The all important technician in between the two scrummaging pillars, having a world-class hooker in a squad can be a definitive game changer when it comes to the set-piece. With the ability to turn the momentum of a drive with one backwards hook of the ball, scrums are often won and lost in the jostle for possession between the number two jerseys.
The line-out is another key area where having an on-the-mark hooker is crucial. The front rower needs to have a snipers accuracy from the touchline, to pick out the receiving jumper, with pace and precision. Throughout rugby history, there have been some truly memorable hookers, who embodied the old-school grit, and ruthless spirit of the amateur and early professional eras.
The battles between Australia's Phil Kearns and New Zealand's Sean Fitzpatrick is the stuff of hooker legend, with 'Pitbull' Brian Moore personifying what it meant to play in England's terrifying front row back in the early '90s. All Blacks front rower Dane Coles revolutionised what it took to be the 'modern day hooker', with a never-relenting engine backing up a motoring top speed around the park. Coles is entering the twilight of his career, and is set to retire following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, in way for a new generation of All Blacks hookers to take centre stage.
So, for this series of our picks for the top five players of each position, here are the five best hookers that are playing today.
1. Malcolm Marx - South Africa and Kubota Spears
The first of two South African hookers to appear on this top five, Malcolm Marx is arguably leading the conversation regarding who is the number one 'number two' in the world today. An astute scrummager, who combines his raw power with an engineer's understanding of his pack's fine-tuned mechanisms, there are few better than Marx to win the ball, when the referee calls "crouch, bind, set." With 64 test match caps under his belt for the Springboks, Marx frequently featured amongst Rassie Erasamus' fabled 'bomb squad' in recent years.
Marx made off-the-bench appearances in all but one of the Springbok's triumphant 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign, with his explosive talents then best utilised in the second half. Marx would be brought on when his tiring opponents had run out of steam to diffuse his threat, and more often than not return successful results. Marx's time amongst the 'bomb squad' has since started to fizzle out, following the appointment of Jacques Nienaber as South African Head Coach.
Nienaber has preferred to play Marx from the get-go, and rotated the hooker between the starting XV and replacements, in the two latest Rugby Championship competitions. Regardless of whether Marx starts or finishes a match for the 'Boks, he is a reliable and dangerous threat at both the set-piece and around the park. The Kubota Spears man knows how to make the hard yards, and force his way over the opposition's try-line. He is looking in fine form ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with tries against the All Blacks and Wales, in the Springbok's two Summer warm-up games.
2. Julian Montoya - Argentina and Leicester Tigers
England Head Coach Steve Borthwick would have certainly briefed his players, on the threat that his former Leicester Tigers star Julian Montoya brought to the Rugby World Cup opener. The Argentine hooker is amongst the most well-versed talents, when it comes to adapting to his team. Montoya thrives in both the regimented set-piece orientated Leicester Tigers side, and the high-octane unpredictability of Los Pumas.
A revered opponent and cherished teammate, Montoya proudly wears the armband for Argentina, and sets an example with an unmatched work rate around the park. With unexpected athleticism for a front rower, Montoya adds an explosive first step when he carries into contact. Even if the Tigers man fails to break the gain-line, he leaves a mark on the opposition tackler, who will wake up the following morning remembering their collision with the Pumas hooker.
The hooker was an integral part of the Tigers foundation, that toppled Saracens to win the 2022 Gallagher Premiership. Montoya also has a taste for the try-line, as he scored 10 tries for Leicester last season, in 17 appearances across the Premiership and Champions Cup. Montoya’s try-scoring efforts continued throughout the latest Rugby Championship, as he added a momentum turning score in the win against Australia. A hooker of the highest calibre and frequently featuring in a Premiership 'Team of the Week', Montoya brings the best out of his opponents, whenever he runs out for club or country.
