Image: Unsplash; Derek Jones
From Saracens to Wasps, Premiership rugby teams have nurtured some of the greatest talents in the game. We round up the very best players who’ve played in rugby’s most prestigious league.
Throughout rugby’s professional timeline, the Premiership league has spawned some of the finest talent the sport has ever seen. From Saracens to Wasps and Newcastle Falcons to Leicester Tigers, players from these Premiership rugby squads have gone on to achieve incredible feats for their clubs and country.
Read on to find out who we rank as the top 5 Premiership rugby players of all time.
Jonny Wilkinson
1997-2009 | Club: Newcastle Falcons | Apps: 138 | Points: 1,489 | Titles: 1
England legend, Johnny Wilkinson played 12 seasons in the Premiership with Newcastle Falcons, amassing a huge 1,489 points at fly-half. The Newcastle Falcons won the Premiership title in Wilkinson’s first season in professional rugby, but he acted as an understudy for much of the season.
His incredible range of passing and reliability for the boot led him to become a premiership icon. Wilkinson gained this status before finally departing for Toulon in 2009 where he won two European Cups.
Martin Johnson
1989-2005 | Club: Leicester Tigers | Apps: 139 | Points: 40 | Titles: 5
Five-time Premiership Rugby winner, and the 2003 Rugby World Cup winning captain, Martin Johnson was a part of the record-breaking Leicester Tigers side. They won four consecutive domestic titles from 1998 to 2002. He made his debut in 1989 in an illustrious 16-year playing career. With a 75% winning record in the Premiership, the uncompromising one-club lock must go down as one of the greatest players the Premiership has ever seen.
Lawrence Dallaglio
1990-2008 | Club: Wasps | Apps: 180 | Points: 98 | Titles: 5
Lawerence Dallaglio is regarded as one of the greatest back rowers ever, let alone in Premiership rugby. Another one-club man, Dallaglio won 5 titles with Wasps, taking over as captain in 1995. His most memorable final was his last-ever match in 2008, when the much unfancied Wasps shocked Leicester Tigers to win the final at Twickenham.
Charlie Hodgson
2000-2016 | Clubs: Sale Sharks & Saracens | Apps: 254 | Points: 2,625 | Titles: 2
Charlie Hodgson is the highest record Premiership rugby points scorer of all time, scoring 2,625 points with his ever-reliable right boot. In 2006, Hodgson guided Sale to their first and only ever Premiership rugby title, beating Leicester Tigers 45-20 at Twickenham.
After a stellar career with Sale, Hodgson moved to Saracens in 2011. He won another Premiership title in 2014/15 for Saracens, coming off the bench as Sarries beat Bath 28-16.
Brad Barritt
2008-present | Club: Saracens | Apps: 181 | Points: 83 | Titles: 5
A stalwart of Saracens rugby, Brad Barritt encapsulates the rise of Saracens from the lower leagues to five-time Premiership champions. Now club captain, Barritt has been present for all five of those triumphs, most recently captaining the side to victory of Exeter Chiefs in a pulsating 37-34 encounter.
The powerful, ballistic centre is known for his hard crash ball lines and rock-like defence. The no-nonsense South-African born centre isn’t done yet and could see his Premiership trophy tally rise in years to come.
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