Rugby is an exciting and controversial sport, and it’s no surprise to see it among the sports games offered by the best Australian casino sites Everything, from the crunching tackles to the long-range passes for thrilling tries and the impressive runs past multiple defenders, make it an ecstatic experience for the average observer. Its controversy stems from the potential for fatal injuries and the long-term detriments to professionals who play the game for a long time. The long list of casualties raises debates about promoting such a dangerous activity on and off the pitch.
But there's no denying the entertainment of watching burly men try to outsmart themselves on the field when they play rugby. Australian casino sites offer games that allow you to create your own rugby fantasy team from past and present players and pit them against other fantasy players. Having a tall player or two is an added advantage if you're looking to win big.
Rugby players are usually selected for their bulk and stamina over anything else. While height isn't a primary reason to scout a player, it sometimes plays an advantage. A tall rugby player can better assess the positions of his teammates and opponents. If he is a good passer, he can select the best-positioned players to score a field goal for the team. Locks, who hold up the scrum at intervals of the game, use their height and immense strength. But most other positions are not determined by height or size at all.
Still, the presence of tall rugby players is a thing of note, so here are the ten tallest-ever rugby players:
|
Player Name |
Height |
Nationality |
|
Richie Gray |
2.08m (6’9”) |
Scotland |
|
William Carrick-Smith |
2.11m (6’11”) |
England |
|
Martin Bayfield |
2.09m (6’10”) |
England |
|
JP du Preez |
2.09m (6’10”) |
South Africa |
|
Devin Toner |
2.09m (6’10”) |
Ireland |
|
Dean Williams |
2.13m (7’0”) |
England |
|
Richard Metcalfe |
2.13m (7’0”) |
Ireland |
|
Andries Bekker |
2.08m (6’9”) |
South Africa |
|
Rory Arnold |
2.08m (6’9”) |
Australia |
|
Derwyn Jones |
2.08m (6’9”) |
Wales |
Richie Gray, 2.08 m
With his peroxide-blonde hairstyle and massive frame, Richie was called the 'Scottish Giant.' At 208 cm, he is one of the tallest players in Europe and a former professional boxer. Beginning his career in Glasgow in 2008, Richie represented the Sale Sharks in the English rugby union, Castres Olympique, and Toulouse before returning to the Warriors in 2020. At Toulouse, he won the French Championship in 2019.
Richie Gray plays for the Scottish national team. He has played for the Scots through every age group, making his international debut against France in the 2010 Six Nations Championship. Earning his first start against New Zealand, his first international try came against Ireland in March 2012. He also played for the British and Irish Lions in the 2013 tour to Australia as the tallest competitor in that tournament and won his final test against them.
Will Carrick-Smith, 2.11 m
Known as "The Tree," Will Carrick-Smith is 211 cm and plays for the Bedford Blues in the English Championship. Unlike most players on this list, Carrick-Smith doesn't have a prolific rugby career.
Carrick-Smith signed for his first team, Exeter Chiefs, in the 2012/13 season before heading to Randwick on loan that same season. Within two seasons, Will Carrick-Smith signed for three clubs, including the Rugby Union Club and the London Scottish, before lining up for the Bedford Blues, effectively leaving Exeter Chiefs in 16/17. Will Carrick-Smith signed for English rugby union side Richmond at the start of the 2021/22 season and currently plays for the club. Will Carrick-Smith also plays lock.
While Will Carrick-Smith signed in Bedford, he formed a good partnership with Ed Taylor in the scrum under the coaching of Martin Haynes. He made over 50 appearances for the club in rugby union, scoring 5 tries.
Martin Bayfield, 2.08 m
Bayfield is best known for his career in England spanning from 1991 to 1996. At 208 cm, he was one of the tallest players in every tournament he featured in. He won the 1992 Five Nations Grand Slam with the Lions and was part of the 1995 World Cup squad.
The Englishman played the lock position for the English Rugby Union's Northampton Saints at the club level. Before professional rugby, he served in the Metropolitan police force from 1985 to 1989 and the Bedfordshire police afterwards.
