And of course, no conversation about rugby and size would be complete without reflecting on the late great Jonah Lomu. At cms tall and kg, his pace was extraordinary, rumoured to have clocked an incredible In full flight he was almost impossible to stop. I hope over the course of this article you can see that no matter what size or shape you are, there is a place in rugby for you!
If you need help selecting a suitable position to play then check out this position selection guide here. Looking back on my 'career' in rugby there were two sorts of players. Those that actively went out seeking contact and those that avoided it at all cost. Love it or hate it, contact skills play a Skip to content. Why are rugby players so big? Who is the smallest and biggest rugby player? Continue Reading. The backline tends to have low body fat percentages.
Many backs have the male fitness body lock with defined and shredded muscles and a clear 6 pack. The average rugby player weighs kg pounds which is a lot heavier than the average American who weighs 86kg pounds. Rugby players use this extra weight to help them break tackles and bring down charging attackers. Halfbacks are the lightest players with an average weight of 83kg. Flyhalves are the next lightest players with an average weight of 90kg.
Flyhalves like halfbacks do a lot of running throughout a match and need to be agile, however they need a bit more bulk than halfbacks as they have to stand and make tackles in the defensive line. The rest of the backline tend to be of similar weights, tipping the scales at 93kg. The extra bulk compared to flyhalves allows them to be more effective tackling and gives them a greater chance at bumping off would be tacklers during their charging runs.
The forwards tend to have a greater range of average weights than the backline as their roles tend to be quite different. Props are the heaviest players on the pitch with an impressive average weight of kg.
Their hooker brothers tend to be a bit lighter weighing in at kg. Hookers need to be a bit more versatile than their less refined prop brothers, so a small reduction in weight allows them to get around the pitch with greater mobility.
Locks are the second heaviest players on the field with an average weight of kg. They may have a similar weight to props but they look very different as they can still look a bit lanky due to the difficulty in filling out their NBA esque frame. The loose forwards tend to be of similar weight with an average of kg. Number 8s and blindsides tend to be a bit heavier than the opensides due to the former playing a battering ram role in attack.
A more insidious effect of the increase in player size is the threat of a drop in player numbers in rugby, particularly at the secondary school level. Former All Black coach J. Stewart lamented that rugby was:. He felt this would rob the game of its traditions and ethos of it being a game that caters for all physical types. He also feared rugby would ultimately follow other football codes of becoming a game of relatively few highly paid athletes performing for large crowds.
Stewart was right. Single Accounts Corporate Solutions Universities. Premium statistics. Read more. You need a Single Account for unlimited access. Full access to 1m statistics Incl. Single Account. View for free. Show source. Show detailed source information? Register for free Already a member? Log in. More information. Supplementary notes.
Other statistics on the topic. Professional Sports World Rugby ranking position of the men's national team in Italy
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