Here we pick our top five best rugby centres of all time. We’ve used a number of stats to quantify our rankings, as well as a player’s overall contribution to the game. So who makes it into our top five?
All stats come from ESPN.com and are correct as of the publish date.
Honourable mentions: Will Greenwood (England), Scott Gibbs (Wales), Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand), Danie Gerber (South Africa), Frank Bunce (New Zealand), Yannick Jauzion (France)
BEST RUGBY CENTRES:
#5 Ma'a Nonu (New Zealand)
Known initially more for his braided hair and eyeliner, he added passing and kicking to his raw line-breaking power to become one of the great centres, capping his Test career with that superb World Cup final try in 2015.
Did you know? Nonu became a vegetarian while playing in France for Toulon, citing his son Michael as his motivation
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 24: Ma'a Nonu of the New Zealand All Blacks is tackled by Handre Pollard (l) and Francois Louw (6) of South Africa during the 2015 Rugby World Cup Semi Final match between South Africa and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on October 24, 2015 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Chris Lee - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
#4 Jeremy Guscott (England)
England and British and Irish Lions centre Jeremy Guscott possessed great pace and this coupled with his hard tackling made him one of England’s most valuable assets in the early 1990s. He burst onto the international scene with a super hat-trick and this was a sign of things to come as he went on to represent England on 65 occasions, scoring an impressive 143 points.
Did you know? Since his retirement from the game he has worked full-time as a pundit for the BBC.
#3 Tim Horan (Australia)
Only a handful of players has won the Rugby World Cup Twice and power-packed runner Tim Horan is one of them, triumphing in 1991 and 1999 with Australia. He made his international debut in 1989 against the All Blacks and would go on to make 80 caps, scoring 30 tries, in a impressive 11-year career.
Did you know? Horan’s father is Mike Horan, the former National Party and Liberal National Party Member of Parliament for the Queensland electorate of Toowoomba South.
#2 Phillipe Sella (France)
Armed with pace, strength and great handling skills France legend Philippe Sella established himself as the world’s best centre for much of the 80’s. He made his presence felt in the France team for 13 successive campaigns between 1982 and 1995, and was never just there to make up the numbers.
He scored an impressive total of 25 tries for his country and was one of only five individuals who have scored a try in every match of a Six Nations Championship. He accumulated 111 caps for Les Bleus and commanded a universal reverence from his peers and became one of France’s favourite sons.
Did you know? He was famously described by the former France coach Jacques Fouroux as having “the strength of a bull but the touch of a piano player.”
#1 Brian O’Driscoll
Only one man could top this list and that is one of the most feared men to have ever played the game. The former Ireland and British and Irish Lions Skipper Brian O’Driscoll was one of the most consistent performers in the world for over a decade.
He hung up his boots in 2014 after accumulating 133 caps for Ireland with a fantastic return of 245 points. In the emerald green, he triumphed in the Six Nations in 2009 (Grand Slam) and 2014 as well as being chosen as Player of the Tournament in 2006, 2007 and 2009.
The Dublin-born is also the highest all-time Irish record try scorer with an incredible 46 scores, and also led his country more times than any other player.
Did you know? O’Driscoll was the most-capped player in rugby union history when he retired, having played 141 Test matches.
