The Most Famous

RUGBY PLAYERS from New Zealand

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This page contains a list of the greatest New Zealander Rugby Players. The pantheon dataset contains 35 Rugby Players, 7 of which were born in New Zealand. This makes New Zealand the birth place of the most number of Rugby Players.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary New Zealander Rugby Players of all time. This list of famous New Zealander Rugby Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of New Zealander Rugby Players.

Photo of Jonah Lomu

1. Jonah Lomu (1975 - 2015)

With an HPI of 52.81, Jonah Lomu is the most famous New Zealander Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 38 different languages on wikipedia.

Jonah Tali Lomu (12 May 1975 – 18 November 2015) was a New Zealand professional rugby union player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential players in the history of the sport, and as one of the most talented sportsmen ever. Lomu is considered to have been the first true global superstar of rugby, and consequently had a huge impact on the game. Standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and weighing 119 kilograms (262 lb), Lomu was famed for his unprecedented speed, strength and agility. Exceptionally large for a wing player, he is also known as the first winger to be a physical heavyweight. For his fast and effortless style of play, Lomu was once nicknamed the "freight train in ballet shoes", and was celebrated for his ability to shrug off tackles from multiple opponents at once. He became the youngest ever All Black when he played his first international in 1994 at the age of 19 years and 45 days. Playing on the wing, Lomu finished his international career with 63 caps and 37 tries. Lomu was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame on 9 October 2007, and the IRB Hall of Fame on 24 October 2011. Born in Pukekohe to Tongan immigrants from Haʻapai, Lomu grew up between rural Tonga and South Auckland. His childhood in Auckland was marked by local gang violence, and his mother nurtured his interest in sport. Attending Wesley College, he excelled in athletics and both rugby codes before pursuing a professional career. He burst onto the international rugby scene during the 1994 Hong Kong Sevens tournament, the same year he made his fifteen-a-side debut. He was acknowledged as the top player at the 1995 World Cup for his acclaimed 4-try performance in the semi-final against England, even though New Zealand lost the final to the host South Africa. In the semi-final he famously bulldozed several players and ran straight over the top of full-back Mike Catt, establishing him as one of the most talented young players of his generation. He shares with South African Bryan Habana the Rugby World Cup all-time try scoring record of 15, which he accumulated in only two tournaments. At the height of his fame in the mid-1990s, Lomu became a globally recognised cultural icon of South Auckland and its Pasifika community. His performance at that Rugby World Cup and others that followed established him as "rugby union's biggest drawcard", just as the game turned fully professional, with him swelling attendances at any match where he appeared. Lomu's innovative position as a physically large winger was highly influential; for his impact on the gameplay of rugby union itself, he has been compared with Muhammad Ali, Don Bradman and Tiger Woods in their respective fields. He was appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to rugby, in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours. Lomu was known for his humility, gentle nature, and passion. He used his celebrity to support Pasifika community efforts and charities such as UNICEF, and often paid bills for his childhood friends in Māngere. In 1995 he was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, a serious genetic kidney disorder, and the disease had a significant impact on his playing career and wider life. By 2003 he was on dialysis, and in 2004 underwent a kidney transplant that saved his life. He turned his energy to being a Kidney Kids NZ ambassador, encouraging children with similar afflictions to seek treatment. After a period of hiatus, he returned to play domestically rather than internationally. Lomu played for several domestic New Zealand provincial or Super Rugby sides, and late in his career played club rugby in both Wales and France. These included the Auckland Blues, with whom he won the inaugural 1996 Super 12 Final with, Chiefs and Hurricanes, and Counties Manukau, Wellington, and later North Harbour and the Cardiff Blues. His illness forced his retirement from professional rugby in 2007 at the age of 32. After returning from abroad, Lomu died unexpectedly on 18 November 2015 at home in Auckland. The cause was a heart attack associated with his kidney condition. His passing saw widespread tributes to him and his family, including condolences from Queen Elizabeth II and a haka performed by the pupils of his boyhood primary school. The New Zealand Parliament passed a national motion in honour of his life.

