Explore Tallest Rugby Players With Heights And Net Worth

Introduction

Are you looking for Who is the tallest rugby player in history? Then you are at the right place, Dean Williams is one of the tallest Rugby players. Rugby is a thrilling sport. It’s exciting to watch with hard tackles, great passes, and amazing runs for tries. But it’s also controversial because of serious injuries that can happen. Watching rugby is fun, especially seeing big players strategize on the field. Taller rugby players can be a plus point for your team.

Tall Rugby players are usually picked for their size and stamina, not just height. Being tall can help players see the field better and pass well. Lock players who hold up the scrum use their height and strength. But not all positions need tall players. Still, having tall players is important in rugby. Here’s a list of the ten tallest rugby players in history.

Top 10 Tallest Rugby Players Ever

1. Dean Williams

Dean Williams height is 7 feet, a huge rugby player who plays for Suburbs RFC in Auckland, Australia. He’s tall and weighs 132 kilograms, making him hard to miss on the field. He’s considered the tallest rugby player ever. Dean is new to pro-Rugby, having just started the past year. He’s doing great as a lock for Suburbs RFC. Before going to New Zealand to kick-start his rugby career, he went to a rugby school in Manchester, a city famous for football.

His coach thinks he’s amazing and hopes Auckland picks him for the big ITM Cup. He’s good at his position, using his big size to help his team in scrums and making impressive moves down the field. Even though many teams back home are interested in him, Dean decided to play in Auckland, and it’s working well for him. He’s doing great, but like William Carrick-Smith, he still needs to make a big mark in pro leagues. But Dean has a long way to go in his career, unlike Carrick-Smith.

2. Richie Metcalfe

Richie Metcalfe height was 7 feet, the tallest player in international Rugby. He played for teams like Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints in the Rugby Union Premiership. Despite his height, he didn’t have much success playing for Scotland. He was different from most players because of his size, especially as a second-row forward. He did well in the front-row lineup.

With Northampton, he won the Heineken Cup against Munster. While at the Falcons, he made 35 appearances and won the championship in the 1997/98 season. However, a knee injury ended his career with Borders in 2003. He retired due to this injury but recently joined Heriot’s Rugby Super 6 as a team manager. He played nine times for England between 2000 and 2001 but didn’t get a single cap for Scotland. Like William Carrick-Smith, his size only helped him a little in his career.

3. Will Carrick-Smith

Nicknamed “The Tree,” Will Carrick-Smith height is 6 ‘11” feet, and plays Rugby for Bedford Blues in England. He had less success in Rugby than other players on this list. He started playing for Exeter Chiefs in 2012/13 but went on loan to Randwick that same season. After that, he switched teams quite a bit, playing for Rugby Union Club and London Scottish, and then finally settled at Bedford Blues before leaving Exeter Chiefs in 2016/17. Currently, he plays for Richmond in English rugby.

When he joined Bedford, he worked well with Ed Taylor in the scrum, coached by Martin Haynes. Will played over 50 games for Bedford, scoring 5 tries in rugby union. He mainly plays as a lock on the field.

4. Martin Bayfield

Martin Bayfield height was 6 ‘10” feet. Bayfield was a tall rugby player in England from 1991 to 1996, standing at 208 centimeters. He was known for winning big tournaments like the 1992 Five Nations Grand Slam and being part of the 1995 World Cup squad. He played for Northampton Saints in club rugby as a lock. Before Rugby, he worked in the police force for a while.

After Rugby, he got into acting, appearing in small roles in movies like Harry Potter and Wrath of the Titans. Now, he works as a pundit, reporter, and presenter for BT Sport. His rugby career was okay, not super outstanding, just like Will Carrick-Smith.

5. JP du Preez

JP du Preez height is 6 ‘10” feet, a tall rugby player for the Glasgow Warriors. He’s 209 centimeters tall, making him the tallest South African player ever. Despite his size, he’s known for being quite mobile and plays as a lock.

He started his career with the Falcons and then played for the Golden Lions at the U-19 level before becoming a senior player. He did well with the Cheetahs and then moved to play for the Sale Sharks in England before joining the Glasgow Warriors in 2021.

Du Preez joined the Golden Lions in 2013 after being part of their U19 program, where they reached the finals of the Provincial Championship. In 2015, he began playing in the Super Rugby tournament for the senior squad. He switched clubs a few times, moving from the Lions to the Cheetahs and then the Sale Sharks before finally settling at the Glasgow Warriors in 2021.

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6. Devin Toner

Devin Toner height was 6 ‘10” feet, played Rugby for Ireland and Leinster as a second-row lock. He was usually the tallest player in his tournaments. He’s known for setting a record by appearing 280 times for Leinster. He played for Ireland in the 2015 World Cup but missed the 2019 squad. His international debut was in 2010 against Samoa, and he became a regular player from 2013 to 2019.

