Richie McCaw
Dan Carter
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Richie McCaw leads 2 of 3 categories. Our all-time ranking places Richie McCaw at #1 and Dan Carter at #2.
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The case for Richie McCaw
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.
The case for Dan Carter
The most complete fly-half rugby has produced, and its all-time leading Test points scorer with 1,598. Carter combined every facet of the position — a flawless goal-kicking record, a punishing running game, tactical kicking, distribution and defence — into a template that defined the modern number 10. His 2005 performance against the British and Irish Lions, when he scored 33 points almost single-handedly, is often called the greatest individual fly-half display ever. Injury cruelly denied him the 2011 World Cup final, but he returned to orchestrate New Zealand's 2015 triumph, scoring 19 points in the final against Australia, including a majestic long-range drop goal, and signing off as player of the tournament. A three-time World Rugby Player of the Year (2005, 2012, 2015), Carter paired peak brilliance with rare longevity across 112 Tests, and his points record may stand for a generation.