Six World Cup winners among new No 8s inducted into RugbyPass Hall of Fame

The eighth wave of inductees into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame have been revealed as the finest No 8s ever to grace the game were recognised on Wednesday.

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 No 8s have been unveiled as inductees.

Ryan Wilson on ‘almost’ becoming a Barbarians captain | RugbyPass Offload

Ryan Wilson on ‘almost’ becoming a Barbarians captain | RugbyPass Offload

Among the headline names inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame include World Cup-winning All Blacks trio Kieran Read, Zinzan Brooke and Sir Wayne ‘Buck’ Shelford.

Read was part of both All Blacks squads that lifted the Webb Ellis Cup on back-to-back occasions in 2011 and 2015, while Brooke and Shelford were both part of New Zealand’s successful 1987 World Cup squad.

There is also a fourth New Zealander included in the new wave of inductees, with Read’s All Blacks predecessor Rodney So’oialo also gaining entry into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame.

The Springboks are also represented by a pair of World Cup winners in the form of South Africa’s current No 8 Duane Vermeulen and former star Bobby Skinstad, both of whom became world champions in 2019 and 2007, respectively.

A third Springboks No 8, Pierre Spies, is also among the fresh cohort of inductees, while England icon Lawrence Dallaglio is another world title-winner to be admitted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame after playing a key role in his side’s success in 2003.

Other inductees include French cult hero Sebastien Chabal, recently-retired Italy legend Sergio Parisse, Welsh great Scott Quinnell and Mamuka Gorgodze, who becomes Georgia’s first inductee into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame.

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. Zinzan Brooke (New Zealand, 1987-1997)
9. Induction 09.12.2021
10. Induction 10.12.2021
11. Induction 13.12.20221
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