best rugby players 2024

He backed up his good performance against the old enemy in the 2024 Six Nations, scoring a hat-trick – with each try coming from some individual brilliance. Our round-up of the finest rugby union players in the world right now. Lakapi Samoa, the nation’s rugby governing body, has not yet stated whether the head coach will continue in his current role. „It’s such a rollercoaster of emotions,“ rugby player Stephanie Rovetti said. In a last-minute upset, the U.S. women’s rugby team beat out Australia in rugby sevens and claimed the bronze medal. Woods announced his retirement earlier this month after a 14-year career which included 269 NRL games, 14 games for New South Wales and 17 appearances for Australia.

Finn Russell (Scotland)

Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast. Fans will disagree on who they believe would make the top 10, with all manner of factors to consider – with trophies, scoring ability and leadership skills all involved.

Ireland vs South Africa First ODI: Best Bets & Prediction

Despite representing England at age group level, Arron Reed will make his debut for Scotland at the upcoming Six Nations. The Sale Sharks winger had reportedly garnered the interest of Steve Borthwick before being snapped up by Gregor Townsend. Emmanuel Meafou will be looking to make a statement at the 2024 Six Nations. Standing at 6 foot 8 and weighing 145 kg, this commanding lock is a firm favourite amongst Toulouse fans. At just 20 years old, Cunningham-South is already forging a fierce reputation.

South Africa – Simply Unmatched

Points are doubled during the World Cup Finals to recognise the importance of this event, but all other international matches, friendly or competitive, are treated the same across the world. Owen Farrell’s absence presents an „important moment to one of the brightest talents in English rugby“, said Rugby Pass. Smith shows „an instinct for attack and courage to play beyond any of his rivals for the jersey“, said the sports site, „but he must also prove he can guide England through choppier waters“. As for Ireland, „there was and is something brutally mechanical“ about them, said The Telegraph. For a time they were ranked number one in the world and after the heartbreak of their dramatic quarter-final exit to the All Blacks at the World Cup, they will be looking to prove themselves again. The Irish „romped“ to the Grand Slam in as „dominant a fashion as the championship has ever seen,“ said Sky News, beating each side by at least 13 points.

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The return of Len Ikitau also provided much-needed defensive strength and attacking creativity. Some of the changes he made, like the elevation of Tomás Albornoz, gave the team more control in terms of game management, resulting in major improvements. There is plenty for Contepomi to build on with this Los Pumas side. There is a further update on England’s coaching situation and it is not good news for Steve Borthwick.

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  • Savea’s standout performance in the tournament held in France came in the quarter-final, where his scoring prowess aided his team to victory over Ireland.
  • With Biggar now retired from international rugby, and Gareth Anscombe playing his club rugby in Japan, Costelow is the last remaining fly-half option from Wales’ 2023 Rugby World Cup squad.
  • With the World Cup just a year away, Am is set to play a crucial role in South Africa’s chances of retaining the Webb Ellis Cup.
  • Fiji will be against one of the best rugby teams in the world and it will be a difficult match as it always is – but they may be without some big names.
  • Rugby World Cup hosts France have six players in the top 20, starting with full-back Thomas Ramos in 16th place with hooker Julien Marchand in 13th.
  • “Dan Sheehan might not be a kicker but he is incredibly quick for a hooker, his set piece is good, a leader in terms of what he does, very explosive, good skill set, try scorer,” Jackman marvelled.
  • Was also a menace at the breakdown, coming up momentum swinging steals in both halves, and made more tackles than any other Welshman.
  • The latest edition of the men’s Six Nations is fast approaching, with the 2024 championship starting the first weekend of February.
  • Sharing the record with Telea with 12 tries last season, Codie Taylor is a formidable veteran at the head of a dangerous Crusaders pack.

In the USA, FloRugby will broadcast some of the best international rugby fixtures of 2024. “Always, if I was unsure, I’d always ask a question and then they always said there’s no dumb questions, you know. Some players might be able to take it in at easier, other players it might take a little bit longer to understand what they’ve got to do. With his own future now secured, Woods advised the current and future crops of NRL players to “keep asking questions”. “So what I really wanted to do while I played but I just didn’t, I didn’t have enough time, was I’d love to open up a coffee shop and just get to meet people in the local area.

Other France players to watch

  • The versatile back, who has won the Super Rugby title multiple times with the Crusaders, has at least one more Rugby World Cup cycle in him to add to his points tally.
  • We continue our countdown of the the 50 best players set to have a significant impact this year, based on previous form, talent and the potential impact they can have on their team’s season.
  • The Triple Crown is given to the team that defeats all the other original home nations and only England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are able to win it.
  • However, his Achilles’ heel was the bench’s inability to close out games as well as they started.
  • Widely regarded as one of the finest number eights in the modern game, fans will be eager to see how Dupont’s replacement performs.
  • Making his senior debut for Leinster last season in the URC, he has begun to get more first-team opportunities this season.

