Rugby World Cup 2015: Ranking Top Backs in Tournament

Having assessed the top 15 men up front who will grace the 2015 Rugby World Cup, it’s now the turn of the 'pretty boys'.

Since John Kirwan lit up the first World Cup with his dashing runs from deep, the tournament has made several star backs household names thanks to their World Cup exploits.

Kirwan and Serge Blanco were the stars of the inaugural showpiece in 1987 and were followed by the jet-heeled, motor-mouthed David Campese four years later.

In 1995 we were introduced to the man who became the biggest star the sport has ever seen in the hulking figure of Jonah Lomu, and since then we have witnessed Bryan Habana, Shane Williams, Jason Robinson and many more light up tournaments and get fans off their seats.

Those men have enjoyed long careers at the top, while others have lit up World Cups with standalone moments that have seen their names etched into World Cup folklore. Think Rupeni Caucaunibuca's unstoppable runs in 2003, and the searing pace of Takudzwa Ngwenya in 2007.

Here are the 15 men who will join their ranks over the next seven weeks.

15. Jonny May

Having been dropped in the 2015 Six Nations, Jonny May has timed his return to form perfectly, and now goes in as the most dangerous player the hosts can call on.

May’s ability to accelerate quickly from a standing start can leave the best defenders looking leaden footed, and his finishing has come on leaps and bounds since last year.

Witnesses to his try against New Zealand in the autumn will not reckon it was too shabby then, either. May can be England’s match winner.

14. Willie Le Roux

Willie le Roux made a dazzling entrance to the international scene in 2013 and was nominated for the 2014 IRB World Player of the Year award.

Fast feet and lighting hands are his two best weapons, and he has a bag of tricks that make him rather unorthodox for a Springbok full-back, as Ron Houwing of Sport 24 writes:

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In a dour, tight game awaiting a splash of magic to decide it, an outrageous dink or grubber from Le Roux, or one of his effortless, ghost-like intrusions into the line, a la Andre Joubert or Gysie Pienaar of yesteryear, could make a vital difference.

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Le Roux can frighten any defence with these qualities, and could prove one of South Africa's most potent weapons during the tournament.

13. Jamie Roberts

Few players do the job of crash-ball centre as well as Jamie Roberts.

He will be the focal point of many of Wales’ attacks, a central plank in the preferred game plan of coach Warren Gatland, as Paul Rees of the Guardian explains:

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Roberts is at his peak, a player…Wales cannot replace in kind. He leads the defence having earned the admiration of the coach, Shaun Edwards, and his ability to storm the gainline from lineout ball is a key ingredient in Wales’s strategy of taking a game to opponents physically.

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A niggle will probably see the Harlequins-bound man left out of Wales’ opener against Uruguay, so he will be straining at the leash to have a go at England.

Roberts on his best form will make a world of difference to Welsh hopes this autumn.

12. Yoann Huget

The brooding brute on the French right wing looks like an extra from a biblical epic. Given the choice, Yoann Huget would likely opt for a role as all-conquering gladiator.

The relentless tinkering of the French XV has rarely impacted on Huget’s presence in Les Bleus’ line-up which underlines the Toulouse man’s quality.

Huget has moved into the rarefied air of world class win in recent seasons, a status bestowed upon him by the Guardian’s Eddie Butler, who wrote: "Yoann Huget has shot into the reckoning as a wing of class, excellent in the air and elusive on the ground."

11. Matt Giteau

Keen observers of French and European Cup rugby have been watching the world-class talents of Matt Giteau for four seasons now.

The form that has helped propel his club to a mountain of silverware has seen him welcomed back into the Wallaby fold, and he has looked like he has never been away.

Giteau’s classy thumbprints were to be found on Australia’s first try scored on his second ‘debut’ against South Africa.

His lines of running and pass timing are among the best in the world, but he has also been credited with his impact on those around him, as Australia No. 10 Bernard Foley outlined, per Fox Sports:

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Having the option of a left-footer as well definitely helps myself. Most of the teams that I’ve been involved in have been right-foot dominant and having that ability to change up your kicks and keep the defence guessing helps and his composure in the big games, his experience, is crucial and how he’s able to manage myself and the rest of the side — he’s very calming and cool and that gives us all confidence and belief.

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10. Malakai Fekitoa

Fekitoa arrives as the probable back-up to the All Blacks midfield pair of Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith. But it is hard to imagine any other side leaving him out.

The Highlanders man has it all, and alongside the other man in the centre options for New Zealand, Sonny Bill Williams, he underlines the firepower Steve Hansen has in his backline.

Tony Robson of the Dominion Post, per stuff.co.nz, wrote:

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It appears Fekitoa and Williams will start together in the midfield against Namibia in the All Blacks' second pool match. That's a combination most countries at the World Cup would die for and it may also be a trial of sorts for two of the best game-breaking backs in the business.

It will be up to Fekitoa to force Smith out of that starting side. If he does, he can light this World Cup up.

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9. Ben Smith

He may look like he still belongs on the school field, but Ben Smith’s ascent to the status of main man for the All Blacks has seen him pass some big names on the way.

Israel Dagg, the full-back for the 2011 World Cup-winning New Zealand side, has been deemed surplus to requirements for this tournament which speaks volumes for the quality Smith possesses.

