Perhaps the position that has the most well rounded athletes in any rugby side, the No.8 is required to do a myriad of tasks in modern rugby. They must be big enough to contribute in the scrum, cross the gainline in attack, and hit hard in defence, yet they are usually required to be skillful and athletic enough to operate in the wide channels as well. As the World Cup approaches, we at RBP have ranked the World’s top ten Number 8’s, so have a look and see what you think.
10. Jordi Murphy:
Jamie Heaslip 2.0. Murphy is an outstanding athlete, and though he does find himself undersized at times, he makes up for that with excellent footwork that enables him to cross the gainline with great frequency. He possesses a phenomenal work rate and is more than happy to carry and tackle all day long. He has become a regular for Leinster and Ireland in recent years and is never afraid to display his versatility, starting across the back row at different points this season. Against England in the 6 Nations, Murphy made 11 tackles, the second most in the side, and missed none, and against Italy he made 26 meters and another 7 tackles, again missing none. With Heaslip beginning to age, look out for Murphy to fill the Ireland 8 jersey seamlessly.
9. Samu Manoa:
In terms of sheer athleticism, there are not many who can rival the American behemoth. His signing for Toulon shows just how respected he is around the world of professional rugby and the Saints star seems to be getting better all the time. One good example is Northampton’s Champions Cup match against Treviso. Manoa came off the bench, and made 60 meters on 7 carries, scored 3 tries, provided an assist on another, and beat 5 defenders. He did all of that in just 20 minutes. Manoa is going to be a key part of American plans heading into the World Cup, and he made cause a few problems for Scotland and South Africa along the way.
8. Louis Picamoles:
While he might be getting a bit senile, Picamoles is still a world class player. For years now he has tortured sides with his outstanding athleticism and freakish offloading abilities, and it seems that his reign of terror has not yet come to an end. Even after a 6 Nations in which he fell behind Chicken, I mean, Loann Goujon in the pecking order, Picamoles was handed an opportunity against England during France’s World Cup warm ups, and he did not look back. In the first match, he racked up 63 meters, 1 clean break, 6 defenders beaten, and 3 offloads, and the second he made 48 meters and another 3 offloads. If these performances are anything to go by, France could find themselves with a real weapon at the World Cup, and Picamoles is just the player to snap Les Blues out of their recent habit of boring rugby.
7.Wycliffe Palu:
The Waratahs and Wallabies No.8 is a phenomenal athlete and a very good player when in form, but like so many of his Australian counterparts, when he will be on form and when he won’t is about as predictable as Jeremy Clarkson’s mouth. You never know what’s gonna come out and when. This means that he has fallen victim to Michael Cheika’s Pooper combination, which means that he may not see as much time as he would have liked during the World Cup. If he does get a lot of time however, expect to see him use his massive frame to punch holes in the opposition defence, and when he is on defence, you can really expect he and Michael Hooper to wallop opposing ball carriers who threaten the gainline.
6. Billy Vunipola:
Vunipola is a freak. A rare athletic specimen, the England and Saracens star has had something of a renaissance this season, bouncing back well after being dropped in favor of Gloucester’s Ben Morgan. At 278 pounds, Vunipola is a massive player, and when he gets up to speed he is very hard to stop. Vunipola is also very proficient at offloading, meaning that he not only crosses the gainline and ties down defenders, he also puts puts others into space. This skillset has yielded many tries for England and Saracens over the last few years. In defence, Vunipola is very physical, and offers a surprisingly high work rate, as was exemplified in England’s 55-35 win over France in this years Six Nations, when Vunipola made 11 carries for 44 meters and an immense 21 tackles.
