Ranking 5 of World Rugby's Fastest Wingers on Their Finishing

Ranking the top five fastest wingers in world rugby on their finishing is a tough task, mainly because we can’t be certain who the fastest handful are. What we really need is for them all to sign up to race each other.

Until that happens, though, here is Bleacher Report’s top five pacey wingers on their finishing prowess.

Honourable mentions to those who did not quite make the final list go to Anthony Watson, Santiago Cordero and Yoann Huget.

Who has a faster 20-metre split than this guy above?

5. Bryan Habana

South Africa winger Bryan Habana was considered one of the fastest players in the history of rugby in 2007, when he famously raced a cheetah for charity (see video above).

Habana may still have excellent all-round skills and reading of the game, but his finishing is currently nowhere near his 2007 levels.

Habana, aiming to break the late Jonah Lomu’s Rugby World Cup try record, made a mess of many opportunities against the United States in the pool match and versus Argentina in the bronze medal match.

He is still quick, but he’s far from being the world’s best finisher.

4. Jonny May

Jonny May can be infuriating. He barely thinks, and trusts his raw pace instead.

Wales Online noted that May reputedly clocked 10.71 for the 100 metres. With a strong argument to be England’s quickest wide man ever, May is gradually improving his finishing prowess.

That score against New Zealand (see video above) came out of nowhere, but smart work against Ireland in the World Cup warm-up fixture helps his claim to be a finisher as well as a speedster.

3. Nehe Milner-Skudder

Nehe Milner-Skudder is a finisher whose deadliest weapon is an outrageous sidestep, but what makes his change of direction so difficult to defend against is the speed at which the Hurricanes player pulls it off.

Seemingly already at full tilt, Milner-Skudder finds a little extra to beat his man. The opponent knows the step is coming, but at such speed, the try line is beckoning.

Eight tries in eight All Black appearances, per ESPN, show Milner-Skudder can fly and finish. Just ask Australia. His second try on his debut (see video above) saw him overcome three Wallabies tackles.

2. Carlin Isles

Carlin Isles of the United States is the name on many rugby fans’ lips whenever the question of pace is brought up. And it’s easy to see why.

According to stats provided by Rugby World, former athlete Isles is even faster than Usain Bolt over the first 20 metres. Isles is quicker by a mammoth 0.22 seconds.

Double the distance and he is faster than any NFL player. So the guy is quick, almost certainly the fastest in world rugby. But how does he finish?

The answer is, we don’t know. Isles finishes superbly in rugby sevens (see video above), where he has spent the majority of his career, but a lack of time in 15-man rugby, means we can’t grant him No. 1 spot.

Sevens offers him the space to excel through speed alone, whereas the 15-a-side code will test more of his skills.

If he focuses on the longer game after the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, we’ll be able to grade Carlin Isles more accurately.

1. Julian Savea

Julian Savea is, quite simply a machine—a try machine with 38 scores in 39 starts for New Zealand, per ESPN.

The mechanical Savea was programmed with serious speed. He is the winger opposition defenders least like to encounter because his finishing is the most multi-dimensional.

He can bulldoze (see video above), outsprint or step. Quite simply, Savea is the best finisher in the world, and to make facing him more frightening, he is among rugby’s fastest wingers.