We may not have enjoyed the success of New Zealand or Australia over the years but surely Ireland deserve more than two spots on the list of top 50 rugby players of the professional era.
With the retirement of Richie McCaw on Wednesday, WalesOnline decided to compile their list of all time greats and Irish players are surprisingly sparse.
Only Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell are rewarded with places, in third and fifteenth place respectively.
We’re not saying that Ireland should dominate the list but one would have at least expected some recognition for Ronan O’Gara, who is the fourth highest points scorer in international rugby, and Keith Wood, who was the IRB World Player of the Year award in 2001.
This is the top 10, as selected by the website.
- Richie McCaw
- Dan Carter
- Brian O’Driscoll
- Jonah Lomu
- Joost van der Westhuizen
- Sergio Parisse
- Tim Horan
- Shane Williams
- John Eales
- Jonny Wilkinson
