Over the past 25 years, the Six Nations has witnessed some brilliant tries and matches which will live long in the memory.
But there is another side to rugby’s annual showpiece, one which has nothing to do with flair or attacking firepower.
The tournament has seen some truly monster hits being made by players who have turned tackling into an art form.
There’s an old saying in rugby that defence is a mindset as much as anything else — and there are men who have typified that warrior spirit in their respective teams.
Mail Sport columnist and former Scotland captain Jason White was once described by the great Jim Telfer as pound-for-pound the hardest tackler he had ever worked with.
Who better than White, then, to recall his top 10 tacklers from the past quarter century of the Six Nations.
Jonny Wilkinson puts in a sensational try-stopping challenge on Ireland’s Keith Earls
JONNY WILKINSON
When people think of Wilkinson’s career, the image that automatically springs to mind is of the ball sailing between the posts after his drop goal to beat Australia in the 2003 World Cup final in Sydney.
People would marvel at the way he could control a game and the way his goal-kicking became a weapon of metronomic consistency.
But his tackling and his ability to make big hits — often on guys twice his size — became such an under-rated part of Wilkinson’s game.
Wilkinson would often put in big hits on players twice his size and it was an underrated part of his game
He was absolutely fearless. Pound-for-pound, he’s probably the toughest player the Six Nations has seen.
There were times when his relentless attitude to tackling actually worked to his detriment due to some of the injuries he picked up.
As a back-rower, there were certain fly-halves who you felt you could target. If you could make a big hit on them, you knew there was a chance you could rattle them. Wilkinson wasn’t like that at all. He gave as good as he got.
This list is made up predominantly of forwards and back-rowers. Wilkinson was a warrior who could mix it with the best of them.
SEBASTIEN CHABAL
I played with Chabal at Sale and witnessed at close quarters how freakishly strong he could be.
When he went head-to-head with Andrew Sheridan in the gym, it was always box-office viewing. The rest of us would sit back and watch these two monsters push each other to new records in terms of the weights they could lift.
The sight of Sebastien Chabal running towards them was enough to flll any opponent with sheer dread
Chabal could actually be a really laid-back guy a lot of the time. He almost struck you like he wasn’t really trying at times.
The trick was to make him angry. That’s what we used to do any time we felt he was maybe going through the motions. Someone would deliberately wind him up — it was like poking the bear!
He was a little bit of a late bloomer in terms of playing most of his best rugby for France later in his career.
With the long hair and huge beard, he looked like a caveman. He could intimidate opponents just by looking at them and was capable of some absolutely monster hits.
SERGE BETSEN
Not many players are nicknamed ‘The Grim Reaper’. But when you watched Betsen in full flow, you could soon understand why he earned that particular title.
Wilkinson is stopped in his tracks by the combination of Olivier Magne and Serge Betsen (right)
I played against him numerous times for club and country and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone with such a relentless work-rate. Betsen would routinely top the tackle counts, often making well over 20 per game.
He was also a key part of France winning two Grand Slams in 2002 and 2004.
After Betsen had just shut down Jonny Wilkinson in the Grand Slam decider in 2002, Sir Clive Woodward said of him: ‘He is the only player that I can say was the single-handed reason we lost a match’.
High praise, indeed.
DAN LYDIATE
Not all that long ago, Wales had an embarrassment of riches in their back row. They had guys like Sam Warburton, a player who captained the British and Irish Lions against the All Blacks in 2017. They also had Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau among many others.
Dan Lydiate was every bit as important as the more hailed names to Wales’ success
The likes of Warburton, Tipuric and Faletau often won more headlines, but Lydiate was every bit as important to that Welsh team who won Grand Slams under Warren Gatland.
Lydiate was named Six Nations player of the championship in 2012 and was a key figure again when they went all the way in 2019.
He was the glue that held the team together and perfected the art of the chop tackle. Lydiate was a model of consistency in that Welsh back row.
COURTNEY LAWES
In his pomp, Lawes was just a magnificent all-round athlete. He became such a complete player that he could contribute in pretty much every area of the game.
But there was no doubt his main strength lay in his tackling ability.
Lawes embraces the threat of Italy’s Stephen Varney head-on at Twickenham in 2021
In terms of having that raw power to just break someone in two with a huge hit, Lawes would probably stand top of the pile of all the players we’ve seen in the last 25 years in the Six Nations.
