The Independent has released it’s greatest 100 players in World Cup history, ranked according to their team of expert rugby writers.
It will come as no surprise to learn that the Pienaars, Williams’ and McCaws all feature high up the list.
Players from Georgia, Samoa, Argentina and beyond are also all included, and as the global expansion of rugby union continues, this list should get more diverse as the years go by.
Surprisingly, the likes of Alun Wyn Jones and Brian O’Driscoll find themselves outside of the top 50
Check out their top 50 below
#50 – Andrew Merhtens (New Zealand)
#49 – Rupeni Caucaunibuca (Fiji)
#48 – Phil Vickery (England)
They wrote: “A World Cup winner in 2003, Vickery emerged as the somewhat surprising man to captain England to the 2007 World Cup, where an unexpected resurrection saw them come within a whisker of retaining the Webb Ellis Cup. Arguably England’s best tighthead prop.”