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81-Test All black people halfback Justin Marshall has hailed Harry Wilson as “the best number eight in the world” at the moment, after the Wallabies captain made a record 27 tackles and scored a try in last weekend’s defeat at Eden Park.
Wilson has been named in the 2025 World Rugby Dream Team after leading the Wallabies to famous victories against the British and Irish Lions and the Springboks. The back-rower scored two tries in an incredible 38-22 comeback at Johannesburg’s Emirates Airline Park.
The Wallabies have since rounded off their era under former coach Joe Schmidt with a one-sided 57-10 win against Italy at HBF Park in Perth, and went their first five matches unbeaten under current boss Les Kiss.
But that run came to an end last weekend at Eden Park, with the All Blacks producing a clinical second-half performance as they ran out 50-19 winners. It was a three-point game at the break, and Wilson hit a late score under the posts.
Wilson finished top of the tackle charts with 27 tackles from as many attempts, with the number 8 proving to be a reliable target. The Wallabies may have lost their Bledisloe Cup series opener, but the skipper’s performance created little buzz.
“The ability for him to move around the field as a ball carrier and as a defender was incredible. He is an absolute machine,” Marshall said further The Good, The Bad & the Rugby Australia and New Zealand.
“He put a couple of clean shots on quite a few players. If that Wallaby forward had seven more on him, I’d hate to face them because they’d just be absolutely relentless.”
“His attitude, his hunger, his concern for what he’s doing out there – you can see he bleeds for his country. For me, he’s the best number eight in the world right now. He’s the epitome of what it means to be a Test number eight.”
“On a team that got beat by (31) points, for him to get noticed and work hard like that, super impressed with him. Amazing.”
Legendary All Blacks No.8 Kieran Read, who was named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2014, agreed that Wilson’s work rate was top notch. “I’ve been writing about Wilson for a long time, mate,” Read agreed.
Read retired from international rugby after 2019 Rugby World Cup bronze final in Japan, less than a year before Wilson’s Wallabies debut. Wilson made his Wallaby gold debut against the All Blacks in 2020, below now New Zealand coach Dave Rennie.
“It’s 100 percent effort from that guy. That’s somebody who leads men … a fantastic player. Those hits he made on a couple of guys near the touchline in the first half were just brutal. Specific shoulders.”
“A guy who just keeps working, working, working … puts his hand up, gets out, runs the ball. He’s 100 percent and as you say, he’s going to need a little bit more of that next week.”
