ANALYSIS
Over a lifetime of covering rugby, Phil Gifford has seen many of the greatest players to don the black jersey – and the biggest change in that time has been the arrival of professionalism in 1996. Today, in a series rating the best All Blacks of the professional era, he selects his all-time XV from the top 60.
Fullback
Christian Cullen: “What made him so special? His speed off the mark was extraordinary, as was his daring, and eye for a gap.”
Reserve: Ben Smith – “Once settled at fullback, he was a key man in the best All Blacks’ World Cup backline ever, the star-studded line-up of 2015.”
Wings
Jonah Lomu: “Don’t believe people who say that Lomu’s star had basically faded by the time his astonishing debut at the last amateur cup in 1995 was over. In the 1999 World Cup semifinal against France at Twickenham, he almost set up an All Blacks victory with two brilliant tries.”
Jeff Wilson: “By the time he starred in the 1996 series win in South Africa, Wilson’s nickname ‘Goldie’ from his schooldays at Cargill High School in Southland, had lost any satirical edge. He really was the golden boy of international rugby.”
Reserve: Doug Howlett – “His rugby career was a boy’s own fairy tale. In the 1996 Auckland side at 18, while still at school, in 2000 he was an All Black.”
Reserve: Julian Savea – “Savea scored 46 test tries, and hit a stunning career peak in the 62-13 whipping of France in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final.”
Midfielders
Conrad Smith: “On the field you saw not only the sharp intelligence of the qualified lawyer he is, but also the grit of his Taranaki rugby lineage.”
Ma’a Nonu: “‘He has to be,’ says Sir Wayne Smith, ‘in any discussion for our greatest midfielder in history, along with Conrad Smith.’”
Reserve: Tana Umaga – “Umaga’s talent and leadership meant so much to the All Blacks that when Umaga told Henry in 2005 he was retiring, the coach unsuccessfully offered him everything from a lighter workload to a year off, if Umaga would stay to lead the All Blacks at the 2007 World Cup.”
Reserve: Frank Bunce – “A world-class centre, with the ability, as his midfield partner Walter Little would note, to make tackles so devastating ‘they gave the whole team a lift’.”
First five-eighths
Dan Carter: “The great undefeated All Blacks coach, Sir Fred Allen, said simply that Carter was the best first five he had ever seen.”
Reserve: Beauden Barrett – “Asked his opinion in 2019, Sir Graham Henry had no doubts. ‘At first five [Barrett] stands so flat to the line, he’s so quick, he’s always a danger. I think he’s the best first five in the world.’”
Halfback
Aaron Smith: “In 2021, Sir Wayne Smith suggested that Aaron wasn’t just the best halfback in world rugby, but the best player.”
Reserve: Justin Marshall - “There have been faster passers, there have been more accurate passers. But if you wanted a player who’d scrap, snarl, fight and never, ever, give up, you’d take the man from Mataura any time.”
No 8
Kieran Read: “In 2013, Read was named world rugby player of the year. As the best players do, he never had a bad game.”
Reserve: Zinzan Brooke – “On the rugby field he added remarkable skills to his unquenchable desire to win. He remains the only All Blacks No 8, of any era, to drop-kick a goal in a test match.”
Flankers
Richie McCaw: “McCaw’s career was beyond extraordinary. You felt that while he didn’t actually leap tall buildings in a single bound, he might have managed it in two goes.”
Sir Michael Jones: “From Jones’ first tests in the All Blacks, teammates spoke in awed tones about him. ‘Michael does things,’ said 1987 World Cup centre, Joe Stanley, ‘that the rest of us haven’t even thought about’.”
Reserve: Jerome Kaino – “During the 2011 World Cup, a magazine blogger wrote: ‘Jerome Kaino and Superman once fought each other on a bet. The loser had to wear his underwear outside his pants.’”
Reserve: Ardie Savea – “The citation when he was named 2023 world player of the year noted, ‘his work-rate often makes it appear there is more than one of him on the pitch.’”
Locks
Sam Whitelock: “Scott Robertson said of Whitelock, ‘He’s a great, balanced, player, mentally very strong. Really, he’s the ultimate professional as a rugby player and an athlete.’”
Brodie Retallick: “In the lineout, Retallick quickly reached a point in his career where his presence alone made opposing jumpers uneasy. The huge tweak in Retallick’s game is the amazing range of extra skills he brings to the party.”
Reserve: Brad Thorn – “Steve Hansen said, ‘He’s so easy to coach. Just give him something to push, something to tackle, and something to catch, and he’s happy. And give him three feeds a day. Just make sure they’re big ones.’”
Reserve: Ian Jones – “Hugely athletic around the field, Ian Jones was the king of the lineout.”
Props
Carl Hayman: “Hayman’s gifts at scrumtime were matched by his truly remarkable ability to make hoisting a 120kg lock into the air look easy.”
Tony Woodcock: “His level of performance saw him play at three World Cups, and the golden moment came when he scored the only All Blacks try in their 8-7 victory in the 2011 final at Eden Park.”
Reserve: Owen Franks – “All Blacks forward coach Jason Ryan says ‘[Franks] takes pride in every scrum. An analogy to his attitude would be a Tiger Woods’ putt for a million dollars’.”
Reserve: Olo Brown – “You could, as one of his club coaches at Ponsonby would say, have used his back for a spirit level, it was so straight in the scrum.”
Hooker
Sean Fitzpatrick: “Every time he stepped up in rugby it was as if Sean Fitzpatrick was born for the position. From the Baby Blacks in 1986, to All Blacks captaincy in ‘92, everything felt natural. The mantra he lived his rugby by was brief but telling. ‘I HATE losing.’”
Reserve: Dane Coles – “Coles’ secret weapon at international level was genuine pace. ‘It’s always nice to get your hands on the pill,’ was how he summed up his own style.”
Greatest All Blacks of the professional era series
Part 1: The best fullbacks and wingers
Part 2: The best midfielders and first fives
Part 3: The best halfbacks and loose forwards
Part 4: The best locks and front row
Part 5: The best players since 1996 ranked from 60 to 1
Phil Gifford has twice been judged New Zealand sportswriter of the year, has won nine New Zealand and two Australasian radio awards, and been judged New Zealand Sports Columnist of the year three times. In 2010 he was honoured with the SPARC lifetime achievement award for services to sports journalism.
* An earlier version of this story was published before the selected halfback had been added. Thanks to those commenters below for pointing this out.