After pro rugby, he took on acting, making cameo appearances in many movies, including Harry Potter and Wrath of the Titans. He now works as a pundit, reporter, and pitch-side presenter for BT Sport. He, like Will Carrick-Smith, had an average career.
JP du Preez, 2.09 m
Known more for his mobility despite his size, he plays rugby for the Glasgow Warriors. At 209 cm, JP du Preez is the tallest-ever South African international player. He has a storied career, playing for the Falcons and then the Golden Lions at the U-19 level before signing as a senior player. He starred for the Cheetahs shortly before joining the English rugby union's Sale Sharks and signing with the Glasgow Warriors in 2021. He is a prolific lock player.
At the club level, du Preez featured for the Falcons in 2012 before joining the Johannesburg-based rugby union Golden Lions in 2013. He was well involved in their U19 program, reaching the finals of the Provincial Championship before losing out to the Blue Bulls U19. In 2015, he made his senior debut in the Super Rugby tourney for the senior squad.
After leaving the Lions, he played for the Cheetahs and Sale Sharks and, in 2021, signed a permanent deal with championship rivals Glasgow Warriors.
Devin Toner, 2.09 m
At 209 cm, Toner played as a second-row lock for Ireland and Leinster. He was usually the tallest player in the rugby tournaments he featured in. He holds the appearance record for Leinster, appearing 280 times. For Ireland, he played in the 2015 Irish World Cup but wasn't in their 2019 squad. He made his Irish debut in June 2019 at the Churchill Cup in Denver, winning that tourney. His international debut was against Samoa in November 2010, and he established himself as a team regular between 2013 & 2019.
In addition to the Churchill Cup, Devin Toner won the Six Nations Championship in three different years and a Grand Slam in 2018. His club career saw him win the European Rugby Champions Cup four times. He also won the Pro-14 title seven times. Toner retired from professional rugby at the end of the 2021-22 season.
He played 70 times in total for Ireland, with a 50-1-19 record for the team. His career is the direct opposite of Carrick-Smith's, who has yet to find prolific success in the pro leagues, even after effectively leaving Exeter Chiefs.
Dean Williams, 2.13 m
This giant plays his rugby in Auckland for Suburbs RFC in Australia. Weighing 132 kg, he excels at lock for the Aussie-based team and is currently scouted for more prolific tournaments. Dean Williams is also considered to be the tallest rugby player ever, making him hard to miss. So, tracking him down to hand a jackpot, for example, would be much easier. Starting at Manchester, a city known for football, he attended a school known for rugby in his teens. He travelled to New Zealand to kick-start a rugby career down under. He has had a short career, only going professional for the past year. But, his coach has nothing but praise for the 7-foot giant, admitting his hopes that Auckland selects him for the prolific ITM Cup.
His preferred position at lock means he gets to put his large bulk to use, holding up scrums and picking up exciting drives down the lane for his team. Despite having a lot of semi-pro sides interested back home, Dean's decision to play in Auckland is paying dividends so far. He is tied for first on this list, but like William Carrick-Smith, has not shown his mettle in the pro leagues. Unlike Carrick-Smith, however, he still has a large chunk of his career ahead of him.
Richard Metcalfe, 2.13 m
Richie Metcalfe stands as international rugby's tallest player. At the club level, he represented the Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints in the Rugby Union Premiership. He earned many caps for Scotland but with little success. His size made him an atypical player in his preferred second-row forward position and a prolific player in the front-row lineup.
With Northampton, he won the Heineken Cup against Munster as a replacement in the tournament final. He made 35 appearances with the Newcastle Falcons, winning the 1997/98 season championship.
Metcalfe later went to the Borders in the RFU. His contract was terminated by club management in 2003 due to a long-term knee injury. The injury forced him to retire later that season. He recently joined Heriot's Rugby Super 6 as a team manager.
Between 2000 and 2001, Richard made nine international caps for England, beginning and ending that aspect of his career against Scotland.