Aki possess the rare skill of being able to generate tremendous power from a standing start, even against defence as robust as South Africa’s. Ben Earl is far and away England’s main man when it comes to carries. So much so, in fact, that he’s the only Englishman in the top ten here, and is the overall leader with 42. Fellow back rower Aaron Wainwright for Wales has also underlined his exceptional Championship – in an otherwise disappointing year for his country – with 38. Welsh fans may also be heartened by the precocious presence of fullback Cameron Winnett, who for many will have come from nowhere and sits third with 37 carries (see below for another impressive Winnett-related feat). Captain of two-time European Cup-winning Stade Rochelais, Alldritt is a key leader for the French national side.

  • Winning away from home against a team that hadn’t lost up to that point was mighty impressive from Felipe Contepomi’s side.
  • On the other hand, France star Ramos is a strong contender for the top-point scorer in the Six Nations as he is in almost every competition he plays in.
  • This is not meant to disparage Farrell’s contribution to English rugby, but his presence no doubt has hampered Ford.
  • Stephen Varney was brought up in Wales but opted to represent Italy to honour his grandparents.
  • While this has, at times, counted against him starting, his world-class ability has made him a British and Irish Lion, as well as a staple in the Irish match day 23.
  • As for Ireland, „there was and is something brutally mechanical“ about them, said The Telegraph.

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Was too easily brushed off by Earl and perhaps needed a bit more grunt at times. 1 – Gareth Thomas  – 6Won a big scrum penalty after a stodgy sequence when the game was scoreless, allowing Wales to scratch out a foothold. Sinned when he went early on another scrum when Wales had the feed on England’s line. 9 – Tomos Williams – 6.5It was his frenetic spark that turned the game against Scotland last week.

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  • Meanwhile, Hugo Keenan is the highest-ranked full-back, claiming 10th place overall; he is joined in the top 10 along with back-rower Caelan Doris (5th).
  • A core member of South Africa’s 2019 World Cup-winning side, Lukhanyo Am continued to blossom into one of the game’s most dependable midfielders this year.
  • One of the most important rules of the sport is that the ball can only be passed backwards.
  • But a distinct lack of quality, as well as enough heft, meant they couldn’t get the better of England’s rush defence.
  • The voting body is made up of a select group of ex-players only we don’t know which ones anymore because their names aren’t made public anymore, which was supposed to increase the integrity of the votes somehow.
  • 5 – Adam Beard – 5A hefty presence at set piece, he couldn’t replicate that anywhere else on the park.
  • The towering second rower was at his physically confrontational best as he narrowed in on a century of test matches throughout 2021.
  • 2 – Elliot Dee – 6On a long list, it was the line-out that was most abject in Wales’ game last week.
  • The team with the most points at the end of the tournament wins the championship.

However, if the occasion calls for it, he is a more-than-able option in the centers or on the wing, making him a prized asset to the South Africa setup. Japan’s Rugby League One and France’s Top 14 have two players each among the top five highest-paid rugby players. One tier two player also makes the final cut, with Fiji’s outstanding centre-come-back-rower Levani Botia ranking 15th.

Other England names to watch

He made 10 clean breaks, beat 30 defenders, made 28 tackles and scored five tries at the tournament. Aki has won two Six Nations titles with Ireland and the Pro12 with club Connacht. “I always asked a thousand questions and a lot of times some coaches took it the wrong way, even when I was a leader or a media player,” he explained. “We’ve always been that rugby league player where people have done our health insurance and our pay and all that sort of stuff. If you haven’t looked into that while you were playing now you’ve got to go out and really get to know what the real world is all about. This issue is quite concerning for the Flying Fijians as they are one of the best Tier 2 nations in World Rugby and, quite frankly, don’t deserve to be labelled as such.

  • But which players could make their mark at this year’s Six Nations?
  • The Scarlets‘ playmaker „remains a work in progress“ but is „highly regarded“ by the Wales management, and seen as a player with an „extremely bright future on the international circuit“.
  • A quasi backrow-cum-center in the front row, Toulouse star Mauvaka is a new hooker who would slot into any team in world rugby.
  • Russell had been making about $800,000 a year from Saracens, his home club since he was a teenager.
  • However, in essence, the RugbyPass Top 100 is a celebration of the stars who shone the brightest on rugby’s biggest stage last year.
  • Itoje then capped off his year with a string of standout showings as England swept the Wallabies, Springboks and Tonga in the Autumn Nations Series.
  • At just 20 years old, Cunningham-South is already forging a fierce reputation.
  • A force on both sides of the ball, the 23-year-old will be looking to transfer his impressive form for Benetton onto the Test arena.
  • There are not many 31-year-olds who would be referred to as a rising star, but when you are the man who has to fill the shoes of Dupont, it really is the opportunity of a lifetime.

