FloRugby Team Of The Year 2025: The Players Who Defined A Dominant Season

FloRugby reveals its Team Of The Year for 2025, breaking down the players who dominated test and club rugby across a landmark season.

Dec 31, 2025 by Philip Bendon

FloRugby Team Of The Year 2025: The Players Who Defined A Dominant Season

Now just mere hours away from turning the calendar from 2025 to 2026, we at FloRugby felt it was time to reflect on what was a huge year of rugby action.

On a personal note, we are thrilled to be the home of the best club rugby action the sport has to offer for North American fans.

On the test level, we saw unprecedented interest in our broadcasting of the 2025 Rugby Championship, and for good reason, as the competition was a thriller from Round 1 through Round 6.

Taking a glance at the bigger picture of international test rugby, the global landscape saw some significant shifts in 2025.

One thing remained constant, however, and that was the dominance of the back-to-back world champion Springboks. Defending their Rugby Championship title with a record victory over the All Blacks, mixed in before an undefeated November series, was about as good as it gets for Rassie Erasmus’ side.

Thus, when we were doing this exercise, it was unsurprising that our team would be dominated by players wearing the green and gold.

So without further ado, here is our FloRugby Team of the Year for 2025:

1. Ox Nche – South Africa

Rarely is a player so destructive that, irrespective of how well-crafted and executed a gameplan is, there inevitably will come a point when that individual rips up the script.

In the case of Ox Nche, international tightheads the world over know that even the slightest chink in their armour will be exposed at scrum time.

In a recent interview with FloRugby, La Rochelle and France legend Uini Antonio told us that Nche is the best he has faced. For us, that is enough of a clarifier.

Away from the scrum, the Sharks star has layered a passing and carrying game that ties in beautifully with Tony Brown’s up tempo attack with the Boks. Mix in his work rate at the breakdown and ability to win turnovers, and you get a picture of why he was a World Player of the Year nominee in 2025.

2. Malcolm Marx – South Africa

From a World Player of the Year nominee to the winner of the award, Marx got his just reward after close to a decade as one of the game’s elite hookers.

Utterly central to the Boks’ dominance at set-piece and the breakdown, Marx was totemic in 2025.

Clearly benefitting from an extended run of being injury-free, the 31-year-old is firmly entrenched as first choice for the Boks, who face a huge 2026 season with the “Greatest Rivalry Tour,” before another assault on the World Cup in 2027.

3. Thomas du Toit – South Africa

Here's another player with whom we at FloRugby were fortunate to chat with in 2025.

Bath Rugby’s superstar frontrower has gone from a top-quality operator who can play both sides of the scrum to being the undisputed tighthead kingpin in the global game.

Off the pitch, du Toit is a true gentleman. On it, he is a destructive scrummager and a ball-carrying mismatch.

Remarkably, still just 30 years old, du Toit will be at his peak come 2027, which is a frightening prospect for every loosehead in the game.

4. Fabian Holland – New Zealand

The World Breakthrough Player of the Year has one of the more unique stories in professional rugby.

Born and raised in the Netherlands before moving to New Zealand in pursuit of what was a lofty dream of being an All Black, the giant lock has become an undroppable force for Scott Robertson’s side.

Getting through mountains of work at line-out time, the breakdown and in the tackle, Holland proved in 2025 that the All Blacks have found their new Brodie Retallick.

5. Tadhg Beirne – Ireland

One of the more head scratching absentees from the World Player of the Year nominations in 2025, the Munster captain remains arguably the best lock in world rugby.

Immovable at the breakdown, Beirne is among the elite when it comes to winning big time turnovers.

Elsewhere, his carrying and distribution games are central to Munster and Ireland’s intricate attacking systems, while his leadership for both province and country is exemplary.

6. Pieter Steph du Toit – South Africa

Clearly more than happy to see his longtime teammate pip him for a third World Player of the Year award, the “Malmesbury Missile” had another huge season in green and gold.

When fit, there is no better blindside in professional rugby.

Routinely getting into the 20s with his tackle count, dominating line-outs, and terrorizing opponents with his ability to stop a play dead with a big shot, du Toit is the prototypical Boks forward.

While he is entering the twilight years of his career in terms of age, he does not appear to be slowing down. That being said, rugby fans the world over should enjoy him while he is here, as we are unlikely to see another player of his quality for quite some time.

7. Ardie Savea – New Zealand

Shifting back to his favored position on the side of the scrum for the bulk of the season, the All Blacks vice captain had an intriguing year.

Taking a team that previously was easy to beat in Moana Pasifika to the doorstep of the Super Rugby playoffs proved that Savea is the tide that lifts all boats in New Zealand rugby.

This influence continued at test level, where he once again was head and shoulders above his teammates.

Whenever the All Blacks needed a big play, Savea would nine times out of 10 be the one to deliver it.

Taking a sabbatical into Japanese rugby this season should see him arrive in tip top shape for the 2026 test campaign.

8. Joaquín Oviedo – Argentina

One of the brightest talents in test rugby had himself a year in 2025.

