Who is the Best Scrum Half in the World?
We take a look at some serious rugby talent in the men’s game
A top rugby team simply cannot function without a quality player wearing the Number 9 shirt, so it’s no surprise that our top three scrum-halves are ever-present fixtures on the teamsheets of the top three teams in the world.
Aaron Smith, Jamison Gibson-Park, and Antoine Dupont all had fantastic individual performances and collected silverware at the international level in the last 12 months. Let’s take a look at what makes these three players the best scrum halves in the competitive international landscape.
Aaron Smith, New Zealand All Blacks
It’s fair to say that despite emerging as Rugby Championship winners, 2021 and 2022 were years that the All Blacks would prefer to forget. However, in spite of New Zealand’s relatively poor form, individual brilliance still shone through in several areas.
One of those areas was the no. 9 scrum half jersey, worn almost exclusively by Aaron Smith. Heralded as one of the best passers of the ball that the game has seen, he continued to be a bright spot for the All Blacks even as they suffered defeats.
Take a look at this pass from the game against Argentina in the ‘old’ Tri-Nations. He also shares his passing masterclass tips below:
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Antoine Dupont, France
It’s fair to say that Antoine Dupont of Toulouse and France is not just the world’s best scrum half, but the world’s best rugby player. His inside lines, passing, speed, and vision all combine to make him an ever-present danger in any given situation.
It’s abilities like these that won him Player of the Tournament following the Six Nations in 2020, narrowly missing out to Hamish Watson in 2021, then winning it back again in 2022 as he captained France to a long-overdue Grand Slam. Even in this year’s 2023 Six Nations, no one could stop talking about him despite Ireland lifting the trophy.
We suggest heading you YouTube to be amazed at how good Dupont is at rugby.
Jamison Gibson-Park, Ireland
Ireland have gone from strength to strength under head coach Andy Farrell, most notably becoming the first team in almost four decades to win a test series on New Zealand soil, reaching #1 on the World Rugby Men’s Rankings and topping it off with an incredible Grand Slam in the 2023 Men’s Six Nations.
At the heart of Ireland’s success is scrum half Jamison Gibson-Park, who in 2020/21 not only overtook Luke McGrath as Leinster’s leading scrum half, but also muscled Lions captain and 100-cap veteran Conor Murray out of the starting 9 shirt for Ireland with a string of fantastic performances at both club and country level.
One of these came just recently as Ireland deftly dispatched Grand Slam champions France in their Six Nations clash. Here is JGP adding his five points with a cheeky show and go:
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