The 5 Greatest England Rugby Players Have Been Ranked By Fans

Stars who just missed out on the top five include 2003 World Cup winners Lawrence Dallaglio and Jason Leonard while current skipper Owen Farrell also wasn't far away.

Posted below are the 5 greatest England rugby players of the professional era, according to fans.

Known as Billy Whizz, this former rugby league star proved a hugely successful convert to Union. A lethal runner from full-back or wing, he was a nightmare to mark in one-on-one situations. Had a knack of scoring memorable tries on the big stage.

DID YOU KNOW? The trailblazer was England's first black captain

The ultimate players’ player. Did all the unseen, grafting work and just got on with his job in unassuming fashion, putting his body on the line. Able to excel right across the back row, he was a pivotal figure on two Lions trips and an England World Cup winner.

DID YOU KNOW? Hill is a second cousin removed of film director Peter Jackson

Itoje made three Test appearances for the British & Irish Lions against New Zealand in 2017 and was part of the squad that reached the 2019 Rugby World Cup final. He was named European Player of the Year in 2016 after picking up the man of the match in his club’s European Champions Cup final triumph.

DID YOU KNOW? He is the cousin of Bath’s loosehead prop Beno Obano and Gloucester winger Ollie Thorley

A player who led by example and the kind of man you would always want alongside you in the trenches when the chips are down. Would never ask someone to do something he wouldn’t do himself. Captained the Lions on two tours, including the triumphant 1997 trip to South Africa, but he will always be remembered as the man presented with the 2003 World Cup.

DID YOU KNOW? When former England centre Jeremy Guscott walked into the dressing room on the day of Wilkinson’s international debut, he thought the 18-year-old had won a competition to spend the day with the national team.

A player who led by example and the kind of man you would always want alongside you in the trenches when the chips are down. Would never ask someone to do something he wouldn’t do himself. Captained the Lions on two tours, including the triumphant 1997 trip to South Africa, but he will always be remembered as the man presented with the 2003 World Cup.

DID YOU KNOW? Johnson briefly played American football for the Leicester Panthers as a tight end or defensive end.