He is an evasive counter attacker, as well as a bold challenger in the air when up against bigger men, and has the happy knack that trademarks so many of New Zealand’s best players: the ability to do the simple things perfectly.

The Otago Daily Times reported:

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Smith is hugely important to the 2015 campaign. He'll attack with clever angles. He'll mop up high balls, bring his wings into the game; kick well from deep and make good decisions. He'll score tries and he'll create them - barely putting a foot wrong while offering the element of extraordinary that head coach Steve Hansen has asked for.

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8. Ma’a Nonu

Another All Black drawing a line under his international career at the end of this World Cup, Ma’a Nonu could prove difficult to replace for New Zealand.

He can do the bull-in-a-china-shop stuff better than most, but has complemented those natural assets with a refined boot and good game management to make him the complete inside centre.

Nonu is heading to Toulon after the World Cup, where they may have to order a bigger team bus just for him and his fellow centre Mathieu Bastareaud.

7. Rob Kearney

Leinster’s Rob Kearney has been one of Ireland’s most consistent star performers of recent years.

Rising to prominence in the 2009 Grand Slam season, Kearney came off the bench to feature in the first Lions Test of that summer and started the next two.

Injury saw him play only a bit part in the 2013 tour, but either side of that year, Kearney has been one of the best No. 15s on the planet.

Solid in defence, towering under aerial attack and an excellent chaser of the many bombs sent downfield by his colleague Jonny Sexton, Kearney’s coruscating lines of running and power in the tackle are a major part of Ireland’s coming campaign.

A bruised knee, per the Irish Times, precluded him from involvement in Ireland’s final warm-up match at Twickenham, and it was notable that his deputy Simon Zebo was caught out under a cross-field kick.

Ireland need him fit for the big game of their pool against France.

6. Nemani Nadolo

Fijian powerhouse Nemani Nadolo has been the name England fans fear most appearing on the big screens this coming Friday.

Nadolo has been compared by many to Jonah Lomu on account of his astonishing size and speed. And his try-scoring rate in his national jersey has been comparable to the great man, too.

The Canterbury Crusaders man has 15 in 20 games for his country, and he also likes to kick goals.

Nadolo could be the man to provide some of the tournament’s most eye-catching moments.

5. Jonny Sexton

Jonny Sexton arrives at the 2015 World Cup arguably as second only to Dan Carter in the fly-half world order.

The Leinster man has negotiated a rugged couple of years in France with Racing 92 and still produced performances that have piloted Ireland to consecutive Six Nations titles.

His goal-kicking is among the best in the world, and his ability to run a game with his cultured boot is second to none.

When Sexton's boot is on song he can pin teams back for his chasing backs to hunt down defenders relentlessly.

Sexton isn't all about kicking, though. He can weave patterns in his back line to release the likes of Tommy Bowe and Rob Kearney into space.

A very tough man to shut down.

4. Julian Savea

Julian Savea has an astonishing try-scoring record in his international career with 30 in 35 Tests.

Worryingly for England, should they meet the All Blacks later in the tournament, he has been particularly prolific against Stuart Lancaster’s side with eight tries in five meetings.

He brings great power to the back three of New Zealand which will balance well the more wispy talents of Ben Smith and Nehe Milner-Skudder.

3. Israel Folau

Not since Jason Robinson has any player so seamlessly switched from rugby league to rugby union.

Israel Folau looked as though he had been playing the code all his life when he made a double try-scoring debut in the Lions series of 2013.

He has gone on to claim the players’ player of the year accolade twice in Australia since then, and arrives at his first 15-man World Cup as the best full-back in the game.

His height and leap, which served him so well during his time playing Aussie Rules football, make him imperious under the high ball, and his size and speed are nigh-on impossible to stop when he hits the line at pace.

2. Aaron Smith

There is not a No. 9 to touch New Zealand's Aaron Smith. The Highlanders man combines electric pace with a silver service.

He was the inspiration behind his franchise’s surprising march to the 2015 Super Rugby title and could have teammates Ben Smith, Malakai Fekitoa and Waisaka Naholo around him in black this autumn.

Those three will be able to read well his darts from the base of scrums and breakdowns and link up with him once behind the gain line.

If Dan Carter is the brains of this New Zealand back line, Smith is the heartbeat. He sets the tempo and the rest follow.

1. Dan Carter

Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Carter remains the world’s best fly-half, reasserting his credentials in New Zealand's thumping win over Australia last month.

He will bring down the curtain on his All Blacks career at this tournament and join Racing 92 in Paris after the World Cup.

And he will be keen to ensure he does so as the man who piloted New Zealand to their third global crown.

The Crusaders legend was robbed of that opportunity in his home tournament four years ago when injury ruled him out of the final.

His body has betrayed him more often in recent times, but he arrives in England after an injury-free summer of preparation and ready to show the world he is still king of the No. 10s.

That may not have been the case had injury not robbed the All Blacks of Aaron Cruden, as the Telegraph's Oliver Brown points out:

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Barely six months since he was considered a likely understudy behind Aaron Cruden for the No 10 shirt, Carter has reasserted his silky qualities to dazzling effect. He was luminous in the All Blacks’ 41-13 thrashing of Australia in the Bledisloe Cup decider last month, so good in every department that the head coach, Steve Hansen, admitted he had a “smile as wide as the Grand Canyon”.

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