3. Bongi Mbonambi - South Africa and Sharks
Back to the Springboks now, with the man that is frequently interchanged for the aforementioned Malcolm Marx. South Africa are blessed to have two of the world's top five hookers at their disposal, with Sharks man Bongi Mbonambi a more than capable replacement for Marx, once the Kubota Spears man begins to fatigue. Mbonambi has made 70 test match caps for his country, in an impressive tenure that stretches back to Ireland's 2015 Summer Tour of South Africa.
Mbonambi's longevity speaks volumes of his consistency for the Springboks, as along with Marx, he offered an essential hooker option throughout South Africa's 2019 Rugby World Cup triumph. Mbonambi was credited with South Africa's early scrum dominance throughout the competition in Japan, before he would be replaced by Marx to close out the contest. The 32-year-old scored a total of eight tries for club and country, throughout the 2022/23 season, with his starring Sharks performance being a brace against eventual URC Champions Munster, to lead the Durban side through to the Champions Cup quarter-final.
A stalwart of the South African domestic clubs, Mbonambi made his breakthrough as apart of the Stormers during the Cape Town side's Super Rugby days. Following the expansion of the Pro14 into the United Rugby Championship back in 2021, Mbonambi jumped ship to the Sharks, and has since led his side to the final eight of the URC and Champions Cup competitions. A hooker who will in no doubt want nothing more than to win back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles, Mbonambi is a revered opponent who will look to leave his mark on the competition in France.
4. Dan Sheehan - Ireland and Leinster
At just 24-years-old, Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan is well on his way to becoming the best in the world for his position. As he enters his prime, Sheehan is going to be an unstoppable force in the front row, with his dynamic pace around the pitch akin to a younger Dane Coles. A definitive prototype for the 'modern day hooker', Sheehan is a try-scoring machine in the URC, with a record better than most backs in the competition.
Sheehan crossed over for 14 tries in all competitions last season, which included four in one match against Benetton. Sheehan scored two early tries for Leinster, in the 2023 Champions Cup Final and established a healthy (but eventually thrown) lead over La Rochelle. The hooker has also proven his try scoring prowess on the international stage, with a brace against England in the 2023 Six Nations, as Ireland secured their first Grand Slam since 2018. Sheehan is Andy Farrell's worst kept secret, with Pool B opponents South Africa, Scotland, Tonga and Romania drawing up the game plans to stop the formidable front rower.
The Champions Cup Final defeat to La Rochelle, was the first and only match that Sheehan lost throughout the entire 2022/23 season. Sheehan did not play in the URC semi-final defeat to Munster, yet did star in every match for Ireland, in their unstoppable season throughout the 2023 Six Nations and the previous 2022 Autumn Nations Series. With Ireland pursuing their first ever Rugby World Cup, Sheehan is a pivotal player in Andy Farrell's pack, that will have to be performing at his very best to bring the Web Ellis trophy to the Emerald Isle for the first time.
5. Dane Coles - New Zealand and Hurricanes
The sands of timing are ticking down for the man who revolutionised what it meant to be a world class hooker, in the modern rugby landscape. As we touched upon in the introduction, the 36-year-old is set to hang up his boots following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and bring an end to a decorated 17 year career. However, despite having played his 141st and final match for his beloved Hurricanes, Coles is set for one last ride with the All Blacks before he walks off into the sunset.
Coles would love nothing more than to end his last match in the famous black jersey, in a style akin to the likes of Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Ma'a Nonu with a World Cup win. Glory is on the horizon for Coles, as he aims to finish his career a two-time winner after the highs of the 2015 tournament on New Zealand's home soil. Despite being just a few matches away from retirement, the Wellington legend is still regarded amongst the top five hookers in the world.
In the same way that Coles took over the front-row reigns from Kevin Mealamu after the famous 2015 swansong, there are exciting All Blacks talents waiting in the wings for when Coles retires. Codie Taylor has long been the understudy to Coles, and in recent years has surpassed the veteran to achieve multiple test match starts. Samisoni Taukei'aho is another front running forward, who is ready to step up and compete in Coles' absence. However, before the power struggle begins, Coles and his All Blacks teammates head to France, with the nation's eyes set on a record setting fourth Rugby World Cup title.
