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Top rugby players of past 25 years: Four All Blacks dominate experts' list

By Online Editors
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Four All Black greats have featured heavily in a South African magazine’s list of the greatest test rugby players of the past 25 years.

Respected rugby publication SA Rugby Mag released the lists of starting XVs and bench selections from five of its pundits, all of whom picked All Black greats Christian Cullen, Dan Carter, Kieran Read and Richie McCaw in their teams.

The Kiwi foursome were the only players in the world to make all five teams – the next best being former Springbok Victor Matfield who was picked four times.

The SA Rugby Mag pundits – who included Jon Cardinelli, Craig Lewis, Wade Pretorius, Mariette Adams and Dylan Jackson – had universal praise for the four All Blacks.

Lewis called Cullen “one of the most devastating fullbacks the game has ever had”, Cardelli labelled Carter “the quintessential all-round threat”, Adams said Read was “the dynamic master of all trades in world rugby” and Pretorious praised McCaw as “one of the all-time greats and a superstar of the sport choosing any metric”.

Lewis and Pretorious selected nine All Blacks in their starting lineups, Cardellli and Adams went for seven, and Jack picked six.

Former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick made hooker in three of the teams. Pretorius even went for an all-New Zealand front row of Owen Franks, Fitzpatrick and Tony Woodcock.

Other All Blacks to feature prominently were Jonah Lomu and Ma’a Nonu, who made three teams, and Conrad Smith who was picked twice.

Jon Cardinelli’s list:

15 Christian Cullen (New Zealand), 14 Bryan Habana (South Africa), 13 Conrad Smith (New Zealand), 12 Tim Horan (Australia), 11 Jonah Lomu (New Zealand), 10 Dan Carter (New Zealand), 9 Fourie du Preez (South Africa), 8 Kieran Read (New Zealand), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa), 6 Richie McCaw (New Zealand), 5 Victor Matfield (South Africa), 4 Martin Johnson (England), 3 Owen Franks (New Zealand), 2 Bismarck du Plessis (South Africa), 1 Beast Mtawarira (South Africa).

Subs: 16 Keven Mealamu (New Zealand), 17 Os du Randt (South Africa), 18 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy), 19 Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), 20 Thierry Dusautoir (France), 21 George Gregan (Australia), 22 Jonny Wilkinson (England), 23 Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)

Craig Lewis’ list:

15 Christian Cullen (New Zealand), 14 Jeff Wilson (New Zealand), 13 Jaque Fourie (South Africa), 12 Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand), 11 Jonah Lomu (New Zealand), 10 Dan Carter (New Zealand), 9 Fourie du Preez (South Africa), 8 Kieran Read (New Zealand), 7 Thierry Dusautoir (France), 6 Richie McCaw (New Zealand), 5 Victor Matfield (South Africa), 4 Brodie Retallick (New Zealand), 3 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy), 2 Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand), 1 Beast Mtawarira (South Africa).

Subs: 16 Keith Wood (Ireland), 17 Tony Woodcock (New Zealand), Owen Franks (New Zealand), 19 John Eales (Australia), 20 Schalk Burger (South Africa), 21 George Gregan (Australia), 22 Stephen Larkham (Australia), 23 Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa).

Wade Pretorius’ list:

15 Christian Cullen (New Zealand), 14 Jason Robinson (England), 13 Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), 12 Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand), 11 Jonah Lomu (New Zealand), 10 Dan Carter (New Zealand), 9 George Gregan (Australia), 8 Kieran Read (New Zealand), 7 Thierry Dusautoir (France), 6 Richie McCaw (New Zealand), 5 John Eales (Australia), 4 Martin Johnson (England), 3 Tony Woodcock (New Zealand), 2 Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand), 1 Owen Franks (New Zealand).

Subs: 16 Keith Wood (Ireland), 17 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy), 18 Gethin Jenkins (Wales), 19 Paul O’Connell (Ireland), 20 George Smith (Australia), 21 Justin Marshall (New Zealand), 22 Jonny Wilkinson (England), 23 David Campese (Australia)

Mariette Adams’ list:

15 Christian Cullen (New Zealand), 14 David Campese (Australia), 13 Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), 12 Tim Horan (Australia), 11 Jonah Lomu (New Zealand), 10 Dan Carter (New Zealand), 9 George Gregan (Australia), 8 Kieran Read (New Zealand), 7 Richie McCaw (New Zealand), 6 Jerry Collins (New Zealand), 5 Victor Matfield (South Africa), 4 John Eales (Australia), 3 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy), 2 Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand), 1 Os du Randt (South Africa).

Subs: 16 Bismarck du Plessis (South Africa), 17 Beast Mtawarira (South Africa), 18 Owen Franks (New Zealand), 19 Brodie Retallick (New Zealand), 20 Thierry Dusautoir (France), 21 Fourie du Preez (South Africa), 22 Stephen Larkham (Australia), 23 Ben Smith (New Zealand)

Dylan Jack’s list:

15 Christian Cullen (New Zealand), 14 Shane Williams (Wales), 13 Conrad Smith (New Zealand), 12 Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand), 11 Bryan Habana (South Africa), 10 Dan Carter (New Zealand), 9 Fourie du Preez (South Africa), 8 Kieran Read (New Zealand), 7 Thierry Dusautoir (France), 6 Richie McCaw (New Zealand), 5 Victor Matfield (South Africa), 4 John Eales (Australia), 3 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy), 2 Bismarck du Plessis (South Africa), 1 Beast Mtawarira (South Africa).

Subs: 16 John Smit (South Africa), 17 Marcos Ayerza (Argentina), 18 Phil Vickery (England), 19 Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), 20 Danie Rossouw (South Africa), 21 George Gregan (Australia), 22 Jonny Wilkinson (England), 23 Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)

This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished with permission.

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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