Planet Rugby Team of the Year: Springboks dominate selection as British and Irish Lions well represented
Maro Itoje (left), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (centre) and Pieter-Steph du Toit (right) feature in the Planet Rugby Team of the Year
As 2025 draws to a close, the Planet Rugby team caught up to settle on their best XV of players from the past 12 months at club and Test level.
Planet Rugby’s Team of the Year
15 Thomas Ramos (France and Toulouse): A tough call to start things off, with Will Jordan impressing for the All Blacks, but we’ve just got the Frenchman ahead. Ramos played a key role for France and Toulouse this year, starring in the absence of Antoine Dupont for both, and helping Les Bleus win the Six Nations and Toulouse the Top 14.
14 Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa and Tokyo Sungoliath): Yet another fantastic year for the world-class winger, who beats out Tommy Freeman into this side. The pocket-sized winger again took a starring role for both the Springboks and Sungoliath, scoring 15 tries in 26 outings across the calendar year, and helped his national side lift the Rugby Championship title.
13 Huw Jones (Scotland, British and Irish Lions and Glasgow Warriors): 13 was a major headache for the PR team, with Jesse Kriel and Joseph Suaalii incredibly close, but World Rugby Dream Team member Jones is our man. The centre impressed for Scotland in an otherwise tricky Six Nations campaign, and later played a key role in the British and Irish Lions Test side, featuring in all three Tests against the Wallabies. Jones also starred for Glasgow, with the Scottish side again making the United Rugby Championship (URC) play-offs.
12 Len Ikitau (Australia, Brumbies and Exeter Chiefs): The world-class Wallaby enjoyed a stellar 2025 season, off the back of a promising 2024 too. Ikitau was a rock for the Wallabies across the year, particularly during the Lions series, with his form earning him the John Eales Medal. He also impressed at club level too, becoming the focal point of the Brumbies and enjoying a strong start to life at Exeter too. Damian de Allende and Jordie Barrett also had strong years.
11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France and Bordeaux-Begles): Ethan Hooker can potentially feel hard done by to miss out, after his strong year for both the Sharks and Boks, but we couldn’t overlook the magnificent Bielle-Biarrey. The Frenchman was like a man possessed at times in 2025, starring during France’s march to the Six Nations title and playing a key role in Bordeaux’s Investec Champions Cup triumph too, form which earned him a deserved nomination for World Rugby Player of the Year.
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10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa and Stormers): A strong field, with Finn Russell impressing for the Lions, Scotland and Bath, but Springboks and Stormers star Feinberg-Mngomezulu takes the jersey. The 23-year-old was utterly unplayable at times this year, taking a huge step forward compared to his already impressive 2024 as well, and was at the heart of the Boks’ Rugby Championship title. Unlucky not to see himself nominated for World Rugby Player of the Year.
9 Cam Roigard (New Zealand and Hurricanes): Dupont was brilliant either side of his major knee injury, and Cobus Reinach also enjoyed an excellent year as well, but Roigard has leapfrogged his way into this selection. This felt like a real statement year for the All Blacks ace, after some serious injuries in his young career to date, and he seems to have cemented his spot in the side for years to come.
Back-row
8 Ardie Savea (New Zealand and Moana Pasifika): Continues to prove his all-court excellence, whatever position he plays. Enjoyed a stellar year at Moana Pasifika, scooping up the Super Rugby MVP award in the process, and was a real rock of consistency for the All Blacks in a fairly lukewarm year for Scott Robertson’s side. Ben Earl and Harry Wilson weren’t far behind.
7 Tom Curry (England, British and Irish Lions and Sale Sharks): Showed himself to be a proper Test match animal in 2025, and just edging out Juan Martin Gonzalez and Marcos Kremer into this squad. After a tough start on the Lions tour, he was utterly immense across the three Tests against the Wallabies and could easily have been named Player of the Series for his actions. Also stood up to the plate for England, starting all five Six Nations Tests and becoming a member of the Pom Squad in the autumn, and typically shone for Sale.
6 Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa and Toyota Verblitz): There’s no real surprise here, given he finished top of the Planet Rugby ratings in 2025, but Du Toit set the tone for back-rowers across the Test game in 2025. The 33-year-old, who was nominated for World Rugby Player of the Year, was a real force in the dominant Boks pack, particularly in defence, and assisted in their Rugby Championship triumph and unbeaten November campaign. Pablo Matera impressed for Argentina, while Francois Cros was again an important part of the France and Toulouse trophy wins this year.
Tight five
5 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa and Sharks): 2025 was a good year for South African locks, with RG Snyman and Ruan Nortje both having fine years, but we’ve just got Etzebeth ahead. His unrelenting physicality was a major part of their efforts up front, allowing them to play that new attacking style, but it was his ability to shine in big Tests that was particularly notable.
4 Maro Itoje (England, British and Irish Lions and Saracens): A very tough call at four, with Tadhg Beirne again going well in 2025, but Itoje realised his true leadership potential after years of having the ‘future captain’ tag looming over him. The towering lock led the Lions to a series win against the Wallabies – joining a prestigious list in the process – while also spearheading an England side who won 11 Tests in a row too. Being handed the captaincy also seemed to take his game to new heights too, with him arguably in career-best form this year too.
3 Thomas du Toit (South Africa and Bath): What a year Du Toit has had, for both club and country. Looking domestically, the South African played a key role in Bath’s historic treble, featuring in all three finals for his troubles, and quickly proved himself to be the best tighthead in the league. He then transferred that form onto the Test stage, locking down the Boks’ number three jersey during the Rugby Championship and finding himself in the heart of one of the most dominant scrums in the world. He was also fairly rewarded with a spot in the World Rugby Dream Team, and fully deserves a place in this side too. Wilco Louw was a close second.
2 Malcolm Marx (South Africa and Kubota Spears): The recently named World Rugby Player of the Year has taken his game to new heights in 2025. His work in the set-piece helped the Boks create a platform for dominance across the year, and showed clear signs of development around the park too. Dan Sheehan also enjoyed a strong year.
1 Ox Nche (South Africa and Sharks): The Springboks prop took front-row dominance to a new level in 2025, earning a historic World Rugby Player of the Year nomination in the process. He was simply barbaric in the scrum, with his aggressive, attacking mindset destroying tightheads across both the club and Test game, and also came on leaps and bounds around the park too. Ellis Genge wasn’t far behind.