With clear eyes and a full heart, here follows a list ranking the top 50 rugby players in Ireland.

Now, some ground rules. It’s not necessarily the best 50 players but the top 50 on current form and impact. Or, in the case of a few injured men, how much their presence is felt by their enforced absence.

Many players are excluded entirely due to injury.

The Sports Illustrated writers got hammered for only ranking Kobe Bryant at No.24 in their Top 100 NBA list, released before the season got under way. But Bryant had been crocked for a while.

The top 50 is wide open to debate, and disagreement seems guaranteed, with the only certainty being the list will have changed significantly come the Six Nations.

Foreigners living in Ireland are included and so are Irish players playing abroad but in the latter’s case only one has made it. Bet you can guess what number is beside his name.

Here’s the top 50.... What do you think?