Why they rank here
The most successful player in the history of the game, and the defining openside flanker of the professional era. McCaw captained New Zealand to back-to-back World Cups in 2011 and 2015, won a record three World Rugby Player of the Year awards (2006, 2009, 2010), and finished with 148 Test caps — a world record for a forward at his retirement. He led the All Blacks a record 110 times and won 131 of his Tests, an astonishing win rate near 89 percent. His genius lay at the breakdown, where his mastery of the jackal and his reading of the referee's tolerance let him win turnovers and slow opposition ball more effectively than anyone before him, so much so that opponents and lawmakers alike shaped their thinking around him. Durable, ruthless and relentlessly competitive, he combined statistical dominance with two of the sport's biggest prizes — the twin pillars, peak and achievement, that make his case for the top spot.
Career profile
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Head-to-head
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