Although Metcalfe had a short career, he found some success in certain team settings. Like William Carrick-Smith, his size did him no favours. This led to him not having a single international cap.
Andries Bekker, 2.08 m
He is South Africa's tallest international player. He had a long career between 2004-2018, prized for his mobility and pace, despite his size. Bekker plied his trade in South Africa with the DHL Stormers before moving to Japan in 2013. He made his South Africa debut against Wales in a 43-17 victory in 2008. His imposing presence was a factor in the success of a young squad that'd lost many senior players to retirement in his time. A prolific event was their success over the British and Irish Lions. He was a prolific player on the loose, and his abilities to offload and roam in the broader channels played a role in getting him an opportunity with the Springboks.
The Stormers topped the table in the regular season in 2012 but suffered a semifinal playoff loss to championship rivals, the Sharks. His hot form in 2013 was not helped by the rest of his team that year, as they failed to reach the playoffs that season. He also had a stream of bad luck in 2011, where injuries barred him from making the World Cup in New Zealand. His last international test was against New Zealand in October 2012.
Regarded as the tallest international player ever for South Africa, he left the Stormers in 2013, continuing his career in Japan with the Kobelco Steelers. Bekker claims some of his best rugby was in Japan, and he ultimately became a cult figure in the semi-professional league. He made over 40 appearances for the team and scored about 70 tries between 2013 and 2018. He announced his retirement in January 2018. Bekker’s most preferred position was the lock.
Rory Arnold, 2.08 m
A player for Australia, Rory Arnold is a journeyman. He started with the Griquas in the South African rugby union in 2013 before heading to the University of Canberra Vikings, then the Brumbies and Toulouse in quick succession. Playing as a lock, he featured for the Murwillumbah Rugby Club for two seasons before the Gold Coast Breakers scouted and recruited him in 2013. Arnold made no appearances for the team but joined the Griquas Currie Cup, where he made a handful of appearances that same year. He scored a try on his debut but was suspended for allegedly biting a player in the game.
The ruling was overturned, but injuries later ruled him out. He left for the University of Canberra Vikings in 2014, scoring a good number of tries before lining up for the Brumbies in 2015. He played in more than two world cups and featured for four years with the Brumbies, where he was the second tallest player in Super Rugby, behind only the South African JP du Preez.
In 2019, Rory Arnold signed a permanent deal with Toulouse in the Top 14 Pro League, where he was until 2022. Later that year, he joined the Japan-based Hino Red Dolphins, signing a contract that made him the highest-paid Australian player. His earnings outstrip those of Wallabies captain, Michael Hooper.
Overall, he has 29 test appearances for Australia. Giteau's law restricting non-Australian-based player selection for the national team makes it difficult for the player to expand on this number.
Derwyn Jones, 2.08 m
Active between 1993-1999, he is Wales' tallest player capped for the national squad. He played in several Welsh clubs, including Cardiff, Neath, and Barbarian Football. Derwyn spent most of his club career in Cardiff, where he made 164 appearances and won the 1994 Welsh Cup. He made his international debut in November 1994 against South Africa, where he put in a neat performance.
Jones' most infamous moment for his country came against the same opponents in November 1995, where he was knocked out intentionally by South African Kobus Wiese just four minutes into the game. He made 19 international caps for Wales before retiring from international rugby in 1996 at 29. His early retirement resulted from the national coach deciding to play a different type of second-row forward - his preferred position.
He won two Welsh Cups with Cardiff and a league title. He also reached the first Heineken Cup with the club before leaving in 1999. He spent one more season in Beziers, winning the French Pro2, before retiring at 29. Now, he runs his agency, representing over fifty rugby players.
Takeaway
Judging from the variance of career successes and failures of the players on this list, it is clear that rugby, unlike basketball, is not dictated by height or size. In the end, no player has continued to top all thirteen opposing players till he wins a championship. Everything in this gruelling sport boils down to how each player in the team combines to make his team a champion.
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