I remember a couple of games against France where he absolutely flattened Jules Plisson and also smashed the man mountain Mathieu Bastareaud.
Lawes had that X-factor where he could completely change the momentum of a game just by making a huge tackle. That’s a rare quality to have.
JONNY GRAY
He had been out of the team for a couple of years due to injury and fitness issues, but it’s a huge boost now that Gray is back in the Scotland squad for the Six Nations. When he’s at his best, he leads by example just by his sheer work-rate.
Jonny Gray helps bring Ireland’s Calvin Nash to a sudden halt at Murrayfield this year
Back in 2019, he broke the Pro14 record for most tackles in a game (43) as Glasgow Warriors beat Leinster. When he’s in that sort of mood, nothing gets past him.
He’s so consistent and he just doesn’t miss tackles. Indeed, in the calendar year of 2019, Gray made 170 tackles for Glasgow and never missed a single one.
When Scotland’s fortunes started to turn against England back around 2018, it was Gray who would often set the tone with his relentless tackling up front.
If he can stay fit, he remains a huge asset.
SAM UNDERHILL
This guy was one of the form back-rowers in world rugby only a few years ago, playing a starring role in England’s victory over the All Blacks in the 2019 World Cup semi-finals.
At that point, you felt certain he would go on to amass well over 100 caps and go down as one of the all-time greats.
Scotland’s Adam Hastings is thwarted by a combination of Sam Underhill and George Ford
But, unfortunately, Underhill has been plagued by injury problems and has also had some issues with concussion.
It’s a real shame because, at his best, he’s an absolute machine who had that lovely blend of being brilliant at the breakdown and winning turnovers, while also being a ferocious tackler.
Still only 28, I hope he gets back fit and reclaims his place in the England side.
Joe Worsley brings down Ireland’s John Hayes in 2009
JOE WORSLEY
A real unsung hero for England and Wasps, I played against Worsley numerous times for club and country and I always relished the challenge of going up against him.
He did a lot of the dirty work for the teams he played in, but always seemed to pop up and make some really vital tackles. None more so than the tap tackle he made on France winger Vincent Clerc in the 2007 World Cup semi-final.
It was a try-saving tackle and one which helped pave the way for England to go on and reach the final.
He also won four Premiership titles and a couple of Heineken Cups with Wasps. He was a player’s player, someone who made everyone else around him better.
THIERRY DUSAUTOIR
When I was playing with Clermont, we had some great battles with Dusautoir and Toulouse. He was the captain of France and the set the standard for everything they did.
My standout memory of him was probably France’s World Cup victory over the All Blacks at the Millennium Stadium in 2007. Dusautoir made a quite astonishing 38 tackles that night in Cardiff.
New Zealand’s Dan Carter is stopped by Dusautoir and Clerc in the 2007 World Cup
To produce those kind of numbers in a club game would be impressive. But to do it in a World Cup quarter-final against the All Blacks? Sensational.
He won the Grand Slam with France in 2010 and reached the World Cup final in 2011, scoring as France lost narrowly to New Zealand.
He was a warrior who should probably have won even more at international level given his talent.
JULIEN BONNAIRE
Similar to Courtney Lawes, this guy could absolutely break people in half. I played with him at Clermont for a few years and teamed up with him in the back row. Let’s just say there weren’t many guys in France who enjoyed playing against us!
Between us, myself and Bonnaire got through a lot of work and would put in some big hits.
Bonnaire had a knack of making a crunching tackle at the right moment to turn the momentum
He also had this knack of being able to make a crunching tackle at just the right moment in a game to help turn the momentum.
He won 75 caps for France and was a Grand Slam winner.
PS It seems like things are getting a bit spicy in the build-up to the Calcutta Cup clash at Twickenham on Saturday. It looks like some of the press and media in England are already taking aim at Scotland after their defeat to Ireland.
I’ve already made my case for Jonny Gray as Scotland’s best tackler and I would do the same for George Martin in this England team.
I expect it to be a really tight game. England will fancy it against a team they will view as vulnerable. Scotland will need to stand up to England physically because no doubt there will be some huge hits going in.
For me, I think Scotland might just nick it by a score.
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Publish date : 2025-02-20 09:46:00
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