Jonah Lomu
Serge Blanco
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Serge Blanco leads 2 of 2 categories. Our all-time ranking places Jonah Lomu at #4 and Serge Blanco at #10.
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The case for Jonah Lomu
The player who made rugby a global commercial phenomenon and redefined what a wing could be. At the 1995 World Cup, an unstoppable 19-stone 20-year-old ran through the world's best defences, scoring four tries in the semi-final demolition of England and terrorising every opponent with a blend of sprinter's pace and prop's power never seen before. Lomu scored 37 tries in 63 Tests and holds the record, shared with Bryan Habana, for most World Cup tries with 15 across the 1995 and 1999 tournaments. He never won the World Cup — New Zealand lost the 1995 final to South Africa — and a rare kidney disorder eventually cut short his career and, tragically, his life at 40. But his impact transcended silverware: he was rugby's first true superstar, the man who proved the professional game could sell out stadiums and captivate audiences far beyond its traditional heartlands.
The case for Serge Blanco
The embodiment of French flair and the greatest attacking fullback of the amateur era. Blanco played the game with an improviser's instinct, counter-attacking from deep in his own half in a way that thrilled crowds and terrified defences, and he finished with 38 tries in 93 Tests — a French record when he retired that was remarkable for a fullback. His most famous moment came in the 1987 World Cup semi-final, when he finished a sweeping, last-minute counter-attack to beat Australia and send France to the inaugural final. He won Grand Slams in 1981 and 1987 as the creative fulcrum of a gifted French generation, playing with a cigarette-and-flair mystique that made him an icon beyond the sport. Where others measured the game in structure, Blanco measured it in instinct and adventure, and no fullback of his time matched his ability to turn defence into breathtaking attack.