5. Taulupe Faletau
An outstanding athlete, Faletau is a favorite of Warren Gatland for the Wales No.8 shirt, and it is easy to see why. At 6’1” and 243 pounds, he won’t leave you wanting for size, but he still possesses enough pace to be a lethal weapon for the Welsh in the wide channels. Even as the Welsh scrum went backwards against England in the opening match of this years 6 Nations, Faletau was able to reach all the way in, grab the ball, and then from a backwards start, run through an English defender before offloading to put Rhys Webb away for a fantastic try. Of course, he and the rest of the Welsh team forgot they had to play that second half thing, but it was an impressive feat nonetheless. The Faletau, Tipuric, Lydiate, backrow proved to be lethal last weekend against Ireland, and it could pose problems for Australia and England in Pool A, especially if they cannot contain Faletau.
4. Jamie Heaslip:
Heaslip is something of a controversial player. Some will tell you that he is vastly overrated, while others laud his workrate and leadership, and claim he is often underrated. To my eye, Heaslip is very much the latter. Early in his career, he made his name through his athleticism, highlighted by his try against France in 2009, but as he has matured he has developed a new style of play that has seen him become possibly an even more central figure for Leinster and Ireland. Heaslip plays a link role between forwards and backs, often running dummy lines or shifting the ball out wide, creating space for Ireland’s good halfbacks. The other attribute that always stands out about the Irish number 8 is his ability to cross the gainline every time his number is called. How often have we seen a Leinster try come 1 or 2 phases after a Heaslip half-break or offload? In any case, Heaslip is a huge part of the Irish setup, and is showing no signs of slowing down, a worrying prospect for Ireland’s opponents in the fast approaching World Cup.
3. Duane Vermeulen:
A year ago he would have been higher on this list, but his injury woes mean we haven’t seen him in international action this season. When he is healthy though, he is a menacing prospect to face for any side. Its not just the sheer power (although there is a lot) it’s also the alarming aggression with which Vermeulen plays that causes his opposition so much trouble. Dont forget, this is the man who picked up Aaron Smith and flung him off like Smith was an unwanted jacket. Vermeulen is a dynamic ball carrier for South Africa, and adds a lot of danger to the South African attack. The Stormers showed just how important Vermeulen is to them in the Super Rugby Playoffs, as they looked headless without him against the Brumbies en route to a 39-19 loss. Sadly for Stormers fans, they will need to get used to his absence, as he is on his way to Toulon following the World Cup, however he will still be able to provide his massive impact for the Springboks for years to come.
2. Kieran Read:
Many of you will be wondering why Read is not first, and the reason is simple. He hasn’t been at his best all season. When he is at his best, he is doubtless a candidate to be at the top of the list, but so far this season, apart from a dominant appearance against Argentina, he has been somewhat lacklustre (comparatively speaking of course) this season. What makes Kieran Read special is his ability to see the game and then put others in space, or, if the need arises, to take the ball straight forward and cross the gainline. Rarely do you see Read try to pull off something that just isn’t on, he always seems to take the right option. And at just 29 years old, he could be an option for the All Blacks for a very long time yet. In the aforementioned match against Argentina, Reid was at his unstoppable best. 68 meters made, 3 clean breaks, 2 defenders beaten, 3 successful offloads, and 11 tackles with none missed. That is a complete performance, from a man who is truly, a complete player.
1. Sergio Parisse:
Parisse has been in flying form this season. He was at the forefront when Italy defeated Scotland to dodge the Wooden Spoon, and led Stade Francais to their unprecedented Top 14 title victory. Parisse is a multi-faceted weapon for the Azzurri, and he is always at the forefront of their plans in attack and defence. The real shame is that he is often a step of ahead of his less talented Italian teammates, and his feats of unbelievable skill often go to waste. Parisse was everywhere in Stade’s 33-16 win over Toulon in the Top 14 Semi-finals, make 36 meters with ball in hand 2 clean breaks, 2 defenders beaten, and two offloads, as well as 9 tackles and 5 lineout wins and 1 steal. Arguably the best Italian of all time, Parisse is a machine, and he really could cause problems for the likes of France and Ireland at the World Cup. He is consistently the best player to line out for Italy, and in my opinion, the World’s best No.8
Billy Vunipola over Ben Morgan? You’re all foam no beer.