugby comms is part of the entertainment business – and he plays the role perfectly. One minute he is the pundit, the next minute the pantomime villain. No pundit generates as many clicks as he does on social media and it’s one of the reasons why his punditry career has had longevity, which is quite an achievement in a rugby media marketplace where former players turned pundits come and go like Prime Ministers of the UK and Northern Ireland.

Chris Paterson

Perhaps the most unheralded of the rugby pundits in this list, but one of the very best. His knowledge of tactical kicking and kick defence is mesmerising and to hear him discuss defensive spacing is like listening to Plato – had Plato been more familiar with a Gilbert Size 5. But Paterson’s knowledge isn’t just what sets him apart – it’s also his delivery. He is so calm. Whereas some pundits seem like they are trying to shout their opinions directly into your brain, Paterson delivers his on a small velvet pillow. It’s like ASMR, but with a heavy focus on pendulum defence.

Ben Kay

Ben Kay was a cerebral lock. He then took that grey matter and used it to vigorously understand every single law in rugby – and I mean every single law and its variation. He is the only pundit who has the same knowledge of the laws as the referees. Whilst there can be an awkward silences with some pundits, should a grey area of rugby law arise, there is none with Kay – he knows the law, the variations and the page number. Kay is one of the pundits that I wouldn’t want to have a physical, nor a legal argument with – he’d batter me in both.

Jamie Lyall

The new kid in town. I say kid, he’s 32. But rugby commentary isn’t a game that you can just stroll into at 18. It’s a highly competitive market and to become a lead commentator in your early 30s is a feat that few achieve. Lyall is a fresh voice in a very traditional trade, and the enthusiasm in his commentary comes from a true love of the game. When Lyall commentates, he isn’t going through the motions – you get the impression that he is in the middle of the motions. Rugby needs new voices in comms, especially when attracting new eyes and ears – and Lyall is very much part of the new wave.

Miles Harrison

Miles Harrison is essentially the Chesterfield sofa of rugby commentary. Deep, plush, and timeless. To hear Harrison talking about rugby is a mellifluous experience that very few sporting commentators can deliver. His name is synonymous with all manner of test rugby, but it’s the British and Irish Lions where he has really made history. His voice is attached to some of the greatest events in Lions’ folklore and a quick scoot around ‘British & Irish Lions You Tube’ is essentially his voice-over highlight reel. There have been many great Lions’ legends over the decades and whilst Harrison may not have touched a ball, he a touched many an emotion with his comms.

Matthew Pearce

Matthew Pearce is Mr. South African rugby. He’s basically brandy and Coke in human form. Renowned for his assertive, authoritative delivery he is not only the key voice on all South African test rugby, but also now the United Rugby Championship. Five or six seasons ago, Pearce would have been a relatively unknown voice in the northern hemisphere, he is now almost as ubiquitous as Nando’s – which, as an aside, many people don’t realise is a South African concept. I digress, all commentators appreciate how privileged they are to have a commentary gig in rugby, but Pearce’s recent career has gone one step further on the privilege ladder – he gets to commentate on the current period of South African domination. But spare a thought for Pearce, it’s not all positives. Most commentators only really have to research on about 40 potential test players in their country – that is not the case for MP. Such is the depth in South African rugby that Pearce has to research and memorise about 150 players – it’s must be like having to read the Census on a daily basis.

Lauren Salter

Not a commentator, nor a pundit, but one of the most important voices in Welsh rugby. Jenkins’ level of research is remarkable and her knowledge of both onfield and off field matters in Welsh rugby is notable. To be involved in Welsh rugby media you not only have to be a rugby correspondent, but also a political correspondent – a role she handles perfectly. To see her grilling both players and rugby administrators is worthy of sponsorship from Big Green Egg. She also speaks four languages for good measure, adding to her versatility.

Grant Nisbett

For many, and rightly so, the Haka is the most obvious aural stimulus from New Zealand rugby. But not far behind is the voice of Grant Nisbett. He IS Kiwi rugby at test, Super Rugby and NPC level, and for more than 20 years has been the sound of Saturday mornings in the Williams’ household. When my children were very young, and I’d be awake at the crack of dawn, Nisbett’s voice got me through many a grim morning. To the point where Nisbett may well have been the third voice that my children heard. At some stage in the late 2010s, it was a miracle that neither of my children spoke their first words with a Wellington twang.

*These are only personal opinions. They’re not based on objective data or anything that could remotely be called a ‘scientific method’. Please bear this in mind before unleashing in the comments – or worse, keying the author’s car.