Which is the greatest rugby team of the professional era? Mighty McCaw’s All Blacks or Rassie Erasmus’ Springbok world champions? You decide!
Don’t forget about the 2003 England team, spearheaded by Clive Woodard, Martin Johnson and Jonny Wilkinson, or the New Zealand side that won back-to-back World Cup titles for the first time behind captain Richie McCaw, the four-time world champion Springboks under master-tactician Erasmus, or Nick Mallett’s unstoppable Boks who ruled between 1997 and 1998?
Then there’s the all-star Bok Class of 2007 to 2009, and the masterful Wallabies steered by coaching supremo Rod MacQueen and playmakers George Gregan and Stephen Larkham.
England’s 2003 World Cup-winning team, under the stewardship of Woodward and skipper Johnson, clinched the title with Wilkinson’s iconic drop goal defining an era of dominance in English rugby.
The All Blacks, captained by Richie McCaw and featuring fellow Hall of Famer Dan Carter, achieved historic back-to-back World Cup title wins in 2011 and 2015, with 41 victories in 46 Tests for an incredible 89% win rate between tournaments.
The Springboks, guided by Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber, won the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, clinching a record fourth title last year and beating the British & Irish Lions in the Republic in 2021.
Australia’s 1999 World Cup-winning Wallabies, led by John Eales, were driven by the dynamic halfback duo of Gregan and Larkham.
Jake White’s 2007 World Cup-winning Springboks went on to triumph over the British & Irish Lions in 2009, featuring legends like John Smit, Victor Matfield, and Bryan Habana in a team widely considered the best ever in SA rugby history.
Under Mallett, the 1997-98 Springboks, including Erasmus and the likes of Gary Teichmann and Joost van der Westhuizen, achieved a record 17-win streak and won the 1998 Tri-Nations title.
Photo: Tom Jenkins/Getty Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
