The 10 most famous players in the history of rugby
There are very few occasions more important to sports fans than seeing their favourite professional players take to the biggest stages to showcase their immense talents. Here at Rueil Rugby, we have taken a look at the greatest names to have played in our beloved sport. This list not only takes into account the quality of the players at their peak, but also what they have brought to our game.
10) Sergio Parisse
Sergio Parisse was a formidable player in his prime and is a legend of Italian rugby. Sergio Parisse is a true veteran of the game. Playing at the highest level for over 20 years, he is arguably the most decorated Italian rugby player of all time.
Making his international debut at the age of 18, Parisse helped his national team to prominence in the newly formed Six Nations Championship. With 142 caps, the former captain helped establish Italy as a genuine tier one side.
Born in Argentina to Italian parents, Parisse moved to Italy to pursue his rugby career. His professional career began at Benetton Treviso in 2003, where he played for four years, before spending his prime at Stade Français. Scorer of 238 points during his time with the French team, Parisse eventually joined Toulon in 2019 to win more titles.
A powerful number 8, Parisse always had the skills of a backline player. This quality, combined with his gigantic size, allowed him to become one of the most dangerous players of all time.
9) Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish rugby legend and is considered by some to be one of the greatest centres of all time. Often considered the greatest Irish rugby player of all time, Brian O'Driscoll holds the record for most caps and most tries for his national team.
Renowned for his excellent ball skills and brilliant rugby intelligence, he has a record as long as that of any player in world rugby.
The four-time British and Irish Lions player and three-time Six Nations player has played his entire club career for Dublin province side Leinster.
The Irish number 13 has become synonymous with Brian O'Driscoll, who has since become one of the best known and most respected pundits in the world of rugby.
8) David Campese
David Campese is a Wallabies rugby legend, winning the Rugby World Cup in 1991. With over a century of caps for Australia, David Campese was an electric back three player for the Wallabies.
Known for his trademark goose-step, very few players in the history of the game could get a crowd on their feet like Campese.
An all-rounder, Campese was also a prolific rugby sevens player who competed in numerous Hong Kong rugby sevens competitions and was awarded the Leslie Williams Award for best player of the tournament in 1988.
7) Waisale Serevi
Fijian rugby legend Waisale Serevi holds the ball up as he prepares to score a try. Affectionately known as 'The Magician', he is often described as the greatest rugby sevens player of all time.
A multiple player of the tournament, Serevi is also the first Fijian rugby player to be inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame.
Serevi's skills, and the footwork that goes with them, make him almost impossible to play against.
Somewhat unusually, Serevi was a player able to transfer his incredible rugby sevens skills to rugby 15s, playing in a total of three Rugby World Cups for Fiji.
He played 359 sevens tournaments and played 39 times for the national fifteens team.
6) Willy John McBride
Willie John McBride, a rugby legend in Ireland and with the British and Irish Lions. The oldest on this list, Willie John McBride, is a true rugby legend. This Irish rugby legend played for the British and Irish Lions a record seventeen times in test matches over five tours.
Known as one of the toughest men in rugby history, McBride introduced the "one in, all in" policy during the 1974 tour of South Africa. The idea was that when one Lion fought on the field, all the other Lions had to fight with the nearest Springbok.
5) Johnny Wilkinson
Johnny Wilkinson celebrates after scoring the decisive drop goal in the 2003 World Cup final against Australia. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images).
With such a long list of achievements, England rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson might feel aggrieved not to feature higher on this list, alas.
Renowned for his hard work, leadership and incredible goal-kicking ability, Wilkinson epitomised the role of fly-half.
Wilkinson inspired a generation of young English rugby players with his exploits at the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
Wilkinson retired in 2014 and finished his career with a: Premiership title, a Top 14 title, two Heineken Champions Cups, a Rugby World Cup and multiple Six Nations championships, as well as a plethora of individual honours.
4) Gareth Edwards
Gareth Edwards came through Cardiff Met before playing for Wales and the British and Irish Lions. Often described as the greatest player to ever wear the red shirt for Wales, Edwards was a scrum-half way ahead of his time.
During a 12-year career, Edwards made 195 appearances for Cardiff RFC. The one-club player also featured for Wales and the British and Irish Lions on two tours.
He is known for scoring the greatest try of all time for the Barbarians, in their famous victory over the All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park in 1973.
3) Dan Carter
Dan Carter is an All Blacks legend and the all-time leading points scorer. The perfect 10. Dan Carter finally retired in 2020 after a career that saw him become arguably the greatest fly-half of all time.
Known for his incredible game management, kicking skills, agility and running ability, Carter played the majority of his career at club level.
Carter played most of his club career for the Crusaders, but had stints in France and Japan towards the end of his career.
The three-time World Rugby Player of the Year holds the record for the most points scored at international level of all time, as well as numerous other personal and team accolades. He is also one of the players who has had one of the highest salaries in world rugby.
2) Richie McCaw
Former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw won the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and 2015, which is no mean feat. Considered by many to be the greatest rugby player of all time, Richie McCaw holds the record for three Rugby Player of the Year awards. He has also been awarded the New Zealand Sportsman of the Decade award, which is the highest sporting honour an individual can achieve in New Zealand.
McCaw played alongside Dan Carter for the Crusaders and New Zealand, winning two World Cups together.
McCaw's record 148 caps for the All Blacks was achieved thanks to his ability to remain at the top of the world game throughout his career. He had an incredible ability to read the game as well as the referee.
Often frustrating to play against, the flanker was always on the edge of legality in his touchline work, but he always found a way to get out on the right side.
1) Jonah Lomu
All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu in full flight, back in the day. Jonah Lomu reinvented the game of rugby. He attracted a whole generation of new fans with his incredible running ability.
Standing at six feet tall and weighing 42 pounds in his prime, one might have expected this massive specimen to take his place in the scrum. Instead, with his ability to run the 100 metres in 10.80 seconds, this absolute unit took his place on the pitch where he could find the most space, the wing. He was one of the fastest players in the world .
With 37 tries for the All Blacks, Lomu has enjoyed many highlights during his career, including scoring a record 15 tries in a Rugby World Cup and literally crushing Mike Catt in a semi-final match.
Sadly, Jonah Lomu passed away at the age of 40 in 2015 from a heart attack related to his long-standing kidney problems.
