Ranking the 10 Best Scrum-Halves in Rugby History
Rugby World Cup NewsFriday, 06 February 2015 at 21:26
The scrum-half is vital as they are the player who ties together the forwards and backs into one solitary unit. They remove the ball from the back of the scrum and lineout before usually distributing the ball to the fly-half.
We’ve ranked our top ten of all-time; let's see if you agree with our selection…
10 Fourie du Preez
Kicking off our list is veteran Fourie Du Preez, who has made 70 appearances for the Springboks scoring 15 tries so far.
In his international career, he won the Tri-Nations twice in 2004 and 2009 as well as the Rugby World Cup in 2007 when South Africa overcame England.
Did you know: In 2009, Du Preez was voted SA Rugby Player of the year by the South African Rugby Football Union for a second time
9 Terry Holmes
Despite starting his international career at the tail end of the celebrated era of Welsh rugby, Terry Holmes went on to win 25 international caps.
For a scrum-half, he had a lot of strength and power, which was enough for him to get selected for two Lions tours in 1980 ad 1983. Although Holmes may not have achieved quite as much as others on this list, he was as effective and feared as any scrum-half in rugby history.
Did you know: In late-1985, Holmes became one of the biggest names of the time to turn professional when he joined Bradford Northern for £80,000.
8 Justin Marshall
Ex-All Black Justin Marshall made his international debut at the young age of 22 against France in 1995 and went on to win 81 caps for New Zealand scoring a commendable 24 Test tries.
He is the third most capped New Zealand international player in history, and the most capped All Blacks scrum-half. He also featured in the 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cups.
In 1997, he became the All Blacks' 54th Test captain. His international career came to an end after the series victory over the British & Irish Lions in 2005.
Did you know: In April 2013, Marshall made an unexpected comeback, taking the field for club side Wakatipu, at the age of 39
7 Augustin Pichot
Former Argentina Skipper Agustin Pichot took up the challenge of bringing worldwide recognition to Argentinean rugby when he took over from former talisman Hugo Porta.
Pichot made a try-scoring debut for the Pumas against Australia in 1995 and went on to play in his first World Cup later that year, at the age of 19. He went onto guide Los Pumas to an incredible third place finish at the 2007 World Cup and in total made 71 international appearances, scoring 12 tries.
Did you know: He narrated the Argentinian version of the documentary Earth
6 Will Genia
Papua New Guinean-born Will Genia made his Australia debut against New Zealand in the opening clash of the 2009 Tri-Nations and would later earn his first start against South Africa in Brisbane.
He has gone on to make 58 appearances for the Wallabies, scoring 40 points and was a key figure in their Tri-Nations victory in 2011. Many other current and former players have also labelled Genia the best halfback in world rugby at present, and it is hard to disagree.
Did you know: His brother, Francis Genia, plays for the Papua New Guinea national rugby union team
5 Matt Dawson
Sometimes England legend Matt Dawson does not get the recognition he probably deserves as his resume stacks up against any other scrum-half to have played the game.
His greatest achievement would be his leading role in England’s World Cup triumph in 2003, but he also boasts a winning Lions tour and Heineken Cup victory. A natural leader on the field he made 77 caps and impressed everyone with his slick all-around game.
Did you know: He finished second to Mark Ramprakash in Strictly Come Dancing in 2006.
4 Nick Farr-Jones
From Caringbah, just south of Sydney, scrum-half Nick Farr-Jones proved to be one of the Wallabies greatest ever stars.
Equipped with an accurate, bullet-like pass and outstanding tackling skills, he made his Test debut in November 1984 against England at Twickenham.
This appearance would be the first of 63 Tests he played between 1984 and 1993, which included him Skippering the Aussies to glory at the 1991 World Cup when they overcame England in the final.
Did you know: Of David Campese's then world record 64 international tries, Nick Farr-Jones had a hand in 46 of them
3 George Gregan
Australia legend George Gregan was the most capped international player of all time until Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll overtook him.
He represented Australia 139 times and captained the side in a record 59 matches. The diminutive scrum-half took part in four World Cup campaigns including the 1999 triumph as well as the side that came heartbreakingly close in 2003.
He also represented the Wallabies in an incredible 12 Tri-Nations series. For 13 years, Gregan was the heartbeat of Wallabies rugby, and he is truly one of the legends of the game.
Did you know: He was appointed as a member of the Order of Australia in June 2004 for his services to the sport
2 Gareth Edwards CBE
The former Wales and British and Irish Lions scrum-half is simply the greatest player in his position in history. Gareth Edwards is also considered by many to be one of the greatest rugby players of all time.
He was notorious for his pace but also had an unexpected strength for a leaner player. He made 53 caps for Wales as well as making ten appearances for the British & Irish Lions, featuring on tours in 1968, 1971 and 1974.
The second tour, to New Zealand, is still the only victorious Lions tour to the Land of the Long White Cloud. During the third, to South Africa in 1974, was the greatest ever Lions jaunt, in which the tourists played 22 matches and remained unbeaten.
Did you know: In 2004 a statue of Gareth Edwards was erected in the St David’s Shopping Centre in Cardiff, as a memorial to his magnificent play for the country.
1 Joost van der Westhuizen
Springbok icon Joost van der Westhuizen was a national hero, always giving full commitment and always guaranteeing supreme physicality in every game he played in.
The intelligent tactician played a key role in the Springboks' 1995 World Cup triumph in South Africa. He scored a fantastic 38 tries in 89 Tests, but post-Rugby Van der Westhuizen faced his biggest challenge yet after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2011. We lost the legend in early February 2017.
He is not only one of the greatest scrum-halves of all time but probably one of the top 10 players in the history of the game.
Did you know: The scrum-half was inducted into the IRB International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007.
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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