Starting seven of his 10 test matches for Los Pumas, the Perpignan No. 8 combined a barnstorming carrying ability with subtle skills that were central to Felipe Contepomi’s all-court attacking gameplan.

At the breakdown, Oviedo proved to be a constant turnover threat, while in defence, his tackle success rate was exemplary.

9. Maxime Lucu – France

While all of France began to mourn another lost Six Nations when Antoine Dupont hobbled off the Aviva Stadium turf, few would have expected what unfolded.

Playing behind a dominant pack, Union Bordeaux Bègles’ “Petite Générale” went to work.

Directing traffic with masterful precision, Lucu masterminded Les Bleus’ utter destruction of Ireland, which set in motion their run to the title.

Guiding his side past Scotland in the final round, before leading UBB to an Investec Champions Cup title and a heart breaking Top 14 final loss, ensured the veteran scrumhalf had a season to remember.

In November, the decision not to start him against the Springboks was head scratching to say the least from Fabien Galthié.

When he did return to the starting lineup, France secured wins against Fiji and Australia.

While Cam Roigard, Cobus Reinach, Jamison Gibson Park and Alex Mitchell all were strong contenders, no No. 9 had a better season than Lucu, both domestically and internationally.

10. Sacha Feinberg Mngomezulu – South Africa

Not since Daniel Carter has there been a fly-half who combines athleticism, cerebral dominance and X-factor quite like the Springboks superstar.

Sure, detractors will point to his goal kicking as a work on, but make no mistake, the Stormers playmaker will have this tidied up in no time.

Even with this inconsistency, there is no playmaker, bar perhaps France’s Matthieu Jalibert, who comes close to the creativity and flair of the former Bishops’ student.

His elevation to the starting role ensures that the Boks can feasibly dominate in a multitude of ways that perhaps no side in test history, bar the great All Blacks of 2010 to 2018, could.

11. Louis Bielle Biarrey – France

The lone nominee not from the Republic of South Africa for the World Player of the Year award, Bordeaux’s electric winger is about as close as it comes to automatic tries for his teams.

At 22 years old, he already is amongst the global elite pacemen and feels destined to rein in his UBB teammate Damian Penaud as France’s all-time try-scorer when it is all said and done.

Currently sitting on 20 tries from 22 tests, LBB is close to unplayable for opposition defenders.

Capable of stepping, chipping or simply outpacing opponents, the winger is a mismatch nightmare and will only get better in the coming years.

12. Sione Tuipulotu – Scotland

This is one of the more challenging positions to select, with Damian de Allende’s performances in green and gold being of their usual high quality.

The Scotland skipper edges his Boks compatriot and All Blacks star Jordie Barrett for us, given just how dominant he has been for both Glasgow and his national side.

Combining elite physicality with a truly spectacular skillset, Tuipulotu is the perfect foil for Finn Russell’s unpredictable playmaking style.

When his side needs to straighten up, it is always Tuipulotu who challenges the line, ensuring opponents are routinely on the back foot.

Mix in his leadership ability and you get the ultimate midfield general.

13. Tommaso Menoncello – Italy

Sure, he often plays 12 when alongside Ignacio Brex, but the Italian maestro is by all accounts a natural 13 who shifts seamlessly between the two positions.

Unsurprisingly signing with the galáctico Toulouse squad for next season, Menoncello has the potential, in our opinion, to go down as one of the all-time greats for an Italian side growing under head coach Gonzalo Quesada.

Never was his class more evident than when a second-string Italian side gave the Boks a fright back in July.

Starting both tests at 13, Menoncello was the pivot around which the side gravitated.

Mixing out of this world physicality with a dollop of X-factor, the 23-year-old will be critical if the Azzurri are to become genuine Six Nations contenders in the coming seasons.

14. Tommy Freeman – England

English rugby’s most dominant finisher scored tries for fun throughout 2025, and while his long-term future might be in the 13 shirt, his best performances came on the wing.

Freeman scored a try in all of England’s Six Nations matches and started all three tests for the Lions.

Sprinkle in his hat trick for Northampton against Leinster in the Champions Cup semifinal, and one gets a clear picture of just how dominant the 24-year-old has become.

Now playing in an era where physicality, pace and aerial dominance are central, the 6-foot-3 Freeman feels set to continue his rise as one of the sport’s elite players.

15. Santiago Carreras – Argentina

Slotting into the fullback position, despite playing half of his season at fly-half, Carreras proved in 2025 that he is one of the very best players in the world.

Dragging his side back from a 21-0 deficit at Murrayfield to secure a 33-24 victory was the peak of his best season to date.

A move to Bath Rugby, where he is playing alongside Scotland’s fly-half that day, Finn Russell, ensures the English champions have arguably the best dual playmaking axis in European club rugby heading into 2026.

At test level, his combination with Tomás Albornoz was simply lethal, and for those keeping tabs, this could be the building of a potential World Cup-winning partnership come 2027.

European Rugby Union Lives On FloSports And FloRugby

Rugby fans can stream every match from the Top 14, Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship on FloRugby, along with the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, making the platform the U.S. home for the world’s biggest club competitions and the game’s top players.

How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby

Professional club rugby in Europe all streams on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:

FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.

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