Items21The creator’s order
  1. 1Colin MeadsColin MeadsBorn 3 Jun 1936Lock, New Zealand. "Pinetree" Meads played 55 Tests across 15 years from the late 1950s and was the archetype of the mobile lock: winning lineout ball, then turning up in rucks and loose play. His hard edge at the breakdown set the physical standard All Black forward packs were built on.0i
  2. 2Willie John McBrideWillie John McBrideBorn 6 Jun 1940Lock, Ireland and the Lions. McBride toured five times with the Lions and captained the unbeaten 1974 side in South Africa, built on a pack that refused to be bullied. His leadership of the forwards, organising the scrum and lineout under intense pressure, is why that tour is still cited as the…0
  3. 3Mervyn Davies (rugby union)Mervyn Davies (rugby union)Born 9 Dec 1946Number eight, Wales and the Lions. "Merve the Swerve" controlled the base of the scrum and the back of the lineout for Wales's 1971 and 1976 Grand Slams and the 1971 and 1974 Lions. His handling and positional sense linked forwards and backs in a way that let Edwards and John play at speed.0i
  4. 4Jean-Pierre RivesJean-Pierre RivesBorn 31 Dec 1952Flanker, France. Rives, small for a back-row forward and famous for playing on with a bloodied head, captained France through the late 1970s and early 1980s and led Grand Slam sides. His relentless support play and tackling around the fringes made him the heartbeat of France's open style.0i
  5. 5Sean FitzpatrickSean FitzpatrickBorn 4 Jun 1963Hooker, New Zealand. Fitzpatrick won the 1987 World Cup and captained the All Blacks to their first series win in South Africa in 1996, with accurate lineout throwing and a combative presence at the breakdown. He redefined the hooker as a mobile, ball-carrying leader rather than just a scrum…0i
  6. 6Os du RandtOs du RandtBorn 8 Sept 1972Loosehead prop, South Africa. Du Randt won the World Cup in 1995 and again in 2007, twelve years apart, anchoring the Springbok scrum in both campaigns. His career shows how a dominant scrummager can shape a whole game plan built on penalties and territory.0i
  7. 7Martin Johnson (rugby union)Martin Johnson (rugby union)Born 9 Mar 1970Lock, England and the Lions. Johnson captained the 1997 Lions to a series win in South Africa and England to the 2003 World Cup, running the lineout and the maul and setting the tone in contact. The calm control of the final minutes in Sydney, keeping the ball through the phases before Wilkinson's…0i
  8. 8Richie McCawRichie McCawBorn 31 Dec 1980Openside flanker, New Zealand. McCaw played 148 Tests and captained the All Blacks to World Cups in 2011 and 2015. His skill at the breakdown, arriving first, contesting legally and knowing exactly how far the referee would let him go, made him the reference point for the modern openside.0i
  9. 9Paul O'ConnellPaul O'ConnellBorn 20 Oct 1979Lock, Munster, Ireland and the Lions. O'Connell ran the lineout for Munster's two Heineken Cups and Ireland's 2009 Grand Slam, and captained the 2009 Lions. His lineout calling, reading where the opposition would compete and changing the throw, turned set piece into a weapon rather than a restart.0i
  10. 10Thierry DusautoirThierry DusautoirBorn 18 Nov 1981Flanker, France. Dusautoir is credited with 38 tackles as France beat New Zealand in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final, then captained France to the 2011 final and was named World Rugby Player of the Year that year. His defensive workload is the best example on this list of a forward changing a…0i