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Seven Rugby World Cup winning hookers among latest inductees into RugbyPass Hall of Fame
By Sam Smith
The second wave of inductees into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame have been revealed as the finest hookers ever to grace the game were recognised on Tuesday.
Home to the greatest rugby players of all-time, the RugbyPass Hall of Fame acknowledges the outstanding efforts of the trailblazers from the amateur era through to the global stars who light up the sport to this day.
The amalgamation of rugby’s top players from the amateur and professional eras has been reflected in the Rugby Pass Hall of Fame’s second induction announcement, from which 13 of rugby’s best hookers have been unveiled as inductees.
Among the headline names include World Cup-winning rakes such as All Blacks greats Sean Fitzpatrick, Keven Mealamu and Dane Coles, ex-Springboks trio John Smit, Bismarck du Plessis and Schalk Brits, and former Wallabies captain Phil Kearns.
Both Mealamu and Kearns are two-time winners of rugby’s greatest prize, while Fitzpatrick, Du Plessis, Coles and Brits won their respective world titles in 1987, 2007, 2015 and 2019.
Smit, meanwhile, becomes the first World Cup-winning captain admitted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame after having guided the Springboks to their second Webb Ellis Cup triumph in France 14 years ago.
Other inductees include 2001 World Rugby Player of the Year Keith Wood (the inaugural recipient of the award), Welsh great Bobby Windsor, Manu Samoa icon Trevor Leota and long-serving former French No 2 William Servat.
There is also a prominent Los Pumas contingent among the new inductees, as both Mario Ledesma and Agustin Creevy have been honoured for their contributions to Argentine rugby.
All 13 players are joined in the RugbyPass Hall of Fame by 10 of rugby's best loosehead props, who were announced the inaugural inductees on Monday.
Of all those included in the RugbyPass Hall of Fame, only the players with the most votes in each position will make the Fan 1st XV, a team made up of only the best players ever to have played rugby.
The door remains open for other players to become RugbyPass Hall of Famers, so register now to have your say and vote for your favourite inductee in the Fan 1st XV.
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Latest Comments
GB = England, Scotland, Wales. UK = England, Wales, Scotland, NI
Nothing to stew son.
Go to commentsTupaea is a natural 12. What is it with you kiwis and playing players out of their positions. Is that some sort of national sport? Is that on purpose? You’ve got an utility back and a winger at 12 and 13 respectivelly. You played Savea at 8 for ages, wasting the potential of one of the world’s three best players in the last 4-5 years.
ALB is equally effective at 12 and 13, so why not have him or Tupaea at 12, and Proctor at 13? God forbid you’d have two midfielders playing at their natural positions! There must be a law in New Zealand, that prohibits that. Small sample size, but Proctor walked on water in his international debut at 13.
But the kiwi selectors seem to love Rieko’s speed, so as long as the horse is fast enough, they decided they’ll teach him to climb trees anyway.
You don’t have a better 10 than BB and Mo’unga. DMac is a more instinctive attacker (almost as good as Mo’unga … almost), but doesn’t have BB’s game-controlling skills. You have and will lose games due to his aimless kicking and spur-of-the-moment inventions none of his team mates are able to read at the international pace. Works okay at Super Rugby level, doesn’t mean it’s transferable to test matches. But hey, suit yourself.
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