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He’s the only other player on the list to earn over $1 million a year for his services. The former Scotland centre turned schools coach is taking a holistic approach to developing young players. Bestowed the crown of World Rugby Player of the Year in 2021, the recent renaissance of French rugby has largely centred around halfback Antoine Dupont. While France are currently blessed with a raft of talented youngsters who have thrust https://just-bet.org/ Les Bleus back to the peak of their powers, few wield the influence Dupont has on both his team and the matches he plays in. Being central to such a significant comeback after years of dormancy deserves recognition, hence why Dupont has claimed top spot in the RugbyPass Top 100. FloRugby broadcasts dozens of international rugby matches throughout the year, including the summer rugby internationals from July to September.

Pieter-Steph du Toit was central to South Africa’s 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cup campaigns. His consistency for club (Toyota Verblitz) and country is second to none, and he raised his game once again for the 2023 final – where he was named Player of the Match. Away from the Rugby World Cup, he was named World Rugby’s Player of the Year in 2019 and won the Rugby Championship the same year. Centre Bundee Aki is best known for his ability to get over the gain line and for his crunching tackles. His form is always consistent, and some may have thought he could not get any better, then his performances at the 2023 Rugby World Cup happened and he proved there is no limitation to his talents.

  • Eli Katoa won second rower of the year on Wednesday night, in no small part due to his combination with Hughes, and he talks about his halfback like he’s a coach on the field, which he pretty much is at this point.
  • Having consulted the experts to discuss the key attributes and a player who fulfils each of them, we have now asked Easter, ex-Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman and Wales great Adam Jones to select their perfect players.
  • Here we take a look at five stars expected to grab the headlines when the tournament kicks off on February 2nd.
  • Loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff is ranked 19th overall in the world, with hooker Malcolm Marx just ahead in 18th place.
  • Sadly though, he may have to wait until after round one to make his debut.
  • In the last minute before the final try, teammate Kristi Kirshe said she just had to „stay in it.“
  • They also expected transparency from FRU and everything to run smoothly, noting that this is not an issue that should be experienced in international rugby.

The 23-year-old has won only eight caps „but this could be the campaign where he really makes a name for himself“, said Wales Online. The Scarlets‘ playmaker „remains a work in progress“ but is „highly regarded“ by the Wales management, and seen as a player with an „extremely bright future on the international circuit“. Last year, with Ireland winning all their matches to secure the Grand Slam, they also won the Triple Crown. There’s not just the tournament winners title up for grabs, the Six Nations teams compete to win various other trophies.

He started on the Gold Coast, where he played Under 20s until he got one NRL game in 2013, before heading north to the Cowboys, where he eventually played another. 10 –  Ioan Lloyd – 7.5Dallied on the ball and, like a sacked quarterback, was monstered by Maro Itoje under his own sticks. The young fly-half was brave and skilful, showing great ambition in his play when kicking or running. Could have benefited from more punch through the rush, but didn’t need a midfield thanks to his sniper-accurate cross-kicks. Showed that last week’s tricks weren’t just a consequence the hopeless situation.

25 Premiership Rugby

The Leinster player has also shown his abilities down the wing during the 2024 Six Nations, including with a fast-paced try against Italy in round two – which also displayed his power. He has cemented himself into Andy Farrell’s side and has already won a Grand Slam title. No. 8 Ardie Savea was named World Rugby’s Player of the Year in 2023 after picking up a silver medal at the Rugby World Cup. Savea’s standout performance in the tournament held in France came in the quarter-final, where his scoring prowess aided his team to victory over Ireland. He has also added his leadership skills to the All Blacks, captaining the team on multiple occasions.

best rugby players 2024

Was also a menace at the breakdown, coming up momentum swinging steals in both halves, and made more tackles than any other Welshman. 2 – Elliot Dee – 6On a long list, it was the line-out that was most abject in Wales’ game last week. Dee’s accuracy here meant England wouldn’t get handed free balls at the set-piece. It was a brave call to go to the back of the line within striking distance, but it worked and Wales won a penalty try from the subsequent maul. As the Barrett brothers have proven time and time again, it is hard to keep any of them down (especially when playing together).