Antoine Dupont the only French present in the XV of the year

Ten out of fifteen players from the South make World Rugby’s Team of the Year. One could almost believe that the autumn tour crowned a hegemonic southern hemisphere facing the North. Funny. But the essential is assured for France: Antoine Dupont, big favorite for the title of best player of the year, appears in a XV dominated by the South Africans (the center Lukhanyo Am, the winger Makazole Mapimpi, the flanker Siya Kolisi, second row Eben Etzebeth, hooker Malcolm Marx) and New Zealanders (Will Jordan, Beauden Barrett and Ardie Savea).

There is also an Englishman (second-line Maro Itoje), a Scotsman (rear Stuart Hogg), an Irishman (pillar Tadhg Furlong), a Welsh (the other pillar Wyn Jones) and two Australians (flanker Michael Hooper and the Samu Kerevi Center). A total of eight countries are represented for a combined number of selections of 850 capes.

World XV of the year 2021 according to World Rugby: Stuart Hogg (SCO) – Will Jordan (NZL), Lukhanyo Am (RSA), Samu Kerevi (AUS), Makazole Mapimpi (RSA) – (o) Beauden Barrett (NZL), (m) Antoine Dupont (FRA) – Michael Hooper (AUS), Ardie Savea (NZL), Siya Kolisi (RSA) – Eben Etzebeth (RSA), Maro Itoje (ENG) – Tadhg Furlong (IRL), Malcolm Marx (RSA), Wyn Jones (WAL)

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