The 50 best rugby players of the year, part three: 30-21

Lawrence Nolan
All Blacks duo Mark Telea and Beauden Barrett and Springboks Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth and Jesse Kriel celebrate.

All Blacks duo Mark Telea and Beauden Barrett and Springboks Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth and Jesse Kriel.

Part three of the Planet Rugby guide to the top performers in the international game has arrived as our countdown of the outstanding players of 2023 continues.

Last week’s 40-31 rundown saw the likes of Siya Kolisi, Ben Earl, Waisea Nayacelevu and Liam Williams included, those 10 players following our 50-41 opener.

Our list will culminate on the eve of the new year so without further ado, this is Planet Rugby’s next segment of the world’s best performers from this year.

30. Courtney Lawes

England‘s forward for all occasions. It’s not easy to upstage Maro Itoje, but Lawes has been by far England’s most consistent performer in the pack this year, while rising to the occasional challenge of captaincy with aplomb.

29. Theo McFarland

The Samoan back-row has had a career-defining year, featuring an outstanding Rugby World Cup and on the back of the new long-term contract he signed with Saracens last year. Likely to be a Saracen until the twilight of his career, McFarland was tearing up the Premiership as Saracens cruised to the title.

28. Jesse Kriel

South Africa‘s favourite utility back filled in more than capably for the injured Lukhanyo Am at the World Cup and has turned in several superb cameos for the Boks over the past 12 months.

27. Thomas Ramos

Ramos has had a stellar year at full-back for Toulouse and France, occasionally filling in at fly-half for the former as well during the injury time off for Romain Ntamack, but was slightly off his A-game during the global showpiece.

26. Ox Nche

Infamously described by a commentator as ‘the man whose name sounds like a sneeze’, Nche’s introduction as a part of the ‘Bomb Squad’ was a turning point in several of South Africa’s tighter matches this year.

25. Tadhg Beirne

One of the main pistons in Ireland‘s powerful engine-room, Beirne is responsible for an extraordinary amount of unseen work in his team’s possession-rich game-plan, while his contribution to Munster’s title run last season should not be underestimated.

24. Franco Mostert

Nicknamed ‘sous’ (sauce in English, ostensibly because of the similarity between his surname and mustard), Mostert’s displays at the World Cup were the zenith of a career which has slowly but surely built since he was told he’d never play rugby again after a car crash in 2014. Tireless and resilient.

23. Mark Telea

The slipperiest winger at the World Cup, Telea is New Zealand’s latest discovery out wide. Tacklers simply cannot seem to grab a hold of him, while a languid running style belies his pace and power.

22. Emiliano Boffelli

Has surely become the face of the latest Argentina team to make a run to the World Cup semi-finals. Boffelli’s laser-accurate long-range boot means his name is often on the scoresheet, but it is his work under the high ball which puts him among the best players in the world in his position.

21. Beauden Barrett

Perhaps not blessed with the scorching pace he once had, Barrett continues to pull the strings for New Zealand from both full-back and fly-half when required, with a full suite of top-level skills.

READ MORE: The 50 best rugby players of the year, part four: 20-11

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