Who tops our list of the UK's best rugby players?
As 2023 approaches, Telegraph Sport will be ranking the UK's top 30 players across a range of sports. Our series started with men's and women's football and then moved on to men's cricket. Next up is men's rugby.
To be in the top 30, players must currently play domestically in the UK.
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30. Rory Darge (Glasgow)
Now a starter for club and country, Darge has developed into one of Scotland's leading players. The all-around flanker was also instrumental in Glasgow's early-season home dominance.
29. Juan Martin Gonzalez (Saracens)
A move to Premier League champions Saracens following Irish's departure from London is proof enough of his quality, with Mark McCall naming the Argentine the best player in the league. One of the fastest and most agile flankers in the game.
28. Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester) 
Louis Rees-Zammit scores a hat-trick for Wales' World Cup game against Georgia. Photo: PA/David Davies
The pace and skill of his strikes is unquestionable – the Welsh winger is a world class player in this regard – but he may have reached a point where he needs to vary his shots. Still lethal and world class in wide channels.
27. Emiliano Boffelli (Edinburgh)
A superb goalkeeper who was part of the Pumas' poisonous back three in the rugby exhibition competition in France. Ruled out until December by injury and Blair Kinghorn's mid-season move to Toulouse, Edinburgh could use the Argentine defender sooner rather than later.
26. Alex Goode (Saracens)
There have been very few talents in the English game who have been as underrated and underrated as Goode. The Saracens full-back remains one of the classiest players in European rugby; his stick—and the defenders around him—are always elevated by his presence.
25. Nick Tompkins (Saracens)
The center has emerged as a vital component for both Wales and Saracens, offering both an attacking midfield point and brilliant skill. One of the most deceptively powerful backs in European rugby and incredibly difficult to beat.
24. Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins) 
Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers
Has the wrecking ball in South Africa experienced a bit of a lull? Perhaps, but that web has been well and truly shattered by some heated speeches lately. The perfect club for the two wizards, Smith and Care, inside it in Harlequin.
23. Iain Henderson (Ulster)
It speaks volumes about Henderson's class that the tall lock managed to oust the great James Ryan from the Irish squad during this year's World Cup. One of the most impressive strikers in the lineout and maul.
22. Theo McFarland (Saracens)
The world's most agile flanker, striker… even player? The Samoan was hampered by injury last season but showed glimpses of his ballet prowess during the World Cup. Now all neutrals hope he can return Saracens to the form they had at the end of 2022.
21. Tommy Reffell (Leicester City)
Tigers head coach Dan McKellar recently said the Wales flanker is aiming to become one of the best in the world. Judging by Reffell's return to Leicester after the World Cup, he's not far off. The best baller of the Premier League.
20. Anthony Watson (Leicester) 
Anthony Watson is certainly part of Steve Borthwick's England plans. Photo: AFP/Thomas Samson
He may be injured, but his abilities are not diminished. Watson remains as experienced a wing as England have. Commanding in the air and tactically astute, the Leicester defender remains one of Steve Borthwick's most valuable assets at international level.
19. Steven Kitshoff (Ulster)
One of the Springboks' climbers and now a World Cup-winning bum plying his trade in Northern Ireland. Unlike his Springbok contemporaries – the likes of Ox Nche and France Malherbe – it's not just Kitshoff's signature teak that stands out; the props are deceptively skillful and clever.
18. Ollie Lawrence (Bath)
Not an automatic starter for England at the World Cup, but that will likely change during next year's Six Nations. The energetic center picked up where he left off last season for Bath, taking devastating angles from Finn Russell's pinpoint passes inside.
17. Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
A supreme talent of a generation who has looked as good as ever lately. Everyone knows what Harlequins can offer – Smith is always around for the best moments – but his goal now must be to replicate that form consistently. If he achieves this, a world champion could be waiting for him.
16. George Martin (Leicester) 
George Martin has become a dangerous player. Photo: Getty Images/David Ramos
England's effective defeat in the World Cup semi-finals would not have come as a surprise to those who have closely followed Leicester's exploits over the past two seasons. Martin has become a physical specimen, a defensive colossus. There were doubts about his ability to handle the ball, but he has improved significantly in that regard.
15. Doohan van der Merwe (Edinburgh)
Given the greatness of the Scottish team, fans around the world may not have seen the best of the huge striker during this year's World Cup. However, all they will have to do is look at the highlights of his performances at last year's Six Nations and his form at home. There are not many players in world rugby as strong as him; and, of course, those who approach him struggle to reconcile this with his dynamism.
14. Mateo Carreras (Newcastle)
It's crazy to think that Carreras, the energetic Argentine player, was virtually unknown when he arrived in the North East two years ago. Since then he has become one of the best in the world; moving into the top 14 for big money (with a successful game from Bayonne) was inevitable.
