The tenth installment of my Greatest Ever series is here!
In this series I will look at the greatest talents to grace various sports. This time I continue to look at Rugby Union, and, following my "Top Three Tight Head Props of All Time," I will look at the top ten players ever to play in second row.
Second Rows, also known as Locks are usually the tallest players in the rugby team, and the primary line-out jumpers. They also provide the extra push in the scrum.
10. Malcolm O'Kelly (IRE) - Standing at over two metres tall, former Ireland captain Malcolm O'Kelly is the most capped player in Irish Rugby history. Still an active member of the Ireland squad, O'Kelly has won 91 International caps in a career spanning over ten years.
He has also been selected for two British and Irish Lions tours in 2001 and 2005, but he had to withdraw from the latter one due to injury.
9. Gordon Brown (SCO) - As a man who played in the amateur days of Rugby Union, Brown never got what his talents deserved. A Scottish international from 1969 to 1976 he won 30 caps for his country.
He was also selected for three Lions tours in 1971, 1974 and 1977, winning eight caps. On the 1974 Tour to South Africa, Brown scored a phenomenal eight tries for the Lions, including two against South Africa themselves to help the Lions to a fantastically successful tour.
In 2001 Brown was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.
8. Bill Beaumont (ENG) - Another member of the International Rugby Hall of Fame, Bill Beaumont is a hugely popular and highly respected figure in rugby. The former England captain won 34 caps for his country, which included the 1980 Grand Slam, an unexpected bonus and Beaumont's finest moment as captain.
He won seven caps for the Lions, captaining them on the 1980 tour to South Africa. This made him the first Englishman to captain the Lions for 50 years.
7. Fabien Pelous (FRA) -
2 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
jim Faulkner 11 months ago
Good one Barney, i disagree with only one thing; John Eels must be number one in my book. He could do it all. As captain he won every available trophy in world rugby. Good read.
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Jason Pastrick 10 months ago
Johnson was a great, but Eales and Meads were better. In fact, if the French had won the World Cup with Abdelatif Benazzi, I might even pick him over Johnson. But you can't argue with a World-Cup-victorious captaincy. So I put Johnson at no. 3. You know, the role and duties of the lock has changed more than any other position in rugby union, so comparisons have to take a lot of things into account. The top five in my list are the ones I believe would have excelled in any era of the game.
1. John Eales (no doubt about it)
2. Colin Meads
3. Martin Johnson (what ferocity!)
4. Frik du Preez
5. Brian Lochore
6. Abdelatif Benazzi
7. Iain Paxton (A better Scottish lock than G. Brown, IMHO)
8. Malcolm O'Kelly
9. Fabien Pelous
10. Willie John McBride
Best of the Rest: Bill Beaumont, Gordon Brown, Ian Jones, Jeremy Davidson, Robin Brooke
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