Position by position, ranking the best players on Earth. Tracking how the list changes over time. Now, the Number 8's.. Arguably the best Top 5 of any position for this one!
@@PJGFC he's a better no 8 than Kwagga Smith.. I think the players from 6- 10 are very good but Conan has been a top flight player far longer and is more skillful than any of those which is why his omission is an oversight imo.Some Leinster fans would prefer him at no 8 to Doris
@@kh7431 ya don’t rate kwagga as a starting 8 either. Doris bullied him over the 2 tests. Conan absolute machine test lion, always rated him too, I thought you had him in the top 5 atm, I’ll allow him top ten for sure he’s got the credentials and in limited showings he’s still been quality
Not to sound bias..but if i was making a team and had a choice at 8 between Kwagga and Conan...id have Conan in a heart beat, not to even make the list is very odd but its your list so respect to ones opinion :)
You're absolutely right. But having Kwagga as a possibility at 8 is great. Injuries, suspensions, retirements, red cards do happen and knowing that he have someone who can smoke the pipe there is useful information
Curious to see so many opensides in this list! Is this an evolution of the position? I know he’s a reserve for club and country, but Jack Conan’s been a mighty player again for the last 18 months or so.
I think the position is evolving massively. Only Valetini and Wiese are anything like the old style of truck-it-up ball carrying 8s, and even they are a little bit lightweight compared to the old generation of top players like Billy V and Duane Vermeulen.
Love you Tim but Kwagga at 5 and over Wiese is wild. Kwagga isn't an international 8 imo, Boks tried him at 8 against British Lions and then switched to Wiese for 2nd and third test. Wiese has proven to be a test match animal with multiple mom performance's as well as player of the Premiership in 2023 i believe and also dominating player stats on 2024. Kwagga is exceptional at what he does at getting into battles and making that impact but isn't proven to be a starting 8 in international level.
Very brave to say it,i think it wouldn’t be mental to say that siya would be better at 8 and smith at open side but I am a neutral so I only know off international
@@gluehuffer2869 very interesting, I actually like that and absolutely wouldn't mind seeing the Boks trying that out. I think it could work out really well.
@@newchannelname3395 Kwagga is not an 8, sorry, not sorry. I can not wait for Cameron to make his debut in order to put an end to this failed experiment of Kwagga at 8. Love the guy, but he is not our answer. Cameron Hanekom, Cobus Wiese, Elrich Louw, Ben Jason-Dixon, and Roos are all better choices at 8 than Kwagga.
People forget that when Ben Earl played under Eddie Jones he was bang average which is why he barely got picked despite good club form. It's credit to him and Borthwick going up a level within the last year, looks like he's here to stay
In basketball they give “6th man of the year” for best player off the bench. That is Kwagga. Put jasper in when he’s available and then unleash kwagga on the final 25 min.
The top 3 are absolutely world class. All of them could go down as all time greats. Agree with other comments on Conan, he should be in there. somewhere. Earl is a great rugby player but still think he is a few notches behind the top 3 when it comes to the highest level.
Spot on some absolute beasts that are box office. Loved what you said about Ardie great for the game his move in Super Rugby from Japan. Bloody love this content being an Englishman it’s mega to see how good you’re at being so vocal about all the other great nations. I’m a proud Englishman like yourself that loves rugby but I love South Africa, I know everyone’s 2nd team is Fiji but the animal and spirit in SA is palpable and their fans get them; I wish ours did. Keep up the great work and I’ve just started following your Top 14 channel, your knocking out so much content-amazeballs 🤟🏻
1, 2 and 3 all level each had strengths where the other "lack" but hard to say any of Aldritt, Doris or Ardie are clearly the best all 3 are pure class for sure.
@@salemmurray711😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 oh dear go check Doris didn’t play in 2019 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 he did in 2022 series in New Zealand where he owned Ardie who got subbed 😂😂😂😂😂
@@joelyons886 did I say Ardie was 2-0 against Doris? No, I said he's 2-0 against Ireland (in World cups). And when Ardie last played Doris in a test match, the Irish went home crying. 🫡😎
Nice list, I agree with most but would put Jasper above Kwagga as I believe Kagga is more of a flank. Had Duane Vermeulen still played I wouldn’t know who to choose between him and Ardie Savea at the top.
Kwagga is more of a flank, but still should be high on this list, if he's going to be included on it. Vermeulen was the best 8 in the world in 2019, but that was a long time ago. Hasn't been close to that level since.
Love your channel and especially power rankings. Living the values and the violence, ahem, the gentlemanly competition My son is a back row, in a long line at the school that produced the likes of Fergus Slattery. One of whom currently plays for Ireland and possibly will captain the Lions 🤔 Get yourself to the RDS on St Patrick’s Day….a bit of tasty competition for Paarl schoolboys 😉
Earl deserves to be a place or two up after that RWC when he was in everyone’s team of the tournament. Otherwise, all good mate loving the videos every night keep it up!
Kwagga Smith is a wonderful option to have on the bench as he can cover 2 vital positions. His versatility is his downfall as he compliments certain gameplans against certain teams, but can be found out. His energy, size and prowess compliment being a flanker, yet he can hold his own at 8 for short periods of the game
Great to see jack Dempsey getting some credit. Personally i feel that Jasper Wiese is much higher regarded in the UK than elsewhere and he kind of scuffed his chances with the talent coming through for the SA teams in the URC.
