Planet Rugby have selected the top 10 fly-halves in the world right now, and there\u2019s an undeniable name at the top.<\/p>\n
Here are the top 10 fly-halves.<\/p>\n
Top 10 fly-halves<\/p>\n
10 Paolo Garbisi (Toulon, Italy): Arguably the greatest Italian number 10 since the legendary Diego Dominguez. He nailed the winning kick to beat Wales in 2022, earning Italy\u2019s first Six Nations triumph in seven years, ending a run of 36 straight defeats. Despite being just 21 at the time, he was already highly experienced within the international arena, and has since become a veteran of the game at just 26. A couple of years after this match-winning moment, he moved from Montpellier to Toulon<\/a>, striking up a superb partnership with Ben White. His game has now reached peak maturity, and he can dictate play more effectively than in his younger days, when he would often try to take too much of the playmaking responsibility on himself. With two of the world\u2019s best midfielders outside of him, in Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex, Garbisi excels for Italy.<\/p>\n 9 Handre Pollard (Bulls, South Africa): The clutch king. Winner of two World Cup finals<\/a>, and the ultimate enemy of the English. Although he\u2019s recently been surpassed by the young Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the Springboks jersey, he remains one of the most elite of all international fly-halves. Back in South Africa with the Bulls after an excellent stint in England with Leicester Tigers, he\u2019s been in terrific form, leading the side to the United Rugby Championship [URC] final, where they fell short to Leinster. With 169 points from 18 matches against the All Blacks, he\u2019s a veteran of rugby\u2019s greatest rivalry<\/a> and will surely go down as one of the Springboks\u2019 greatest ever playmakers.<\/p>\n 8 Ruben Love (Hurricanes, New Zealand): He may be new to the international environment, but he\u2019s already looking incredibly settled. He made his All Blacks debut against Japan in 2024, and continued to represent New Zealand at full-back for the next year. Only after guiding the Hurricanes to the 2026 Super Rugby title<\/a> from fly-half would he be given the reins for his country. Three Nations Championship victories later, including a particularly impressive individual performance against Ireland, Love appears to have made the shirt his own. He has the great Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie and Richie Mo\u2019unga to compete with for the number 10 shirt, but with youth on his side, the future is looking bright for the \u2018Canes hero.<\/p>\n Top 10 scrum-halves in rugby: All Blacks \u2018premier\u2019 nine plays backup to \u2018in-form\u2019 French star while Antoine Dupont collects bronze<\/a><\/p>\n 7 Manie Libbok (Hanazono Kintetsu Liners, South Africa): The Japanese-based star is the exact opposite of Pollard. He\u2019s incredibly expressive in attack, dodgy from the boot, but can pull off skills almost no other 10 in the world can. He is the Hail Mary of all playmakers; not always to be trusted when a game needs closing out, but certainly when one needs opening up. Against England, he proved his game has matured with a sensible and calculated performance; one that may give him the edge over Pollard as the Springboks look ahead to the 2027 World Cup.<\/p>\n 6 Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, England): He has wrestled the 10 shirt from George Ford and Marcus Smith to become the long-term answer for England. At just 24, he\u2019s already matched his age in England caps and won two Premierships with Northampton Saints. His game over the past couple of seasons has grown exponentially, making him a complete player who can kick superbly, take the ball to the line and issue the perfect pass, run hard lines when needed, and defend astutely. If he can avoid injury, he could become an England all-time great.<\/p>\n Top 10 number eights in rugby: Springboks enforcer tops chart from All Blacks great and Ireland\u2019s returning talisman<\/a><\/p>\n 5 Romain Ntamack (Toulouse, France): Once considered France\u2019s out-and-out number 10, he\u2019s since been forced to fight for his spot against the outrageously talented Matthieu Jalibert. Despite this, Ntamack remains one of the world\u2019s premier 10s, and at just 27, he has plenty of years left. Despite struggling with various injuries over the past few seasons, he\u2019s achieved great success at club level for Toulouse, having won the Top 14 final for the last four consecutive seasons, while his half-back partnership with Antoine Dupont remains one of the most dangerous in the world game.<\/p>\n 4 Tomas Albornoz (Toulon, Argentina): He has been unplayable at times in the last two seasons, and as a result, has taken the 10 shirt from Garbisi at Toulon, as well as the Argentinian one from Santiago Carreras. Although he hasn\u2019t achieved much team success, he had a major hand in Argentina\u2019s historic victory over the British and Irish Lions in 2025, in which he kicked all his goals and scored an early second-half try.<\/p>\n Top 10 locks in rugby: Springboks enforcer leads young prospect while Lions captain ahead of pack<\/a><\/p>\n Top 3 fly-halves<\/p>\n 3 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers, South Africa): The third South African on this list, and by all accounts, bar the first Test against the All Blacks, the best. He\u2019s struggled with injuries this year, but has been world-beating when available. He\u2019s a try-scoring fly-half, with the hands of Sonny Bill Williams and the boot of Pollard. The man has it all. He won the URC with the Stormers in 2022 in his first season with the club, although he failed to come off the bench in the final. Since then, he\u2019s not seen championship success, but he\u2019ll hope to remain fit ahead of the 2027 World Cup when South Africa aim for a record third consecutive global trophy.<\/p>\n 2 Finn Russell (Bath, Scotland): One considered a \u2018maverick\u2019, the Bath man is now one of the most accomplished and well-rounded players in the game. His excellence during Bath\u2019s Premiership-winning season in 2024\/25 cannot be understated, as he remained calm in the final against Northampton, while the traditional \u2018safe-bet\u2019 of Pollard threw a panicked interception pass straight into his hands for Max Ojomoh\u2019s eventual try. Although his game management has come on leaps and bounds, that doesn\u2019t mean that his moments of magic have disappeared. In fact, he is even more calculated with his tricks than ever. Just look at his 2026 Six Nations performance against France, when his array of safe and expansive passes and kicks had the French on the back foot throughout.<\/p>\n