Toner won the Churchill Cup and the Six Nations Championship three times, even getting a Grand Slam in 2018. At his club, he won the European Rugby Champions Cup four times and the Pro-14 title seven times. He retired from pro Rugby after the 2021-22 season.

Overall, he played 70 games for Ireland, winning 50, losing 1, and drawing 19. His career was very successful, quite the opposite of Carrick-Smith’s, who has yet to have as much success in pro leagues even after leaving Exeter Chiefs.

7. Andries Bekker

Andries Bekker height was 6 ‘9” feet. Bekker was South Africa’s tallest international player and played Rugby from 2004 to 2018. He was known for being quick despite his size. He started with the DHL Stormers in South Africa and then moved to Japan in 2013. He joined the South African team in 2008 against Wales and was important when many senior players retired. He played a big part in beating the British and Irish Lions. He was great at moving around on the field and passing the ball well, which got him into the Springboks team.

In 2012, the Stormers did well in the regular season but lost to their rivals, the Sharks, in the semifinals. In 2013, even though Bekker was doing great, his team didn’t make the playoffs.
He had bad luck with injuries in 2011 and couldn’t play in the World Cup. His last international game was against New Zealand in October 2012.

After leaving the Stormers, he went to Japan to play for the Kobelco Steelers. He loved playing there and became famous in the semi-professional league. Between 2013 and 2018, he played over 40 games and scored about 70 tries. He retired in January 2018. His favorite position to play was as a lock.

8. Rory Arnold

Rory Arnold height was 6 ‘9” feet, a player from Australia, moved around a lot in his rugby career. He started in South Africa with the Griquas in 2013, then played for the University of Canberra Vikings, Brumbies, and Toulouse in quick succession. He’s a lock player. He had a rocky start, joining Murwillumbah Rugby Club and then the Gold Coast Breakers, but didn’t play much due to suspension and injuries. Then, he went to the Griquas Currie Cup and scored a try on debut but got suspended again for an alleged incident.

He did well with the University of Canberra Vikings, scoring many tries before joining the Brumbies in 2015. He played in a few world cups and was one of the tallest players in Super Rugby.

In 2019, he signed with Toulouse in France until 2022. Later that year, he joined the Hino Red Dolphins in Japan, becoming the highest-paid Australian player, earning more than Michael Hooper, the Wallabies captain. He played 29 games for Australia, but a rule makes it hard for players outside Australia to be selected for the national team.

9. Derwyn Jones

Derwyn Jones height was 6 ‘9” feet, tallest player in the 1990s, and played Rugby from 1993 to 1999. He was in clubs like Cardiff, Neath, and Barbarian Football, but mainly played for Cardiff, making 164 appearances and winning the 1994 Welsh Cup.

He started playing for Wales in 1994 against South Africa and did well. But in 1995, during another match against South Africa, he got intentionally knocked out by a South African player. He played 19 times for Wales before retiring in 1996 because the coach wanted a different kind of player in his position.

With Cardiff, he won two Welsh Cups and a league title. He also played in the first Heineken Cup with Cardiff before leaving in 1999. He spent a year in Beziers, winning the French Pro2, before retiring at 29. Nowadays, he runs his agency and represents more than fifty rugby players.

10. Richie Gray

Richie Gray is a really big guy from Scotland known as the ‘Scottish Giant.’ Richie Gray height was 6 ‘10” feet and used to be a boxer. He played Rugby for teams like Sale Sharks, Castres Olympique, and Toulouse. Then, he came back to play for the Warriors in 2020. While at Toulouse, he won a big championship in France in 2019.

He’s part of Scotland’s national rugby team and started playing for them in 2010 against France. Richie played in different age groups before that. His first time scoring a point in an international game was against Ireland in 2012. He even played for a team called the British and Irish Lions in 2013 against Australia and won his final game with them.

Interesting Facts About Rugby’s Tallest Giants

• Dean Williams started Rugby after attending a rugby school.
• Richie Metcalfe is Scotland’s tallest-ever player.
• “The Tree” Will Carrick-Smith: Nicknamed for obvious reasons.
• Martin traded scrums for spells in Harry Potter and Wrath of the Titans.
• JP du Preez is the tallest South African player ever.
• Devin Toner is Ireland’s record-breaking lock and holds the title for most Leinster appearances (280).
• Rory Arnold was once the highest-paid Australian player.
• Derwyn Jones was Wales’ tallest 90s player.
• Richie Gray used his boxing skills to his advantage on the field.

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Conclusion

Rugby has some tall players like Dean Williams, Richie Metcalfe, Will Carrick-Smith, and more. They’ve done well in the game, but being tall isn’t the only thing that matters in Rugby. These players used their height to help their teams, but success in Rugby needs skill and teamwork, too.

From strong scrums to smart plays, they showed Rugby is more than just being tall. Rugby is exciting, but it can be controversial, too, because of injuries. These tall players have made their mark in Rugby, showing the many sides of this awesome sport.

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