RUGBY PLAYERS from Ireland

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Irish Rugby Players of all time. This list of famous Irish Rugby Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Jonathan Sexton (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 36.30, Jonathan Sexton is the most famous Irish Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages on wikipedia.

Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton (born 11 July 1985) is an Irish former professional rugby union player who played as a fly-half and captained the Ireland national team from 2019 until 2023. He also played club rugby for Leinster and Racing 92. He also represented the British & Irish Lions on their 2013 and 2017 tours, and has scored over 1,000 points in his international career, making him one of the highest points-scorers in rugby union history. He has been described by players and coaches as the world's best fly-half and as Ireland's best ever player.Sexton was the winner of World Rugby Player of the Year in 2018, having previously been a nominee for the award in 2014 and then again in 2022. He was the second Irish player in history to win the award, after inaugural winner Keith Wood, in 2001.Sexton became the 106th player to captain Ireland when he led the team out at their 2019 World Cup 3rd Pool A group match at the Kobe Misaki Stadium in Japan on 3 October 2019. He was officially named captain for the 2020 Six Nations Championship, a role he retained through the 2023 World Cup until Ireland's loss in the quarter finals to New Zealand. He is the all-time record points scorer for Ireland.

2. Keith Wood (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 33.28, Keith Wood is the 2nd most famous Irish Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Keith Wood (born 27 January 1972) is an Irish former rugby union player who played as a hooker at international level for Ireland, and the British & Irish Lions. He also played at club level for Garryowen, Harlequins and Munster. He was nicknamed 'The Raging Potato' because of his bald head, and as 'Uncle Fester' due to his resemblance to the character in The Addams Family. Wood is considered by many to have been the best hooker in rugby union during his era, winning the inaugural World Rugby Player of the Year award, and to be among the best hookers in the history of the game.

3. Brian O'Driscoll (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 31.60, Brian O'Driscoll is the 3rd most famous Irish Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Brian Gerard O'Driscoll (born 21 January 1979) is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster and for Ireland. He captained Ireland from 2003 until 2012, and captained the British & Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand. He is regarded by critics as one of the greatest rugby players of all time. O'Driscoll is the fourth most-capped player in rugby union history, having played 141 test matches: 133 for Ireland (83 as captain), and 8 for the Lions. He scored 46 tries for Ireland and 1 try for the Lions in 2001, making him the highest try scorer of all time in Irish Rugby. He is the 8th-highest try scorer in international rugby union history, and the highest scoring centre of all time. O'Driscoll holds the Six Nations record for most tries scored with 26. He has scored the most Heineken Cup tries (30) by an Irishman. O'Driscoll was chosen as Player of the Tournament in the 2006, 2007 and 2009 Six Nations Championships.He was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame on 17 November 2016 at the opening ceremony for the Hall's first location in Rugby, Warwickshire. O'Driscoll was involved in Irish Rugby's unsuccessful bid to host the 2023 World Cup. He now works as a rugby analyst for BT Sport and ITV Sport in the United Kingdom. He is also involved in a number of business ventures including the Ultimate Rugby mobile app and Zipp, an Irish e-scooter start-up.