Items20The creator’s order
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Barry JohnBorn 6 Jan 1945Fly-half, Wales and the 1971 Lions. "The King" ran the only Lions series win in New Zealand, using pinpoint touch-finding to pin the All Blacks back and a calm running game to exploit any space. He retired at 27, but that tour remains the model for a fly-half who controls a match without hurrying.0i - 2
Gareth Edwards (rugby union)Born 12 Jul 1947Scrum-half, Wales and the Lions. Edwards combined a long, fast pass with tactical kicking and the strength to break himself, and Wales won three Grand Slams in the 1970s with him at nine. His speed of decision at the base set the tempo for one of the most attacking sides of the era.0i - 3
Phil BennettBorn 24 Oct 1948Fly-half, Wales and the Lions. Bennett succeeded Barry John and brought a different tempo: quick sidesteps and counter-attacks from deep, most famously starting the Barbarians' 1973 try against New Zealand from behind his own line. He captained the 1977 Lions, showing a playmaker's instinct for…0i - 4
Hugo PortaBorn 11 Sept 1951Fly-half, Argentina. Porta ran the Pumas for nearly two decades as an amateur, kicking goals and drop goals and directing play from a team with less possession than its opponents. His game management is why Argentina became a serious Test side long before they joined the Rugby Championship.0i - 5
Grant FoxBorn 16 Jun 1962Fly-half, New Zealand. Fox steered the All Blacks to the first World Cup in 1987 with metronomic goal-kicking and a disciplined, forward-led game plan. He shows the value of a fly-half who executes a system precisely rather than improvising.0i - 6
Nick Farr-JonesBorn 18 Apr 1962Scrum-half, Australia. Farr-Jones captained the Wallabies to the 1991 World Cup, and his partnership with Michael Lynagh controlled the pace of their games: quick ball when the forwards were winning, a box kick when they were not. A model of a scrum-half as on-field organiser.0 - 7
Michael LynaghFly-half, Australia. Lynagh was the Wallabies' playmaker and goal-kicker in the 1991 World Cup win, retiring as Test rugby's leading points scorer. More telling than the points was his calm under pressure: his late try to beat Ireland in the 1991 quarter-final came from a move he called while…0 - 8
Stephen LarkhamBorn 29 May 1974Fly-half, Australia. Larkham, a converted full-back, stood unusually flat to the gain line and drew defenders before passing, which made the Brumbies and Wallabies attacks of the late 1990s and 2000s so fluid. His extra-time drop goal in the 1999 World Cup semi-final, rare for him, sent Australia…0i - 9
George GreganScrum-half, Australia. Gregan won the 1999 World Cup and retired as the most-capped Test player of his time, with 139 caps. His speed of service and organisation at the breakdown let Larkham's flat attack function; he was the metronome of that system.0i - 10
Jonny WilkinsonBorn 25 May 1979Fly-half, England and Toulon. Wilkinson won the 2003 World Cup with an extra-time drop goal off his weaker right foot, and managed England's territorial game around a dominant pack. His defence was as important as his kicking, a reminder that controlling tempo includes stopping the opposition's.0i