Photo of Richie McCaw

2. Richie McCaw (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 42.37, Richie McCaw is the 2nd most famous New Zealander Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Richard Hugh McCaw (born 31 December 1980) is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He captained the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks, in 110 out of his 148 test matches, and won two Rugby World Cups. He has won the World Rugby Player of the Year award a joint record three times and was the most capped test rugby player of all time from August 2015 to October 2020. McCaw was awarded World Rugby player of the decade (2011–2020) in 2021. McCaw is also a winner of the New Zealand sportsman of the decade award. McCaw was the first All Black to reach 100 caps, and the first rugby union player to win 100 tests. He was the most-capped player in rugby union history with 148 caps, having overtaken Brian O'Driscoll's record in 2015 and losing the record to Alun Wyn Jones in 2020. McCaw has also equaled the record for most appearances at the Rugby World Cup, with Jason Leonard. McCaw predominantly played in the openside flanker position for the New Zealand, Crusaders and Canterbury teams, but also played as a blindside flanker and no. 8. During McCaw's career, Canterbury won the NPC (later Mitre10 Cup) five times, and the Crusaders won four Super Rugby titles. In addition to winning two world cups, the All Blacks won seven Tri-Nations titles, completed three successful Grand Slam tours and won the Bledisloe Cup eight times. He made his debut in 2001 for the Crusaders, and was selected for the All Blacks' 2001 end-of-year tour, despite having played only eight minutes of Super 12 rugby. His debut for New Zealand was against Ireland, where he was awarded man-of-the-match. McCaw became a regular selection for New Zealand, only missing a few games due to recurring concussions. In 2004 he was appointed captain of the All Blacks, whom he led at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. After their elimination in the quarter-finals, his captaincy came under criticism, but he was retained and eventually led the team to consecutive Rugby World Cup titles in 2011 and 2015, becoming one of only 43 players who have won the Rugby World Cup on multiple occasions. McCaw is however the only captain to have won two Rugby World Cups. McCaw holds the international record for most game wins as a player at 131. He also holds the international record for most games as a captain at 110.

Photo of Dan Carter

3. Dan Carter (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 42.26, Dan Carter is the 3rd most famous New Zealander Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Daniel William Carter (born 5 March 1982) is a New Zealand retired rugby union player. Carter played for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks. He is the highest point scorer in test match rugby, and is considered by many experts as the greatest ever first five-eighth (fly-half) in the history of the game. He was named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year in 2005, 2012 and 2015. Carter played for the All Blacks in their Rugby World Cup winning teams in both 2011 and 2015, becoming one of 43 players to have won multiple Rugby World Cups. In 2011, he captained the team against the French, shortly before he suffered a groin injury during the pool stage; in 2015, he played during the entire tournament, including in the final against Australia, where he kicked four penalties, two conversions, and a drop goal, and was named the man of the match. He also won three Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders, and nine Tri-Nations and Rugby Championships with New Zealand.

Photo of Sonny Bill Williams

4. Sonny Bill Williams (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 35.66, Sonny Bill Williams is the 4th most famous New Zealander Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Sonny William Williams (born 3 August 1985) is a New Zealand heavyweight boxer, and a former professional rugby league and rugby union player. He is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the country in rugby league, and is one of only 43 players to have won the Rugby World Cup twice. Williams began his career in rugby league, and has played as a second-row forward over eight seasons in three spells in the National Rugby League (NRL), with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters. He has won 12 caps for New Zealand (the Kiwis) and won the RLIF Awards for Rookie of the Year in 2004 and International Player of the Year in 2013. In 2020 he played for the Toronto Wolfpack in Super League, before moving to Sydney Roosters the same year. He first moved to rugby union in 2010 and played mainly as a centre for Toulon in France, Canterbury, Counties Manukau, the Crusaders, Chiefs and Blues in New Zealand and Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan. He won 58 caps for New Zealand (the All Blacks), and was part of the teams that won the 2011 and 2015 World Cups. He also played rugby sevens for New Zealand, competing in the 2015–16 World Rugby Sevens Series and the 2016 Olympics. He retired from both rugby codes in March 2021. Williams has boxed professionally ten times. He was the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association (NZPBA) Heavyweight Champion and World Boxing Association (WBA) International Heavyweight Champion, but was stripped of these titles after failing to respond to challenges.

Photo of Beauden Barrett

5. Beauden Barrett (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 35.41, Beauden Barrett is the 5th most famous New Zealander Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Beauden John Barrett (born 27 May 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a First five-eighth or Fullback for the Blues in Super Rugby and Taranaki in the Bunnings NPC. Barrett won the World Rugby Player of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017, was also a nominee for the award in 2018, and is only the second player to win the award in consecutive years, after former teammate Richie McCaw. He also won the overall Sportsperson of the Year Award in the Taranaki Sports Awards in 2013, 2016 and 2019. Barrett played at under-20 and Sevens levels for New Zealand before being called into the All Blacks squad in May 2012, and made his international debut as a replacement in the final test against Ireland in Hamilton, when he kicked nine points, on 23 June 2012. He debuted for Taranaki in 2010, and debuted in Super Rugby with the Hurricanes in 2011. Barrett holds the world record for consecutive wins since his first test (19 wins from 19 tests).

