Four World Cup-winning No 12s among newly RugbyPass Hall of Fame inductees

The 12th wave of RugbyPass Hall of Fame inductees has been revealed, the game’s finest second-fives getting recognised on Tuesday.

Home to the greatest rugby players of all-time, the RugbyPass Hall of Fame acknowledges and recognises the outstanding efforts of the trailblazers from the amateur era through to the global stars who light up the sport to this day.

The amalgamation of rugby’s top players from the amateur and professional eras has been reflected in the RugbyPass Hall of Fame’s first-ever induction announcement, from which 12 of rugby’s best second-fives have been unveiled as inductees.

RugbyPass Offload | Episode 13

RugbyPass Offload | Episode 13

Among the headline names inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame include World Cup-winning inside centres Ma’a Nonu, Tim Horan, Sonny Bill Williams and Jean de Villiers.

Nonu, Williams and Horan are part of a handful of players throughout rugby history to have lifted the Webb Ellis Cup twice, with the former two doing so for the All Blacks in 2011 and 2015, while Horan achieved that feat with the Wallabies in 1991 and 1999.

De Villiers, meanwhile, was part of the Springboks squad that claimed rugby’s greatest prize for South Africa’s second time in 2007.

All four players are accompanied by fellow countrymen in the fresh wave of inductees, with Nonu and Williams joined in the RugbyPass Hall of Fame by Kiwi great Walter Little.

Likewise, Horan is one of two Australians admitted into RugbyPass Hall of Fame alongside Matt Giteau, while De Villiers has been named alongside fellow South African midfielder Danie Gerber.

Europe’s elite have also been well-represented in the new batch of inductees, with French pair Emile Ntamack and Philippe Sella both admitted in tandem with British and Irish Lions trio Jeremy Guscott, Scott Gibbs and Mike Gibson.

Of all those included in the RugbyPass Hall of Fame, only the players with the most votes in each position will make the Fan 1st XV, a team made up of only the best players ever to have played rugby.

The door remains open for other players to become RugbyPass Hall of Famers, so register now to have your say and vote for your favourite inductee in the Fan 1st XV.

Current RugbyPass Hall of Fame Fan 1st XV

1. Os du Randt (South Africa, 1994-2007)
2. Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand, 1986-1997)
3. Owen Franks (New Zealand, 2009-2019)
4. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa, 2012-present)
5. Victor Matfield (South Africa, 2001-2015)
6. Jerome Kaino (New Zealand, 2004-2017)
7. Richie McCaw (New Zealand, 2001-2015)
8. Mamuka Gorgodze (Georgia, 2003-2019)
9. Aaron Smith (New Zealand, 2012-present)
10. Dan Carter (New Zealand, 2003-2015)
11. Jonah Lomu (New Zealand, 1994-2002)
12. Induction 14.12.2021
13. Induction 15.12.2021
14. Induction 16.12.2021
15. Induction 17.12.2021

Coach: 20.12.2021
Referee: 21.12.2021
Stadium: 22.12.2021