Who is the best rugby team of all time?

It feels like a lifetime ago, but the rapid change that Rassie Erasmus ushered in in 2018 before winning the World Cup the following year remains extraordinary, breathing new life into South Africa’s traditional strength of dominant set-pieces by providing a A team that was successful on the outside thanks to nimble wingers and also became champions of the breakthrough. And they just beat the crap out of their opponents.

If they can now manage to replace the players, who are aging into their mid-30s, with a new wave of talent, as they have already successfully done this year with 49 players so far, then this South African team could well go down as the greatest team . But even after the World Cup victories in Japan and France, they are definitely in the conversation.
Ben Coles

All Blacks: 2010-2015

The current Springboks split their back-to-back World Cup victories with the British and Irish Lions, while in 2017 that New Zealand team “only” drew against Warren Gatland’s men. And without the Welsh team of the 1970s I might never have become a rugby union tragic. This enchanted my father and allowed me to inherit his enthusiasm. But the back-to-back All Blacks, led by Richie McCaw, get my vote.

They certainly had a steely edge, but still moved the ball beautifully, overwhelming defenders with textbook passes and finishing out of contact. Sonny Bill Williams was just one of the wild cards who came in and added another dimension. Nehe Milner-Skudder, which became the encyclopedic definition of the term “bolter,” was another.

They had two true icons of the game in McCaw and Dan Carter and were powered by many other all-time greats including Kieran Read, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Jerome Kaino, Aaron Smith and Ma’a Nonu. One could argue about the throw for Ben Smith, Dane Coles and Conrad Smith. Other stars like Beauden Barrett were just emerging. Julian Savea stormed to the scene and looted a truckload of experiments.