What makes a great centre in Rugby Union? Well, it seems that the very best display a mixture of incisive attacking skills and hard-hitting defensive intellect. Here are five centres that have these attributes in abundance…
5. Jamie Roberts (Wales)
Jamie Roberts shows consistently that he is without doubt one of the finest gain-line breaking attackers in the history of international rugby. At the time of writing, the 29 year old Welshman has scored nine tries for his country and proved an integral part of his team’s run at the 2015 World Cup in England.
4. Wesley Fofana (France)
Wesley Fofana is widely hailed as the one of most exciting attacking players this side of the equator. As a result his pace, the Clermont and France centre has the nickname ‘Le Guépard’, which translates as ‘The Cheetah’. Fofana has scored 13 tries in 39 internationals and is described as ‘a god’ by Graham Simmons.
3. Conrad Smith (New Zealand)
The New Zealand All Blacks have just won the Rugby World Cup for the second time in a row and Conrad Smith played a key part in both of these triumphs. Smith is considered a rare breed in world rugby and could even soon be considered as one of the greatest rugby players ever. The reason for this is that he rarely makes a mistake and has a knack of finding the right passes with pinpoint precision.
You will never see Smith get into poor positions during a match. At 34 years of age, he continues to display an unmatched ability to prise open defences and create space for his outside backs to exploit.
2. Jonathan Joseph (England)
Jonathan Joseph was a standout performer for England during the Six Nations 2015. In May this year, he was named the Rugby Players’ Association ‘England Player of the Year’ and ‘Player’s Player of the Year’ after a string of “outstanding performances” for both country and club during the 2014/15 season. At 24 years old, Joseph is already taking his place as one of the best centres in world rugby.
1. Tevita Kuridrani (Australia)
Australia coach Stephen Larkham believes Tevita Kuridrani is the best rugby centre in the world. Indeed, Kuridrani’s high work rate in attack makes him almost impossible to stop in full flight. Add this to his monolithic presence in defence and it clear that Kuridrani is a fearsome all-rounder; and the perfect centre as a result.
