England’s win in Dublin six months ago showcased the sharpest of his box-kicking and he is alert to quick-taps and other opportunities. James Ryan has also been outstanding for Leinster and Ireland and looks a Lion in the making. Balls of steel. Dane Coles has been absent because of injury but his deputy Codie Taylor has stepped up to the plate with a series of strong displays. Little wonder he is rated the best prop in the world by Georgia’s coach Milton Haig and Montpellier’s Vern Cotter. But Pocock was never subdued totally. He is a shameless grafter;  ferret-like at the breakdown, with enthusiasm to push off the defensive line and make tackle after tackle. But they should be coming back in the future, Cardiff Blues v Connacht live updates: Kick off time, TV channel details, team news and all the build up, Keep up to date with all the action from the Guinness PRO14 clash between Cardiff Blues and Connacht, Fresh Joe Rodon to Tottenham claim as Aston Villa to bid for £10m striker and Swansea City target now in talks with rivals. At his best he has been a destructive scrummager, with his work in the loose improving with age as he heads to a third Rugby World Cup. We round off a summer of great Test rugby by having a stab at naming a World XV. Injured in the final Test against Ireland, but Hooper caught the eye in the series opener and was to the fore on Australia’s pre-Christmas European tour, standing out against Wales with a display that saw him make 10 carries, put in 14 tackles and achieve three turnovers. 'Name a better combo?!'

Need to win a tight Test match relying on your scrum-half's distribution and sharp kicking game? Mick Cleary's World U23 XV: Who makes it into a team selected from the best young players on the planet. Against Wales last November he dished out harsh lessons to Leon Brown and still found time to put in a big shift in the loose. Fickou is now at Stade Francais, on big money, taking his pace and power in midfield to the French capital. It would not be an overstatement to proclaim Gray as the game’s leading defensive forward. Second row is a brutally competitive area and Whitelock has been without his All Blacks partner Brodie Retallick since last September.

When his mother bought him his first pair of boots, he wrote knife and fork on each, knowing that he would have to use his rugby talent to provide for his family. He has returned to rugby after a protracted sabbatical and it’s as if he hasn’t been away. And he routed Wales at the breakdown in the pre-Christmas Test in Cardiff. Part four: The best rugby players in the world 40-21. A three-minute frenzy against France in the first Test at Eden Park, 2018.

The diminutive full-back looks a pushover but he is anything but. Can he still last a full 80? We asked MARK ORDERS to make the calls for a World XV... Israel Folau is wondrous in the air and has a devastating outside break, while Stuart Hogg has class to spare and an assortment of All Blacks offer quality by the shedload. There is a sharp rugby brain in there too - see his recent interception score against Scotland at Murrayfield. His tree-trunk thighs would win at most things, to be honest, but his juggernaut carries alone can win matches. Nothing sums up Ashley-Cooper's top billing as a clinical finisher more than his hat-trick against Argentina in the 2015 Rugby World Cup semi-final. However, given the scrum-half is closing in on 90 England caps, and has won selection for two British and Irish Lions tours, his attributes have been valued by a number of national head coaches. Mako Vunipola hasn’t quite been at the races in South Africa in recent weeks, while Nariashvili is rarely off his game. Adversity brings out the best in him, but he delivers whatever the match.

He leads, takes responsibility and has an engine on him that Rolls Royce would sign off.

The result is this, our list of the 100 best players in the world today. Johnny Sexton (Ireland) There is a case for suggesting Johnny Sexton has been the best rugby player in the world in 2018. Lethal.

They have robbed France of a fulcrum in midfield and Fofana of some of his best years in the game. After 68 minutes of English dominance in Dublin in the 2019 Six Nations, Curry still had the hunger for a turnover after this Courtney Lawes tackle (below).

The recently crowned Aviva Premiership player of the year is 34 but Dean Richards, his club boss at Newcastle, reckons the islander defies the ageing process. Considering that frame, the fact that so many of Gray’s tackles are around the ankles, chopping defenders at source, is proof of his extraordinary talent. How is Adam Ashley-Cooper here? White is a closer.

After South Africa's game with New Zealand last October, one Kiwi writer’s player ratings saw him hand the Springbok a perfect 10. Tuilagi’s natural talent, his midfield presence, his ability to smash over the gain line, has only been seen in fits and starts over the last six years as injury after injury has removed him from the fray. The ex-Toulon man stood out in the opening two Tests for South Africa against England, offering himself as a target for the rest of his pack and always making ground with ball in hand. He fits the bill. Part three: The best rugby players in the world 60-41. Their ability to win matches for their team, sometimes all on their own.

He excelled in Exeter's structural approach, so much so that Michael Cheika reached out to bring White back to Australia in time for Japan. The curse of injury striking again. Fickou has never lacked size, giving France front-foot ball through crashing up the middle, but there is more skill to his game than he perhaps gets credit for, notably with his footwork and passing. Expect to see him used heavily as a decoy runner, but also cutting tight lines off Foley and Kurtley Beale at second receiver.