3. James Ryan (Ireland and Leinster)
The bookies’ favourite to take hold of the captain’s armband for the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour of Australia, James Ryan encapsulates what it means to be a leader of men within the modern professional rugby landscape. The Leinster man has the confidence and self assured skillset that commands respect from his peers, as when the quietly spoken lock speaks, the entire Irish province falls silent to listen.
Such leadership has caught the eye of Andy Farrell, as the Ireland head coach gets prepared to head up the Lions squad for his first run with the touring side. Whilst Ryan can certainly ‘talk the talk’ to generate a positive outcome from his Leinster and Ireland teammates, the lock’s own on-field attributes are second to none.
Do you need a commanding threat to challenge at the breakdown – Ryan’s iconic black scrum cap is more often than not flying amongst the loose boots. Need a hard-hitting tackler to lead the line speed – Ryan’s defensive capabilities see him amongst the leading tacklers whenever he plays the full 80 minutes. Ireland are blessed with an incredible array of top second rows, with Ryan routinely pushed to his edge in training to ensure he gets into the starting XV come the weekend.
Ryan battles the likes of Tadhg Beirne – a honourable mention for this list in his own right, as well as Iain Henderson and Ryan Baird, both of which would likely be included on a long-listed ‘top 15’ of the world’s best international locks. Whilst Ryan does sometimes take up the number 19 jersey for an explosive off-the-bench appearence, the Leinster stalwart is more often than not nailed on to the starting XV for Ireland’s most important fixtures.
Alongside veteran Ireland leader Peter O’Mahony, Ryan was instrumental as the co-mouthpiece of the Irish forwards, as Andy Farrell’s side achieved their first Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam since 2018, two years ago. Ryan has since emerged to take a lead of the forwards pack, with O’Mahony’s future in the green jersey looking to be coming to an end. The upcoming British and Irish Lions tour could be a career defining series for the 28-year-old, as he looks to take up the mantle previously held by arguably the greatest lock of all-time, Alun Wyn Jones.
Ryan’s Ireland career began in 2017, the very same year in which he made his senior team debut for Leinster. The rocket-charged call-up took place on that season’s Summer tour, with former head coach Joe Schmidt giving the lock a run-out against the United States. Ryan had an immediate impact, as after coming off the bench he soon crossed over for a try against the Americans, in a score which set the tone for his impressive career for the team from the Emerald Isle. Ryan has held the co-captaincy with centre Garry Ringrose since Johnny Sexton’s retirement in 2023, and could well emerge as the stand alone captain in the coming years.
4. Scott Barrett (Crusaders and New Zealand)
We head back down to the Southern Hemisphere for the next addition to this list, with the newly appointed All Blacks captain taking the fourth spot on this Top 5. Scott Barrett has been given the honour of leading New Zealand, following the start of the Scott Robertson era, which came into effect after Ian Foster’s stand-down post 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Taking over the reins from Sam Cane, Scott Barrett has since made ‘Razor’ proud, with an impressive transition from Crusaders skipper to All Blacks leader. The standard is incredibly high for New Zealand’s locks, with the earlier mentioned accomplishments of Sam Whitelock setting the bar as the country’s most capped player being no small shoes to fill. However, Barrett has proven his capability to rise to the challenge, with his brutal presence in contact quickly earning him the adulation of the hard to please All Blacks supporters.
Long before Barrett had been bestowed the honour of All Blacks captain, he had been earning the recognition as one of the world’s best locks. His second row partnership with Sam Whitelock brought unprecedented success to the Crusaders, as the Christchurch side recorded a never-before-seen feat of seven consecutive Super Rugby titles. One of four Barrett brothers who have played professional rugby, and a third of the current All Blacks crop that include his siblings Beauden and Jordie, Scott Barrett has a brilliant support network backing him up when he leads out the iconic men in black.
