The 13th 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 Five Scrum Halves of All Time", I will look at the top ten players ever to play at Fly Half.
This has been by far the hardest to call out of any position so far. I had a list of about 20, all of whom had a real claim to be in the top five. But I've managed to whittle it down to just ten.
Usually the kickers in the rugby team, fly-halves need an accurate boot, great passing, solid tackling and explosive pace to make breaks. A good fly half can easily win you the match, especially if it's a tight match with no tries. A good fly-half, therefore, is vital in a good team.
10. Andrew Mehrtens (NZ) - With 967 points to his name, Andrew Mehrtens is the highest scoring All Black in history. He managed this in just 70 tests, which makes his test aggregate a record for a New Zealander.
He made an immediate impact on his international debut, scoring 28 points against Canada. He went on to score more conversions than any other player in international rugby history, a record which still remains. He is also the highest scorer in Tri-Nations history.
He holds first and second place on the list for most points by one player against one country, with 209 and 202 points against South Africa and Australia respectively.
9. Michael Lynagh (AUS) - A former Wallabies captain, Michael Lynagh is the highest points scorer in his countries history, with 911. When he retired, that total was also a World record points tally, but it is now fifth on the all-time list.
A member of the 1984 Grand Slam winning team, Lynagh played for his country for 11 years, winning 72 caps for his country. He was the vice-captain at Australia's successful World Cup campaign in 1991.
8. Phil Bennett (WAL) - One of the most skillful fly-halves ever to play the game, Phil Bennett was the first ever substitute in a game of International rugby. Due to fierce competition for his international place in a Wales side that was the dominant force in the world, he only won 29 caps for the Welsh.
Despite this, he went on two Lions tours, the all-conquering 1974 tour to South Africa, where he scored 103 points, including a spectacular 50-yard try, and the 1977 tour to New Zealand, where he was named captain.
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