An elite group of centurions whose legendary status is assured, here are the 10 greatest men’s rugby players of all time
Earning a place in the top 10 men’s rugby players of all time doesn’t automatically mean you’re one of the all-time greats. But those two things tend to go hand in hand, given that making the list requires playing at the highest level for more than a decade. You also have to stay in shape, which is no big deal in the modern game.
Rugby’s record holders are full of players who have achieved iconic status for their nations, winning numerous world championships, rugby championships, Grand Slam and more along the way. But who is in charge?
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In short
- Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
- James Slipper (Australia)
- Sam Whitelock (New Zealand)
- Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
- Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
- Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)
- Sergio Parisse (Italy)
- Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
- George Gregan (Australia)
- Cian Healy (Ireland)
10 most capped men’s rugby players of all time
*Denotes still playing
1. Alun Wyn Jones
(David Ramos – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
- 170 appearances (2006-2023)
- Wales (158), British and Irish Lions (12)
It’s not just about longevity. Alun Wyn Jones he was one of the first names in the team for most of his 17 years in the Wales engine room, a truly world-class player who won three Grand Slam and won two semi-finals of the World Championship. Inspirational lock too won 12 test caps for the British & Irish Lionsa record unmatched in the professional era.
2. James Slipper*
(Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
- 154 performances (2010-present)
- Australia
The long-serving Wallabies prop called time on his international career at the end of the 2025 Rugby Championship, but then Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt tempted him to come out of retirement to play in 2026 Nations Championship against Ireland, France and Italy. And who would bet against it Slippers ok in the house next year Rugby World Cup at 38 years old? While the second half of Slipper’s career coincided with a far from golden era of Australian rugby, most of his opponents would have envied his second and third World Cup finishes. He is also one of a small number of players to have faced the Lions on two tours.
3. Sam Whitelock
(Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
- 153 appearances (2010-2023)
- New Zealand
No player has reached 100 Test caps faster than Sam Whitelockwhich reached the milestone in just eight years and 67 days. That he lost just eight of those matches speaks volumes for a lock who won two Rugby World Cups (and an impressive 11 Rugby Championship titles) and have established a great partnership with Brodie Retallick in the All Blacks second row.
4. Richie McCaw
(Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
- 148 appearances (2001-2015)
- New Zealand
It was more or less inevitable McCaw would rack up a ton of games – after all, what head coach would ever want to give up a generational talent like him? Really, this record is pretty much the only thing that’s legendary Captain of the All Blacksthe two-time World Cup winner and three-time World Player of the Year doesn’t have one in his trophy cabinet – although, to be fair, New Zealand’s star flanker did topped the list until Alun Wyn Jones surpassed his 148 games in 2020.
5. Eben Etzebeth*
(David Rogers/Getty Images)
- 147 performances (2012-present)
- South Africa
Etzebeth had to overtake another World Cup winner in the second row, Victor Matfieldto win the all-time Springboks record. Two years and 20 games later, he remains a key member Race Erasmus‘s all-conquering South African team. The question is, does Etzebeth have enough in the tank to keep up with the Joneses?
6. Beauden Barrett*
(Phil Walter/Getty Images)
- 146 performances (2012-present)
- New Zealand
By the time Beauden Barrett he was given the unenviable task of replacing Dan Carter at 10 years old after the 2015 World Cup, he already had three years of experience in the famous black shirt. As well as being the best player in the world, the two-time World Player of the Year can do a hell of a job at full-back – with such versatility, it’s easy to see why he’s been virtually unstoppable for over a decade.
7. Sergio Parisse
(Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)
An unfortunate side effect Sergio Parisse being a) one of the greatest rugby players of all time, and b) the captain of a struggling Italian side, he had lost more test matches than any player in history – over 100 by the time he played his last game for the Azzurri. However, that information is somewhat misleading, considering that this all-time great would be at home on any side of the planet.
8. Brian O’Driscoll
(Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
- 141 games (1999-2014)
- Ireland (133), British and Irish Lions (8)
Ireland’s talismanic center made his international debut at the age of 20 and became a permanent member of the squad for the next 15 years. O’Driscoll he was arguably the figurehead of Irish rugby’s renaissance – the 2009 Grand Slam was the first for the men in green since 1948 – and would surely have had even more caps to his name had it not been for that infamous spear fight on the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour.
9. George Gregan
(Darren England/Getty Images)
- 139 appearances (1994-2007)
- Australia
The only player in the top 10 whose Test career began in the amateur era, Gregan he was the greatest player of all time by a distance when he retired in 2007. The scrum-half formed a vintage partnership with opposite Stephen Larkham – their 79 games together remains the record for an international half-back pairing – and helped the Wallabies to World Cup glory in 1999.
10. Cian Healy
(Piaras Ó Midheach/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
- 137 appearances (2009-2025)
- Ireland
No man has played more games for Ireland than the recently retired Leinster prop, who won five Six Nations titles (including four Triple Crowns and two Grand Slams) during a glittering international career. And while 26 of his last 30 appearances in the famous green shirt came from the bench, Healy remained an integral member of the 23 until he played his final game in the 2025 Six Nations.
More facts about the greatest rugby players of all time
- The top 10 is dominated by forwards, with the top seven players plying their trade.
- Players who just missed the top 10 are Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Conor Murray (Ireland), Keven Mealamu (New Zealand) and Ronan O’Gara (Ireland).
- Alun Wyn Jones would still top the rankings based on his Wales performances alone, but removing the Lions cap from the equation sees Brian O’Driscoll drop to 10th – just one foot ahead of former All Black Keven Mealamu.
- New Zealand is the most represented team, with three men in the top 10 of all time. Australia and Ireland each have two players, while Wales, South Africa and Italy each have one.
- The Englishman with the most appearances is Ben Youngs (129 in total), while Ross Ford is the best Scot (111). The French record holder is Fabien Pelous with 118.
- Pablo Matera is the closest active player to cracking the top 10. The 33-year-old needs 10 more games to match Cian Healy, which – assuming he stays fit – the winger could achieve during next year’s Rugby World Cup.
- The top player from a non-Tier 1 nation is former Romania center Florin Vlaicu, with 129 caps.
- Former Red Roses captain Sarah Hunter holds the record for most Tests in the women’s game with 141, which puts her seventh on the all-time list.
- The only active players on the list are James Slipper, Beauden Barrett and Eben Etzebeth. Can any of the trio overtake Alun Wyn Jones? With Slipper set to turn 38 next year, it is unlikely the Wallabies prop will have enough time to accumulate the 17 caps he needs to surpass the Wales legend. Barrett and Etzebeth (35 and 34 respectively) are likely to be closer, although both will have to play after the 2027 World Cup to claim the record.
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