Photo of Brodie Retallick

6. Brodie Retallick (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 32.62, Brodie Retallick is the 6th most famous New Zealander Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Brodie Allan Retallick (born 31 May 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, who currently plays as a lock for Kobelco Kobe Steelers in the Japan Rugby League One competition. He previously played for the Chiefs in Super Rugby and Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship. Retallick made his international debut for New Zealand in 2012 and has been a regular starter ever since, with over 100 test caps. He was a key member of the 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning team, the winner of World Rugby Player of the Year in 2014 and is the award's youngest winner to date. Retallick has earned frequent comparisons to the late former All Black lock, Sir Colin Meads.

Photo of Kieran Read

7. Kieran Read (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 31.97, Kieran Read is the 7th most famous New Zealander Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Kieran James Read (born 26 October 1985) is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He played as a number 8 and is a former captain of the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. Read played for New Zealand from 2008 to 2019. He is one of the most-capped players of all time, and the fourth-most-capped All Black in history, having played 127 tests, scoring 26 international tries. Read captained New Zealand 52 times. He was the IRB Player of the Year in 2013 and a key member of New Zealand's 2011 and 2015 World Cup-winning teams, becoming one of only 43 players to have won multiple men's Rugby World Cups. Read played for the Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition, and played for Canterbury and Counties Manukau in the Mitre 10 Cup, before spending his final season in Japan with Toyota Verblitz.

Photo of Kelly Brazier

8. Kelly Brazier (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 23.52, Kelly Brazier is the 8th most famous New Zealander Rugby Player.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Kelly Brazier (born 28 October 1989) is a New Zealand rugby union and sevens player. She has played flyhalf, centre and fullback for the Black Ferns, New Zealand's women's national rugby team, and has competed at three Rugby World Cups in 2010, 2014, and 2017. She has represented Otago, Canterbury and the Bay of Plenty in the Farah Palmer Cup. Brazier has also represented the Black Ferns sevens team in the Olympic Games, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the Women's Sevens Series, and the Commonwealth Games. She has won gold medals in every major sevens tournaments.

Photo of Portia Woodman

9. Portia Woodman (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 19.83, Portia Woodman is the 9th most famous New Zealander Rugby Player.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (née Woodman; born 12 July 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player. She plays fifteen-a-side and seven-a-side rugby union, and was a member of the New Zealand women's national rugby sevens team and New Zealand women's national rugby union team. Woodman was a member of the New Zealand Women's Sevens team that won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and gold medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She retired from international sevens rugby after the Paris Olympics. In 2022, Woodman became the first woman to score 200 tries in the Sevens Series. In May 2024, Woodman became the first woman to score 250 tries in the Sevens Series.

Photo of Sarah Hirini

10. Sarah Hirini (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 0.00, Sarah Hirini is the 10th most famous New Zealander Rugby Player.  Her biography has been translated into different languages.

Sarah Hirini (née Goss; born 9 December 1992) is a New Zealand women's rugby union player. She has played fifteen-a-side and seven-a-side rugby union, as a member of the New Zealand women's national rugby sevens team and New Zealand women's national rugby union team. Hirini was captain of the New Zealand Women's Sevens team that won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and back-to-back gold medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. During her time with the team they won the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series in 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2019–20 and 2022–23 as well as the Sevens league title for the 2023-24 season. She was a member of the fifteen-a-side 2017 and 2021 Black Ferns Rugby World Cup winning squads.

People

Pantheon has 23 people classified as New Zealander rugby players born between 1975 and 1999. Of these 23, 22 (95.65%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living New Zealander rugby players include Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, and Sonny Bill Williams. The most famous deceased New Zealander rugby players include Jonah Lomu. As of April 2024, 16 new New Zealander rugby players have been added to Pantheon including Kieran Read, Kelly Brazier, and Sarah Hirini.

Living New Zealander Rugby Players

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Deceased New Zealander Rugby Players

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Newly Added New Zealander Rugby Players (2024)

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