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RWC-winning captains among 11 new RugbyPass Hall of Fame inductees to have worn the #4 jersey
By Sam Smith
The fourth wave of inductees into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame have been revealed as some of the finest locks ever to grace the game were recognised on Thursday.
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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 Rugby Pass Hall of Fame’s fourth induction announcement, from which 10 of rugby’s best locks have been unveiled as inductees.
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Among the headline names include World Cup-winning captains John Eales of the Wallabies and Martin Johnson of England, both of whom lifted the Webb Ellis Cup as skippers of their respective teams in 1999 and 2003.
Eales was also part of the 1991 World Cup-winning Australian side, making him the only new inductee to have won rugby’s greatest prize on more than one occasion.
That feat has also achieved by fellow Hall of Famers Os du Randt and Tony Woodcock, both of whom were inducted on Monday, as well as hookers Phil Kearns and Keven Mealamu, who were added on Tuesday.
Together, Eales and Johnson make up two of five World Cup champions who are new inductees into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame.
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Former Springboks star Bakkies Botha, ex-All Blacks enforcer Brad Thorn, and 2014 World Rugby Player of the Year Brodie Retallick are the others to have won the Webb Ellis Cup, having done so in 2007, 2011 and 2015, respectively.
Botha is the only South African player among the new RugbyPass Hall of Fame inductees, while Thorn and Retallick are joined by fellow Kiwi Ian Jones and the late All Blacks legend Sir Colin Meads.
Eales, meanwhile, is one of two newly-named Australian inductees alongside the late Dan Vickerman, while Johnson is accompanied by compatriot Maro Itoje as the two of the latest representatives from England.
The only other player who features among the latest inductees is Leone Nakarawa, who becomes the first Fijian player to be added to the RugbyPass Hall of Fame.
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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.
Is there an option to veto all Bill’s votes given the damage he’s done to our game?
A bit early for Itoje, surely? He's a fine player but still early in his career, and hasn't achieved what the others have.
No Mark Andrews ????