List of Famous Rugby Players

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Updated June 15, 2019 72.1K views1.5k items

List of famous rugby players, with photos, bios, and other information when available. Who are the top rugby players in the world? This includes the most prominent rugby players, living and dead, both in America and abroad. This list of notable rugby players is ordered by their level of prominence, and can be sorted for various bits of information, such as where these historic rugby players were born and what their nationality is. The people on this list are from different countries, but what they all have in common is that they're all renowned rugby players.

Examples of people on this list: Ashley Graham, Rahul Bose and more.

From reputable, prominent, and well known rugby players to the lesser known rugby players of today, these are some of the best professionals in the rugby player field. If you want to answer the questions, "Who are the most famous rugby players ever?" and "What are the names of famous rugby players?" then you're in the right place. {#nodes}
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  • Nathan Sharpe
    Nathan Sharpe (born 26 February 1978) is a retired professional Australian rugby union player. He began his rugby career at the Queensland Reds in 1999 before joining the newly created Western Force in 2006, where he captained the club until his retirement in 2012. He played 116 test matches for Australia, including 20 as captain. His usual position was lock.
  • Adam Ashley-Cooper
    Adam Ashley-Cooper (born 27 March 1984 in Sydney) is an Australian rugby union player. He plays for Kobelco Steelers in the Japanese Top League and has won 116 caps for Australia, the third most of any Australia player. He is nicknamed Mr Versatile.
  • Tatafu Polota-Nau
    Sione 'Utukiveisini Tatafu Polota-Nau (born 26 July 1985) is an Australian rugby union player who plays for Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby. He joined the club in December 2017.
  • Benn Robinson
    Benn Robinson (born 19 July 1984, in Sydney) is a former Australian professional rugby union footballer. He plays as a loosehead prop for the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition, and for Australia in international matches.He retired from rugby in June 2016 after suffering a serious eye injury, having made 72 test match and 151 Super Rugby appearances.
  • Kurtley Beale
    Kurtley Beale (born 6 January 1989) is an Australian professional rugby union representative player who has made over 90 national representative appearances in a ten year playing career at the world-class level. He is of Aboriginal descent , has had a long Super Rugby career with the New South Wales Waratahs and has played for the Melbourne Rebels and the Wasps club in England. Beale mainly plays at inside centre or fly-half but is also a world-class fullback or winger. In 2011 Beale received the John Eales Medal, awarded to Australian rugby's Player of the Year.
  • Berrick Barnes
    Berrick Stevens Barnes (born 28 May 1986) is an Australian professional rugby union footballer. His usual position is fly-half or inside centre. He is currently signed with Japanese Top League club Panasonic Wild Knights, but previously played in the Super Rugby competition with the NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds. He also played for the Wallabies in international matches.