Players from seven nations – Australia, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and South Africa – have been selected in the Dream Team by the World Rugby Awards Panel with all four of the Men’s 15s Player of the Year nominees included. The players selected boast a combined 850 caps for their countries with the world champion Springboks having the most representatives with five, followed by New Zealand with three.
World Rugby Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year in association with Capgemini
1. Wyn Jones (Wales)
2. Malcolm Marx (South Africa)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
4. Maro Itoje (England)
5. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
6. Siya Kolisi (South Africa)
7. Michael Hooper (Australia)
8. Ardie Savea (New Zealand)
9. Antoine Dupont (France)
10. Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)
11. Makazole Mapimpi (South Africa)
12. Samu Kerevi (Australia)
13. Lukhanyo Am (South Africa)
14. Will Jordan (New Zealand)
15. Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
World Rugby Women’s 15s Dream Team of the Year in association with Capgemini
Six nations are represented in the Dream Team with Canada, Italy, New Zealand and Wales each providing one player in a selection dominated by England and France, the two most successful teams in women’s rugby in 2021. With a total of 539 caps across the Dream Team, France provides six players, one more than England with all four Women’s 15s Player of the Year nominees making the cut.
1. Annaëlle Deshayes (France)
2. Agathe Sochat (France)
3. Sarah Bern (England)
4. Safi N’Diaye (France)
5. Abbie Ward (England)
6. Zoe Aldcroft (England)
7. Karen Paquin (Canada)
8. Poppy Cleall (England)
9. Laure Sansus (France)
10. Caroline Drouin (France)
11. Abby Dow (England)
12. Beatrice Rigoni (Italy)
13. Stacey Fluhler (New Zealand)
14. Caroline Boujard (France)
15. Jasmine Joyce (Wales)
The remaining four categories will announced later this week on World Rugby's social media channels.
Earlier this week, Will Jordan was named Breakthrough Player of the Year. On Wednesday (NZT) Ardie Savea ranked No.2 among the 100 best players in the world.
He is one of 17 New Zealanders on the list compiled by England's Rugby World magazine. England also has 17 players included, joining New Zealand as the two leading contributors to the list.
The top-ranked player is French halfback and captain Antoine Dupont.
Black Ferns Sevens player Tyla Nathan-Wong, at No27, is the third-ranked woman player on the list.
Of Savea, Rugby World said: "We think we know all about nuances needed in each of the positions in the back row. But once in a blue moon, a player rushes into the Test game with the toolkit to excel at flanker or at eight. Ardie Savea has cracked it, smiling as he goes…
"It's the Robin Hood spirit- robbing your foes blind but distributing too rather than sitting on the prize – that has made swashbuckling Savea so [much] fun to watch. For a few years, we've heard fans bemoan the stop-start nature of Tests, with scant phases between hoisted kicks and set-pieces.
"Here is a player who can slink into a breakdown under the cover of All Black darkness, before spreading it around or even thundering forward himself a few moves later. A polymath with a merciless streak."