RBP Player Rankings: Top Ten Openside Flankers

The openside flanker is a vital position, and some of the rugby world’s most dominant athletes can be found in the 7 jersey. The Openside flanker is like an American football tight end and middle linebacker all rolled up into one. Soft hands, skills, pace, power, tackling ability, and breakdown prowess are all must haves in this position, and the battle in this top ten is going to be furious. After I finish this article I intend to move into an underground bunker because there are going to be plenty of disgruntled fans. In my defence, I struggled mightily to rank many of these players, because the margins between then are so small. In any case, enjoy!

10. Sam Cane:

Cane is an excellent player, who just happens to be stuck behind a certain Richie McCaw in the All Blacks lineup. That said, with the light beginning to fade on McCaw’s long and illustrious career, Cane’s chance is not far away. A good presence at the breakdown, Cane is also a powerful and pacey ball carrier. He has also been blessed with very soft hands, meaning he is capable of some very good offloading. The Chiefs flanker picks very good supporting lines, and as a result finds his way to the try line with relative ease. All Blacks fans, dont worry, when Richie retires, you will be just fine.

9. Francois Louw:

The Springbok flanker is back to his best at the moment and that is a very good thing for South Africa heading into the World Cup. When Bath played Leinster in the European Champions Cup quarter final, Louw was everywhere for his side, making 12 tackles, and forcing Leinster to commit numbers to every single ruck. Expect to see Louw play a key role for the Boks at the World Cup, because when he is in form, he is one of the most complete players they have. Strong, quick, and a talented off-loader, Louw will be leading from the front whenever possible.

8. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe:

Causing chaos on team sheets everywhere, the Argentine flanker is a menacing weapon for Toulon at the breakdown. Lobbe is a very capable lineout jumper, which is an added bonus given his fearsome ability at the breakdown. The fact that Toulon have him, Juan Smith, Chris Masoe, and Steffon Armitage is, to my mind, morally wrong. His age is a growing issue however, and at 33 years old, I don’t think he has too much gas left in the tank. That said, he is a fantastic ambassador for rugby in Argentina, and it will be a shame when he hangs up the boots.

7. Sam Warburton:

The Welsh captain is a great all around athlete. He is hard to stop with ball in hand, and very committed tackler, and is a fantastic weapon for Wales at the breakdown. In the Wales vs Ireland match in this years 6 Nations, Warburton made a truly immense 23 tackles, while missing only two, and then a week later, when his side needed to score points in droves against Italy, he again set the tone, scoring a try, making 81 meters, and beating 3 defenders. You can throw in 9 tackles as well, and you begin to see what a great asset Warburton is for Warren Gatland’s side.

6. Chris Robshaw:

England’s captain, Robshaw is the epitome of what a captain should be (from a leadership standpoint). He is not interested in playing out in the wide channels, or making breaks, Robshaw simply puts his head down and works for 80 minutes. In the 2015 6 Nations, Robshaw made the most tackles, with 82. That’s an average of 16.4 tackles a game, which is a very impressive tally. Robshaw may not be as athletic as Warburton but his commitment to the cause and absurdly high tackle counts put him just ahead of the Welsh captain on our list.

5. Sean O’Brien:

With O’Brien back in the lineup, Ireland have regained one of the most destructive players in international rugby. Forced to sit and wait for nearly a full year after injury plagued the Leinster flanker, O’Brien returned with a vengence against France in this years 6 Nations. His monstrous clearout of three French forwards reminded us of what we were missing, and he backed that with 12 tackles. However, O’Brien truly showed us he still had what it takes against Scotland, when he exploded into life with a superbly well rounded performance. Two tries, 68 meters with ball in hand, 2 clean breaks, 7 defenders beaten, 8 tackles, and a turnover won at the breakdown. If he plays like this at the World Cup, Ireland will be well on their way to their first winners medal. Perhaps with a little more time to return from injury he would be a bit higher on the list, but this is where he must go for now.

4. Steffon Armitage:

One of Europe’s best, it is a little tricky to decide where Armitage must go given that he does not play international rugby at the moment. That said he has proved time and time again that he is a superb player in the colors of Toulon, and it is a shame that England cannot call upon his talents. One excellent example of just how dominant he can be is Toulon’s semi-final game against Leinster. Armitage did not start, but when he came in off the bench he dramatically changed the outcome of the match. Leinster were no longer able to disrupt the Toulon at the breakdown, and what’s more, struggled to produce quick ball for their explosive backs to utilize. In addition, Leinster’s forwards seemed to begin to lose the physicality battle, meaning that they could no longer cross the gainline. All in all, Toulon fought their way back, and took the lead, thanks to Bryan Habana’s game icing interception.

3. Michael Hooper:

Probably the quickest Openside on this list, Hooper is a very valuable asset to Michael Cheika’s team. His pace means that he can often be found lurking in the wider channels, where he often does immense amounts of damage. But don’t think for a minute that Hooper can be found shirking responsibilities in defence, because his bone crunching tackles are seen early and often whether he is playing for the Wallabies or the Waratahs. A very good leader, Hooper captained the Wallabies through some tumultuous times, but remained a reliable player for his side on the pitch. Hooper’s physicality gave the Wallabies the edge over the Springboks and the All Blacks in this years Rugby Championship, and his excellent form over the last two seasons has seen him skyrocket up this list.

2. Richie McCaw:

I am currently bracing myself for the amount of criticism that I am going to get from angry Kiwis, but I simply feel that McCaw has lost a step. He is one of the games greatest figures, and is likely to be an icon for years to come, but his accolades and achievements cannot help him when he simply cannot keep up with the competition. That said, he is one of the most irritating players to have your side playing against, simply because he is so go at what he does. He creates turnovers for his side when they need them most, and he is never afraid to put his body on the line for his team. Now, he may be offside when he does it, but surely that too, is a skill, as how many other players can pull off the cheeky things that he is able to get away with. A legend, a gentleman, and a great competitor, McCaw should be a role model for all young rugby players even today, as we approach the twilight of his career.

1. David Pocock:

Up until this year, I had never seen Pocock play, so I could not fathom why Australian fans would talk about him so much, when they had a world class flanker in Michael Hooper. Then he made his triumphant return for the Brumbies, and things started to make a little more sense. Often times players endure slow seasons when they return from major injuries, and some never fully come back and simply are forced to give in (Stephen Ferris). However, Pocock was dominant in his first season back from injury, scoring 8 tries, tying him for the most of any forward this season. Then came the rugby championship, and Pocock completely changed the momentum of the match when he came off the bench against the Springboks, slowing Springbok ball dramatically and winning turnovers, as the Wallabies headed towards a dramatic win. Then, against the All Blacks, Pocock started at 8, and the impact was the same. Aaron Smith enjoyed no clean ball, and Dan Carter remained on the back foot for much of the match. Pocock will be a vital weapon for the Wallabies if they are to escape Pool A, and one that will have England and Wales cringing.