Four Ireland stars included as Top 20 players in World Rugby right now

Patrick McCarry

Some real class acts in there.

The World Cup is back in South Africa and Test rugby is done for another year. While club action is ramping up in the northern hemisphere, it is a fitting time to assess the best players in world rugby, right now.

World Rugby handed out their ‘Best’ and ‘Breakthrough’ player accolades during their recent awards ceremony, named Andy Farrell as Coach of the Year and announced their third ever ‘Dream Team of the Year’.

Selecting a Top 20 rugby players list is not as simple as looking at each position and arguing the toss over who gets what jersey. Our 2023 list is rammed with back row forwards, for example, while there is just one scrumhalf and one outhalf.

Other names may have made the list – we’re thinking Aaron Smith, Courtney Lawes or Johnny Sexton – but they have retired from Test rugby. The 20-man selection is based off top-level rugby in 2023. The World Cup holds a lot of weight, but is not the be-all-and-end-all, hence the high placing of a couple of La Rochelle players.

The best players in world rugby

A strong base for the Top 20 is that World Rugby Dream Team of the Year, which was announced the night after the World Cup. That, tallied with the various World Cup XV selections, including our own, and some debates closer to home, helped provide more clarity.

One can follow all the statistics, metrics, big performances in huge games and tally up the scores and medals, as well as the expert pundit takes, but a certain subjectivity comes into play when assembling these lists. It is why Antoine Dupont features so highly despite not always being blindingly fantastic in Toulouse red and being injury-hampered, and well targeted by South Africa, at the World Cup.

Levani Botia and Will Skelton both feature highly but anyone that was been fortunate to watch many of their games, this year, will know the score. Same goes for Jonathan Danty, who had a couple of injury niggles, with France missing out on his full whack.

Before we get to the Top 20, some players that were considered but who just missed out – Dan Sheehan, Handrè Pollard, Siya Kolisi, Waisea Nayacalevu, Jordie Barrett and Charles Ollivon. Others sitting between 20 and 30 are Romain Ntamack, Tadhg Furlong, Lukhanyo Am and Ox Nchè.