In my previous blog, I began speaking about some of the greatest rugby players of all time. The debate over who is the greatest ever is one that rugby fans struggle to agree upon. There have been so many great rugby players over the years. These players have made significant impacts to the game of rugby and are household names in the respective leagues they played in. We may never be able to pinpoint someone as the absolute greatest to ever play the game, but we can at least recognize some of the most prominent players in history and the dominance they brought to the sport. So, let’s take a look at a few more of the greatest rugby players of all time.

During his career, Michael Jones was one of the most offensive players in all of rugby. He was even nicknamed “The Iceman” due to his need for ice packs for the number of injuries he suffered during gameplay. His first coach John Hart once said, he is “almost the perfect rugby player.” As a player, he played for New Zealand All Black and was the most successful Flanker having earned 55 caps along with 56 points. Rugby World Magazine voted him as the third-best All Black player of the 20th Century. After he retired from professional rugby, Jones also served as the coach of the Samoa rugby team from 2004 to 2007. In 2003, he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.

David Campese who played for the Australia Rugby union has been widely regarded as the greatest winger and fullback in rugby history. One of the things he was very popular for was his hitch-kick motion known as the “goose step” which was great for avoiding opponents trying to tackle him. While on the Australian national rugby team, he achieved 101 caps and scored 315 points. He also played some time for New South Wales during his club career where he earned 56 caps and 114 points. In 1997, he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and then the IRB Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2007, he was inducted into the Australian Rugby Union Hall of Fame as well.

Jonah Lomu has been recognized as the first true global superstar of rugby union. He was considered “rugby union’s biggest drawcard” throughout his career. As a member of the New Zealand All Black from 1994-2002, he earned 63 caps and scored 185 points. Lomu also played for the three domestic teams in the Super Rugby Union including the Auckland Blues, Chiefs, and Hurricanes. He currently owns the record of the Rugby World Cup all-time as the top try scorer due to his 15 tries. While he unfortunately never won a Rugby World Cup, he has been regarded as one of the best rugby players the international championships starting from the 1995 World Cup. In 2007, he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame as well as the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011.