5 Francois Pienaar<\/p>\n
Francois Pienaar left a legacy that went far beyond rugby. As captain of South Africa\u2019s 1995 Rugby World Cup winning team, he became a symbol of unity during a major period of national change.<\/p>\n
His partnership with Nelson Mandela became one of sport\u2019s most iconic images. While he was a strong flanker and leader on the field, his wider impact came from what the team represented for South Africa.<\/p>\n
Fun fact: He was portrayed by Matt Damon in the film Invictus (2009).<\/p>\n
4 Pieter-Steph du Toit<\/p>\n
Pieter-Steph du Toit is known for relentless work rate and physical presence. He consistently covers huge ground, defends strongly, and sets high standards for his team.<\/p>\n
He has been twice named World Rugby Player of the Year and played a key role in South Africa\u2019s success, including a standout performance in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.<\/p>\n
Fun fact: He comes from a long family tradition of the same name, with relatives also involved in South African rugby.<\/p>\n
3 Richard Hill<\/p>\n
Richard Hill was quiet, intelligent, and highly dependable. He played a key role in England\u2019s 2003 Rugby World Cup winning team, focusing on structure, balance, and consistency.<\/p>\n
He was not a flashy player, but he was essential to the effectiveness of the back row, allowing more attacking teammates to thrive.<\/p>\n
Fun fact: He is a distant relative of film director Peter Jackson through his maternal family line.<\/p>\n
2 Michael Jones<\/p>\n
Michael Jones combined speed, intelligence, and skill in a way that reshaped expectations of a flanker. He stood out for his athletic style during an era that often focused on physicality.<\/p>\n
He was also known for his strong Christian faith, including his decision not to play on Sundays, which made him a role model beyond sport.<\/p>\n
Fun fact: A bronze statue of Jones celebrating his 1987 Rugby World Cup try stands outside Eden Park in Auckland.<\/p>\n
1 Richie McCaw<\/p>\n
Richie McCaw is widely regarded as one of the greatest flankers in rugby history. He combined leadership, durability, and exceptional competitive drive over a long international career.<\/p>\n
As captain, he led New Zealand through one of its most dominant eras, including back to back Rugby World Cup victories. His consistency and calm leadership defined his legacy.<\/p>\n
Fun fact: He holds the records for most international wins and most matches as captain in rugby union.<\/p>\n
NAME EVERY ENGLAND CAPTAIN OF THE PROFESSIONAL ERA:<\/p>\n
Since rugby turned professional in 1995, England have had a host of captains lead the team through World Cups, Grand Slams, Lions tours and some of the biggest moments in the sport\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
From World Cup-winning legends to short-term stand-ins, how many England captains of the professional era can you name?<\/p>\n
You have\u00a0five minutes\u00a0to name them all. Good luck!\ud83c\udfc9<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"5 Francois Pienaar Francois Pienaar left a legacy that went far beyond rugby. As captain of South Africa\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":642602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-642601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/642602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}