13. Jack Morgan (Ospreys)
A shining star for Wales at the World Cup, the full-back rower has become the first name on Warren Gatland's team list. One of the few Welshmen who has a realistic chance of making the Lions' starting XI, Morgan is the man around whom Wales' revival should revolve. The beauty of Ospreay is that it plays equally skillfully in all three positions of the back line.
12. Pierre Schumann (Edinburgh) 
Pierre Schumann is one of the best slackers in the world. Photo: PA/Jane Barlow
Schumann simply participated in the conversation when discussing the best slackers in the world. Remember the mess Scotland made of South Africa before half-time in a World Cup pool match; The Scottish prop, although noisy with the ball in his hands, is not a show pony. It also offers world class nuts and bolts.
11. Freddie Steward (Leicester)
There's been a lot of talk lately about Steward's versatility and whether he has enough strings on his bow, but the fullback's superpower lies in his rugby aerial combat prowess. Given the prevalence of kicking in the modern game, most defenders would die for this skill.
10. Ben Earl (Saracens)
Could this be the greatest surprise of the World Cup on an individual level – and not just for England? Earl was by no means a guaranteed starter for Borthwick's team when they arrived in France, but finished the tournament as a leader. His knee injury comes at a difficult time, but fortunately the back-rower is expected to be fit for the Six Nations.
9. Jasper Wiese (Leicester)
Wise has weaknesses – France's second division plays in more skilled eights – but the fact remains that the Springbok are the Premier League's (and perhaps the world's) outstanding defenders with the ball. Gregory Alldritt is more reliable, Duane Vermeulen is more cunning, and Ardie Savea is more explosive, but Wiese's raw power in heavy traffic is unmatched.
8. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh)
It would be lazy to describe Graham as a diminutive, slick striker whose sole purpose is to drag defenders into a phone box. Such a description would do a disservice to a player whose rugby brain is as sharp as any and who possesses deceptive strength for a game currently dominated by giants. Like Boffelli, he is missed in the Scottish capital.
7. Finn Russell (Bath)
Following his departure from Racing 92, great things were expected from the Scottish maestro in Bath. So far, Russell has not succeeded. Russell is the world's best midfielder in his day – if we see enough of 'his day' it will be the only devil's advocate offering. However, Russell brings unbridled joy to the sport.
6. Owen Farrell (Saracens) 
Owen Farrell is taking an indefinite break from international rugby. Photo: PA Wire/Mike Egerton
The recent news about Pharrell has caused a stir. The treatment he and his family endured was disgraceful. The side effect of all this is that the midfielder is understandably not quite at his peak on the pitch. Of course, sixth place is still good – and he remains a superb presence in any team – but Saracens at his best is a contender for the top spot. However, the reality is that Farrell remains a vital cog for club and country and the sooner he gets back into action with the latter, the better.
5. Julian Montoya (Leicester City)
Last year Montoya would have topped this list. However, fifth place is no small feat. One of the world's leading hookers, now captain of Argentina and Leicester, Puma has made a name for himself with a combination of supreme shalling and sheer bloodiness in tight games. Still prone to weekend breaks in the lineout, but his strengths more than mitigate that.
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
There are those who believe that the lock may have burned out, but the truth is that Itoje's level of play never drops below 7/10. When Saracen first burst onto the scene, his performances were so exciting that he set such heady expectations for himself. Now that he is not at his best, critics believe his performance is lagging. If anything, Itoje became a victim of his own success. He remains a world-class force.
3. George Ford (Sale)
On many occasions, Ford has lost out to Farrell in the battle for the 10th spot – due to Saracens' vaunted leadership – but when viewed as an isolation midfielder, there are few, if any, in the UK who have as complete a package as Sale. Shark. If there were any doubts about Ford on the international stage, his masterful performance against Argentina in the pool stage, during which his three goals in 10 minutes destroyed the Pumas, did away with them.
Where have we seen this before? 🏴footballgofootballgofootball😦
George Ford scored a hat-trick and scored goals!#RWC2023 | @EnglandRugby pic.twitter.com/T1x4PA3wEU
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) September 9, 2023 2. Handre Pollard (Leicester)
The World Cup midfielder, the man who scored all the points in South Africa's final win over the All Blacks in second place? Of course there is no shame in losing to our eventual winner and Pollard ranks higher than some great players. Injury prevented Leicester from seeing the best of their star midfielder last season, but his value has been palpable this year: Leicester had won one of their four Premier League games before his arrival; they have since gone on a four-match winning streak in the league and Europe. His influence on the Springboks' World Cup victory was similar.
1. Courtney Lawes (Northampton) 
Courtney Laws is in exceptional form. Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers
Two seasons ago, the Lowes may not have even collected this entire collection. That the one-shot lock – now blind – has reinvented itself to keep up with the rigors and trends of the modern game is a testament to its class. If he was once a one-dimensional enforcer, during the World Cup Lowes showed insight and maturity that is rarely seen. Saint won as much ball on the floor as he destroyed attackers in tackles. A worthy number 1.
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