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Wallabies in the RugbyPass Top 100: Who rose, fell and missed out
By Finn Morton
The Wallabies may have finished the year with a 33 per cent winning record from a mammoth 15-Test season, but individual player performances still stood out. Eight Australians were named in the RugbyPass Top 100 for 2025, with one Wallaby ranked 23rd in the world.
11 journalists from around the world had their say as the Top 100 took shape. RugbyPass revealed the number-one-ranked player on Wednesday, with South Africa’s Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu earning that honour, while 2024 winner Antoine Dupont moved down one place.
South Africa are represented more than any other nation in the list, while New Zealand are slightly behind with 16 players. There are 13 players from each of England and Ireland, 10 representatives from France, and eight from Australia.
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Four Wallabies improved on their Top 100 position from 2024, while there’s no change for another two players. Rob Valetini and Tom Wright dropped at least eight spots each after injury-plagued seasons in the gold jersey.
Max Jorgensen is a newcomer to the Top 100, ranked 91st in the world. The 22-year-old scored a sensational match-winning try against England in November 2024 and took his game to an all-new level as a regular starter for the Wallabies this year.
Jorgensen scored two tries against the British & Irish Lions and played a big role in Australia’s famous comeback win over South Africa in Johannesburg. The Wallaby shifted from wing to fullback during The Rugby Championship, offering invaluable versatility in the back three.
The next Australian in the Top 100 is front-rower Angus Bell in 67th, who has improved by 22 spots. Bell was predominantly used as an impact player off the pine to start the season, while the most-capped Wallaby in history James Slipper held down the fort in the run-on side.
With Slipper retiring from international duty after the Bledisloe Cup defeat in Perth, Bell stepped up during the Spring Tour as a consistent member of the First XV. Bell started against England, Italy, Ireland and France – scoring two tries in the Quilter Nations Series.
Two-time John Eales Medal winner Valetini has dropped nine spots after injury disrupted the backrower’s start to the season. Valetini missed the clash with Fiji in Newcastle and spent time on the sidelines during the Lions Series.
The 27-year-old was named in the matchday 23 for Australia’s five Spring Tour matches, which included starts against Japan, England and Ireland. Valetini holds a place in the Top 100 with a world ranking of 61.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has leapfrogged Valetini, moving up 14 spots into 54th. Suaalii started all but one match for the Wallabies in 2025, with some notable performances coming against the British & Irish Lions in Melbourne and the Springboks at Johannesburg’s Emirates Airline Park.
Rugby Australia’s big-name recruit enjoyed a particularly impressive run of performances against Los Pumas in Townsville and Sydney, crossing for three tries in two matches. Ireland’s Bundee Aki and New Zealand’s Leicester Fainga’anuku are among the centres ranked below Suaalii.
Wright has moved down the same number of places as All Blacks duo Wallace Sititi and Scott Barrett, and Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu. The fullback had dropped eight spots, now ranked 38th in the world, despite spending a fair chunk of the season on the sidelines.
After an impressive series of performances against the British & Irish Lions, Wright scored a try in the comeback win over the Springboks, only to suffer a season-ending injury a week later at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium.
According to the Top 100, the third-best Wallaby in 2025 is openside flanker Fraser McReight in 34th. The Queenslander has been a regular force for the Wallabies since Men’s Rugby World Cup 2023, after Michael Hooper was famously overlooked for selection.
McReight has made 22 international appearances over the last two seasons, including the honour of captaining the Wallabies for the first time this year against the Springboks. In the Quilter Nations Series, the backrower won five turnovers in a stunning performance against England.
Len Ikitau became a first-time recipient of the John Eales Medal at Rugby Australia’s night of nights in October, with that award going to the Wallabies’ Player of the Year. Ikitau wasn’t there to collect the accolade, having already moved to Exeter as part of a sabbatical deal.
The midfielder formed a reliable midfield pairing with Suaalii in 2025, taking on world-class opposition in all three Lions Series matches. Ikitau has played four matches for the Exeter Chiefs, which began with a promising display in a shutout win over Harlequins.
Ikitau has claimed 29th spot, surging up 66 places in the Top 100, which is more than any other player. Rugby Australia recognised the midfielder as the Wallabies’ best player from the last 12 months, but RugbyPass journalists have gone in another direction.
Hulking lock Will Skelton is the top-placed Wallaby in the Top 100 with a 23rd ranking. Skelton missed the first Lions Series match in Brisbane, before returning in the other two matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney’s Accor Stadium.
As a multiple-time Champions Cup winner in Europe with Saracens and more recently La Rochelle, Skelton is revered around the world as one of the best second-rowers in the game. The 33-year-old has also captained Australia, leading the team to Men’s Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.
In the Top 100, there was no place for Wallabies captain Harry Wilson or flanker Tom Hooper, who received Player of the Match honours in the win over the Lions in Sydney. Tate McDermott also missed out after suffering a season-ending injury against the All Blacks in Auckland.
Rugby’s best of the best, ranked by experts. Check out our list of the Top 100 Men's Rugby Players 2025 and let us know what you think!
