Stuff is counting down the 50 most influential players in world rugby. Here are those ranked 50-41.
OPINION: Who are the most influential rugby players in the world? It’s a question asked in the stands at Eden Park, in bars down Courtenay Place, in clubrooms in rural Canterbury, and in the comments section on
Stuff. First we assembled a panel of nine –
Stuff rugby writers Aaron Goile, Marc Hinton, Paul Cully, Richard Knowler, and Robert van Royen; former All Black Aaron Mauger, former All Blacks coach Wayne Smith, former Black Fern Izzy Ford, and Wellington Pride player Alice Soper –who each provided their top 50.
Bay of Plenty rake Nathan Vella, who played 33 games for Canterbury between 2016-18, has joined the reigning champions for the rest of the year as a replacement. Makalio’s loss is a significant blow for the red and blacks, who no longer have the luxury of injecting the punishing runner and silky-skilled rake into the mix against ailing defences.
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Nathan Vella, left, has joined the Crusaders as injury cover for the remainder of the season. Canterbury hooker Brodie McAlister will go into the season as All Black Codie Taylor’s primary backup, although he’s only been capped four times.