Who is the best kicker in Rugby Union?

First topic message reminder :

Some teams are built around their ability to kick from anywhere on the field (such as the Italian team and the England World Cup winning team ) but who do you think is the greatest kicker of all time.

Let me know what you think are the attributes that make a great kicker - distance, pressure kicking, drop goals, all round ability etc).

Would love to hear your thoughts.

I will allow people to change their votes as more names are suggested to me (I am sure I have missed some obvious ones!)

"Jenkins would have been second for me. He was my favourite player growing up mind..."

I can't believe you said that dreamer!

Couldn't stand him as a fly half.

Diego Dominguez was a consistent penalty kicker.

TBS - hey c'mon, cut me some slack, I grew up watching rugby in the 90's, Jenks was one of the few shining beacons of hope for me when Wales played rugby! Just loved him

rugbydreamer wrote:TBS - hey c'mon, cut me some slack, I grew up watching rugby in the 90's, Jenks was one of the few shining beacons of hope for me when Wales played rugby! Just loved him

You obviously dont remember him in 1991-1993 and to an extent in 1994. He was bloody awful.
I remember against Ireland in 1993 he must of missed 10 kicks at goal, I'd of lynched him if I could of gotten hold of him after that game!
Though I did meet him and Dale Mcintosh in a school visit at Porthcawl comp a year later and he was loverly. Oh and he did fuel my mums car up in the pouring rain in Pontypridd so she didnt have stand to get wet. "you stay there darling, i'm soaked as it is" his words to her, total gentleman to be honest.

well no Alyn between 1991-1993 I was aged between 4 and 6! Only really start remember my rugby from 1994 onwards.

and that story about him just made me

Wilkinson for me ,but if it was a best FH at this day that would be Carter

All round kickers currently Dan Carter & Johnny Wilko.

A few seasons ago Mark Van Gisburg had over 90 pc record for some time but Couleur Kick out of hand.

Can't believe you haven't included the boot if Dimitri Yachvilli. One of the best place kickers in the game and a master of drop goals.

I voted for Wilkinson for his complete kicking but have to say that Patterson's place kicking could almost be counted as better for me.

Giteau's an absolutely awful kicker. He misses easy ones, which is why they lost to Scotland just, and that's why James O'Connor/Quade Cooper kick ahead of him.

I would go for Wilkinson.
Carter
Andrew Merhtens
Chris Patterson
Neil Jenkins has been mentiond,But i would put Paul Thorburn above Jenkins.

I am sorry - this is NOT an attempt to wind people up, but if we are talking about an all round kicking game and NOT about other qualities, Wilkinson doesnt come in the top 20. Yes - I know he has a World Cup Winner's medal, and that he is a great bloke and a great Rugby player, but to say he is the best all round kicker in the game is LAUGHABLE. People do tend to look at his career through rose coloured spectacles. Judged purely as a kicker, Rob Andrew was far more accomplished.

JW's International career kicking stats do NOT rate with the best and his kicking from hand when he is under pressure is frankly poor and has been exposed numerous times.

Can you name any of the great kickers at 10 who had to have a kicker at 12 to bail them out?

wales606 wrote:

Surely Morne Steyn should be on the list! - he is the most accurate goal kicker playing today (well, O'Gara and Wilkinson might be close)

Have to agree with you, I am surprised he doesn't get votes.

Davie wrote:Not sure whay Jenkins is doing on that list (never mind that someone has actually voted for him. Is he the token Welshman? I'm sure there are better Welsh kickers over the years than him. Thorburn?

REALLY?

First player to pass 1000pts, still 3rd in World.

Player who without which the Lions wouldn't have won the 97 Test Series.

May not have been the best OH but that's not the question is it.

For goal kicking, I'd always have backed Jenkins to land a pressure kick so he'd get my vote for goal kicking.

In the NH at the moment, as I said above, ROG has the best all round kicking game (including from hand), whilst for purely goal kicking, I'd go with Chris Paterson - deadly accurate. As for the SH, Morne Steyn is probably the best goal kicker, and the best all round kicker would be Carter. From hand, Hernandez deserves a mention for creative and attacking kicks from hand.

Chris Paterson - although Parks kicked some belters last season - i.e v Ireland in Dublin in overtime to win

Ha, I agree with George Doors - NEV is the man.

I am surprised about Patterson being included! I know his record as the 100% man for a number of seasons. But did no one else notice that that was a bit of a skewed stat. From all the games that I remember Parks was taking all the kicks that were 50-50 and Patterson was only really kicking the sitters from around the 22 line. Hence Parks comparatively shoddy kicking average to Pattersons!

Jenkins surely cant be included as the topic is titled (who is) not (who was).

Andy Goode (just being controversial).
Top points scorer for the Premiership for donkeys of years.
Brought into England when they were rubbish and created a fair number of trys from his cross field kicks - to be fair, he did kick most of the time (even when there were overlaps). And his time with Natal Sharks wasnt particularly sparkling - but still (Goode was a kicking machine)

I also always thought that Dimitri Yachvilli was particularly accurate - especially when playing against England!

and, why is no one talking about Diego Domingez (spelling?) - That guy was a points machine in a pretty poor Italian era.

If Andy "who ate all the pies" Goode is going on there, then why not Tim Stimpson or Paul Grayson? Another couple of boot merchants!

Domingez is a good shout - excellent place kicker. He deserves a proper mention on here.

The Paterson thing has been done to death, and I think everyone has their established view on it.

Craig Newby, never got a chance to prove himself at international level but has a 100% record in the HC

Jenkins still holds the records for most consecutive kicks which is 46. He became the highest scorer (now 3rd) whilst playing in a rubbish team, where Wilkinson and especially Carter score all their point whilst playing in dominant team.

Scott Gibbs has stated in interviews that without Neil Jenkins the Lions would have lost the 1997 tour to South Africa

As a long-time Wales supporter, I was pleased to see Neil Jenkins topping the list.
However, I started watching rugby in the mid-1950s and the great full-back Don Clarke of New Zealand is still the best for me. I only saw him live when he toured with the 1963-4 All Blacks, but his record was outstanding.
Clarke played 89 times for the All Blacks (31 of them full Tests) between 1956 and 1964, and scored 781 points, which included only 8 tries (24 points). For the All Blacks he kicked 173 conversions, 120 penalties and 15 drop goals.
He was playing at a time when the leather ball got heavier during a game, especially in the rain, yet many of his kicks were from around the halfway line in the second-half in the wet. Unsurprisingly, his nickname was 'The Boot'. Clarke was, of course, a toe-end kicker, as "round the corner" place-kicking was then almost unheard-of in rugby.