Rugby World Cup: Top five players to watch at the 2015 tournament
WELL, we’re finally here. On the eve of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, we reveal the top five players to watch at the sport’s global showpiece.
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WELL, we’re finally here.
On the eve of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, we reveal the top five players to watch at the sport’s global showpiece.
Hosts England kick off the tournament against Fiji at 5am on Saturday AEST, while Australia’s first game is also against Fiji next Thursday.
You can watch all of the games live and uninterrupted on Fox Sports.
We’ve been counting down the top 25 players to watch during the week — recap our choices by clicking on the links below.
THE COUNTDOWN — PLAYERS NUMBER 25-21
THE COUNTDOWN — PLAYERS NUMBER 20-16
THE COUNTDOWN — PLAYERS NUMBER 15-11
THE COUNTDOWN — PLAYERS NUMBER 10-6
5: Thierry Dusautoir — France
Simply a superb rugby player and ambassador for his country.
He was so good in the 2011 World Cup final that he won man of the match despite being on the losing side.
He was also named the world player of the year in 2011 as his tireless tackling and inspirational leadership won admirers from around the globe.
The openside flanker has a fascinating backstory.
With a French father and Ivorian mother, Dusautoir’s favourite sport was judo until he started playing rugby at age 16.
What a good decision.
The softly spoken Dusautoir has a degree in chemical engineering and the 33-year-old captain will try to conjure up a first World Cup title for the three-time finalists.
He’s been battling injury all season but, to quote Rudy Tomjanovich, “Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion.”
LISTEN TO THE NEW FOX RUGBY PODCAST, FEATURING SEAN MALONEY, DAVE DENNIS AND SAM WORTHINGTON, IN THE PLAYER BELOW!
4: Sam Burgess — England
Probably the most talked about individual at the whole World Cup — and he’s not even a member of England’s starting side.
Burgess has predictably been tabloid fodder after making a high profile switch from the NRL in an audacious bid to learn rugby in less than a year.
Is he up to it?
The jury remains out and, after a season in which he has flitted between the forwards and the backs, it is a monumental ask for him to successfully navigate the myriad laws and nuances of his new sport at the highest possible level.
His physicality off the bench will rattle lesser teams but expect the big boys of world rugby to target his midfield defensive decision making, should they get the chance.
3: Bismarck du Plessis — South Africa
Big Bismarck somehow remains underrated despite consistently terrorising opponents in his 73-Test career.
Dane Coles, Stephen Moore and Agustin Creevy are all world class hookers but du Plessis remains the standard bearer with his brutal brand of rugby.
The 31-year-old also acts as a fourth loose forward with his uncanny ability to ignore his own safety and win breakdown ball.
His discipline can let him down but du Plessis will be the barometer for the Springboks — dogged by accusations of racist selections — at the World Cup.
If he fires then South Africa’s green jerseys start to carry a far more menacing hue.
2: Richie McCaw — New Zealand
How is he not No 1, you ask?
Well, just wait and see the ace that we’ve kept up our sleeve.
McCaw has already probably achieved enough to go down in the history books as the world’s greatest ever rugby player.
If he can become the first man to captain his country to consecutive World Cup titles then there can be no debate.
The numbers alone are extraordinary — a world record 142 Test caps and counting, with a winning strike rate of over 90 per cent.
But it is the intangible leadership skills that set the part-time pilot apart.
As All Blacks coach Steve Hansen loves to say, McCaw’s preparation each week goes “bone deep” and his teammates can’t help but follow.
1: Israel Folau — Australia
Stop the presses: this guy is really, really good.
Folau has already conquered Australian rugby — this year becoming the first ever back-to-back winner of the John Eales Medal.
But Folau is the type of bloke who thirsts for the biggest stage imaginable and that’s why the code-hopper made the jump to rugby in the first place.
A World Cup title would easily eclipse any of his league or AFL achievements and the fullback has the freakish athletic ability to do so.
Folau’s captain at the Waratahs, Dave Dennis, told the Fox Rugby Podcast that his teammate was poised to take the world by storm.
“He’s a guy that really enjoys the big stage,” Dennis said.
“A fond memory of Izzy is one of the first games he played in Super Rugby, two or three games in, he came up to me before kick-off and said ‘is there going to be a big crowd here, how many do you reckon we’ll get in the ground tonight?’
“He’s a guy that really loves that big atmosphere and I think he’ll go to another level, if the team gives him the opportunity to get plenty of ball.”
Originally published as Rugby World Cup: Top five players to watch at the 2015 tournament
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