Ardie Savea moving from the Hurricanes to Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby next season, is going to create opportunities for the loose forwards at the Hurricanes who are all knocking on the door for All Black selection.
Hoskins Sotutu needs to be on this list , super rugby player of the year 2024 . Top try scorer in super rugby 2024 as a no.8. Has a bullet pass of a centre also and has a lot of try assist .
What is your opinion on Ardie playing at 8? He started his career at openside and would clearly still be the worlds best player in that position, but he still doesn't seem to me as a traditional no.8 like Doris or Aldritt.
Have to say I think Earl went off the boil slightly after the RWC - but tbf that’s from a high starting point! Maybe he needed a rest, hope he kicks on again next season
As a South African we have a lot of talent at 8, but no one yet made the jersey theirs. Kwagga is a bench player, Wiese is good not great, I thought Roos would be the next Duane. There’s some talent in Hanekom. There used to be a Stormers player Augustus he was wild not sure if he’s still on the radar. At this point the Springbok 8 could be anyone.
I thought Ben Earl, this 6N, was unplayable. Quite tour in NZ but seemed to be the best player on the pitch consistently in the 6N. I do see what you mean about the number 8 position, so many quality players.
Great list. I'd probably shuffle the order around, but I'd base selections a little more on recent and club form (you make your criteria clear, which is 👍. It's your channel after all). I'd put Aldritt on top, Savea down to 3, and Kwagga wouldn't be top 5. The Japan League One* i watched (tvnz has reg. matches live) is a very average competition. Aldritt, Doris, Earl, play in the toughest comps all year. Top talent though and there's a couple of players like Sititi who should be pushing this list in the next year
@@user-eq9jv5uf7d I just edited my comment. Japan League One used to be called the Top League, so my comment may have been confusing. I watch all the pro rugby competitions so don't agree with you. The 2024 blues, chiefs and hurricanes squads would be very competitive but put them in the Heineken cup and they'd be fighting to get into the last 8. That shouldn't be surprising tho, cos there's some brilliant teams around
Ooof, only complaint would be to have Kwagga higher up, at least ahead of Earl (and I'm an England fan). He's just got it all and always seems to impart his influence on the game. But yes, you're right Tim - that top 5 you've got is among the best you will have in these lists you're making. Great stuff.
My top 4 would be 1. Savea 2.Earl 3.Doris 4. aldritt A number 8 should be the rallying force of the team, and so needs to have a top performance every time they touch the pitch. To me, Doris and Aldritt are both exceptional, but can fail to show up at times. Earl and Savea are the two players that come to mind when I think of consistency and excellence at the 8 position. They just never seem to have bad days, and that consistency helps the team around them every time
Aldritt had a terrible season at both club and international level by his standards this season. Looked jaded and overused. I don’t doubt his quality but it did not surprise me that he slipped a place. Earl hasn’t maintained his fantastic WRC performances either. So I think outside of Kwagga this list is pretty solid.
@@aidanmasterson50 earl absolutely has though. His six nations was unreal, and was impactful in every regard, and he was still an 8/10 in both New Zealand games.
@@user-eq9jv5uf7d Granted, Savea did have the better game in the RWC qtr final, but there's already been a player's ranking since then, and Ardie was rightly at the top. But with all that Doris has done since the RWC, especially his performance in the 6 Nations, I'd put him ahead of Savea now. Ardie still worthy of #2 on the list, but Caelan is #1 at this moment, IMHO.
@@swhan 6 nations performances mean as much in NZ as Rugby Championship form means to Irish fans, its against our players at the highest-level opposition is measured, Doris was found lacking physically & mentally on the biggest stage meanwhile Ardie Savea getting turnovers & scoring tries.
@@user-eq9jv5uf7d I think you're missing my point, but I digress. You're entitled to your own opinion. It doesn't have to match with mine. Both great players!
No. Because of the way the season works North and South that wouldn't be fair or meaningful, so as I say it's current form and historic form. The man was the best player on earth in the year 2023
Just wait for Cameron Hanekom to make his debut for the Boks in that number 8 jersey, he is going to own that jersey. Kwagga is not an eightsman, the sooner they let go of this failed experiment the better. Kwagga should not even make this list. We all love and respect him, but very few Springbok supporters are happy with him in that number 8 jersey.
Can’t believe Doris is not number 1 After what he has done in the last two years thats just plain wrong. Yes best eight over last 6 years Savea but not now. He walked all over Savea in two tests in the last test against SA he showed why he’s the best eight on the planet… If you go back last two years Savaea lost twice to Ireland twice to SA once to France and played a very weak game against England compare this to Doris and you still think he’s best eight in the world , that’s plain wrong.
Ardie Savea wins this for the next ten years I would imagine. Here is what makes him so dangerous. So the Boks have been up against some fantastic runners in the past. Howlett, Rokocoko, Jordan, Lomu, Williams, O'Driscoll, Cullen etc. You can make a plan against these guys. You can structure your game plan to take a certain guy out of the equation and to limit their influence. It doesn't always work for the whole game, but we have ways to nullify what they bring to the game and to limit their opportunities for scoring points against you. Why Savea is so terrible is because you can't plan against the man. How do you take him out of the game? How do you limit his influence when he is in the breakdowns taking and giving hits? Is he even going to join a certain ruck? You don't know! Mofo can slip into centre without you knowing! For that reason Savea is an absolute nightmarish prospect to face. Absolute joy to watch when he isn't playing the Boks, but god damn, awful to play against.
