Top 100 Men’s Rugby Players of 2024: Who made the cut?

It started out as a simple idea: let’s rank the 100 best men’s rugby players in the world. Easy enough, or so we thought. Eleven writers, fiery debates and thousands of words later, today sees the launch of the inaugural RugbyPass Top 100 Men’s Rugby Players list.

So who truly stands above the rest? We’ve attempted to answer that by rolling up our sleeves, putting systems in place and pulling together a comprehensive 100-1 list of names, bolstered by a team of esteemed RugbyPass writers from all over the globe.

How we did it

Chaired by Long Reads editor Owain Jones, we aimed to make the list as rigorous and fair as possible, aiming to capture the full picture by melding consistency, leadership, innate talent and even the players’ impact on the game beyond the white lines.

The expert panel of writers and contributors from all corners of the rugby world each brought their ‘boots on the ground’ knowledge and judicious perspective to the table.

From Argentina’s Frankie Deges to South Africa’s Jon Cardinelli, France’s Gavin Mortimer to New Zealand’s Gregor Paul, we’ve covered both hemispheres and multiple angles.

With 11 writers from nine different countries, this truly is a global effort that is backed up with over 21,000 words, blending seasoned analysis and subjective insight to showcase rugby’s finest players, from household names to rising stars.

The Debate Starts Here

This isn’t just a closed ranking – it’s an invitation to debate and celebrate the players that make up the game we love.

With launch day today, 100-81 is now live for you to dive into, and within a week you’ll be able to view the full list of 100, no doubt tearing it apart but hopefully nodding along in agreement for the most part!

You can now view the list, and we’ll gradually release more players: Top 100 Men’s Rugby Players 2024.

Have Your Say

We’re looking forward to hearing what you have to say so feel free to digest the list as names are released and share your thoughts with us in the comments as we build up to the reveal of the much anticipated top 10, pencilled in for Thursday 12th December.

Who would you pick in the top ten?