Barrett has been involved in the All Blacks squad since 2016, and has witnessed first hand New Zealand’s dominance of The Rugby Championship. Barrett has played in seven successful Rugby Championship campaigns, with the All Blacks only missing out on one tournament title in the past eight years. With 60 caps to his name, Barrett has been apart of New Zealand’s two latest Rugby World Cup campaigns, which saw him take home bronze medals from Japan and silver from France last year.
Barrett has been at the focal point for many All Blacks legends, since he took up the role as skipper in the recent Summer series against England. Ian Jones, who hold’s the honour of being the second most capped All Blacks lock (behind Sam Whitelock) certainly knows a thing or two about what it takes to excel in the role, and Jones expressed to Ruck whilst we were stationed in Auckland, about how the Crusader personifies the hard-working attitude of the everyday Kiwi public.
“(Scott Robertson) May elevate his game, he’s a hell of a player anyway. But the great thing about Scotty Barrett is as captain is he’s a classic New Zealander. New Zealand will get them behind him because he is hard working. He is kind of staunch, ruthless, he is just a quintessential New Zealander and New Zealanders love him. The team will love him, they’ll get behind him, he’s a hell of a player who will go the whole 80.”
5. Thibaud Flament (France and Stade Toulousain)
One of the few men in the world of rugby that can stand eye to eye with Springbok giant Eben Etzebeth, is the 6ft 8″ French tower block Thibaud Flament. The 27-year-old skyscraper’s story is amongst one of the most unusual of the modern era, as he went from playing fly half for Loughborough University’s fifth team, to then starting at lock for France in just five years.
To add more intrigue to the mystique of Flament’s early career, the Parisian born lock actually spent his childhood and teenage rugby career in Brussells, the capital city in the neighbouring nation of Belguim. First picking up a rugby ball at the age of eight and taking the 10 shirt for ASUB Waterloo’s age grade system, Flament would progress up the ranks of the Belgian club before heading to the English midlands to pursue his academic career.
The story only gets more interesting from there, as whilst stationed at Loughborough, Flament had the mother of all growth spurts and changed his position from fly half to lock. With the potential beginning to grow in the eyes of the coaches, Flament was sent on an excursion to Argentina, where he was taught the ways of the locks at Club Newman. The season stint in Buenos Aires pulled the inner scrummager out of the former fly half, and Flament returned to finish his studies as the first choice second row, before earning a professional contract with Wasps.
Flament marked his debut for Wasps with a try, as he stormed over to score against Saracens in the opening round of the 2019/20 Premiership Rugby Cup. Adding further intrigue is the fact that Wasps initially tried out Flament upon the blindside flank, with the Coventry club fluctuating their use of the forward across the second and back rows. Flament’s tenure with Wasps would be short lived, as having made a name for himself at the Ricoh Arena, he was promptly snapped up by French giants Toulouse, with Flament arriving back in the country of his birth ahead of the 2020/21 Top 14 season.
Silverware soon followed upon his arrival in Toulouse, as Flament starred for the French club in their fifth Champions Cup triumph. Coming off the bench to contribute in Toulouse’s victory over first time finalists La Rochelle, Flament battled to win key breakdown penalties, with Romain Ntamack slotting the all important three-pointers off the tee, to seal a narrow 22-17 win.
Flament would be first called into the French national squad the following year, with Fabien Galthie sending the lock out for his Test match debut in the 2021 Autumn Internationals. Coincidentally, Flament’s maiden cap came against Argentina, the country in which he discovered his true talents as a second row. Flament repaid the Pumas by crossing over for a try on his debut, and he has firmly been apart of the French set-up ever since his first involvement for Galthie’s group.
Flament’s finest accomplishment in his Test career so far has been the 2022 Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam, as France won their first tournament title since 2010. The lock has since led the way for the forwards in Toulose’s consecutive triumphs in the league and in Europe, as his club achieved Top 14 glory in back to back domestic seasons, whilst completing the league and Champions Cup double in this past 2023/24 campaign.