RUGBY PLAYERS from United Kingdom

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary British Rugby Players of all time. This list of famous British 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 British Rugby Players.

1. Jonny Wilkinson (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 50.11, Jonny Wilkinson is the most famous British Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages on wikipedia.

Jonathan Peter Wilkinson, (born 25 May 1979) is an English former rugby union player. A fly-half, he played for Newcastle Falcons and French side Toulon and represented England and the British & Irish Lions. He is particularly known for scoring the winning drop goal in the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final and is widely acknowledged as one of the best rugby union players of all time. He played club rugby for twelve seasons in the English Premiership with Newcastle Falcons. In 2009, he moved to Toulon, where he won two Heineken Cups and one Top 14 championship in five seasons. He holds the record of top point-scorer at both clubs. Wilkinson won 91 caps for England. He was an integral member of the England squad which won the 2003 World Cup, scoring the winning drop goal in the last minute of extra time against Australia in the final. He came back from several injuries and was part of the England team which reached the final of the 2007 World Cup. He toured twice with the British & Irish Lions, in 2001 to Australia and 2005 to New Zealand, winning 6 caps. He retired from rugby at the end of the 2013–14 season. In 2016, he was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. Wilkinson is currently a studio pundit for ITV Sport, working on their coverage of the Six Nations Championship, Rugby World Cup and other rugby events.

2. Mike Tindall (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 43.01, Mike Tindall is the 2nd most famous British Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Michael James Tindall, (born 18 October 1978) is an English former rugby union player and a member of the British royal family. Tindall played outside centre for Bath and Gloucester, and won 75 caps for England between 2000 and 2011. He was a member of the England squad which won the 2003 World Cup. Tindall made his debut for England on 5 February 2000, against Ireland in the 2000 Six Nations Championship. As well as winning the 2003 World Cup, he was a member of the England team which won the 2003 Six Nations Championship. He was injured at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Tindall played in eleven Six Nations Championship competitions from 2000 to 2011. Tindall is married to Zara Phillips, the daughter of Anne, Princess Royal and the eldest niece of King Charles III. They have three children.

3. Shane Williams (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 41.87, Shane Williams is the 3rd most famous British Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Shane Mark Williams, (born 26 February 1977) is a Welsh former rugby union player most famous for his long and successful tenure as a wing for the Ospreys and the Wales national team. He also played scrum-half on occasion. Williams is the record try scorer for Wales, and is fourth on the international list of leading rugby union test try scorers behind Daisuke Ohata, Bryan Habana and David Campese. In 2008, Williams was selected as the World Rugby Player of the Year, then known as the IRB Player of the Year. Since his retirement from international rugby in 2012, Williams has worked as a presenter on S4C's Six Nations rugby programme Y Clwb Rygbi Rhyngwladol, and as a pundit on BBC, ITV and Channel 4 broadcasts as well as third party shows such as "Inside Welsh Rugby", commenting on the grassroots of Welsh rugby. Williams was selected to the Barbarians squad that played Wales in June 2012. It was originally planned to be his last appearance as a player, but he shortly thereafter signed a one-year contract to play in Japan with Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars in June 2012. Williams was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to rugby. Williams extended his stay in Japan several times, taking on a role as player-coach and turning down an offer from French Top 14 side Toulon in the process. Before finally announcing he would be returning home at the end of the 2014–15 Japanese Top League season. In November 2016, Williams was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame during opening ceremonies for the Hall's first physical home in Rugby, Warwickshire.

4. Owen Farrell (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 39.45, Owen Farrell is the 4th most famous British Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Owen Andrew O'Loughlin Farrell (born 24 September 1991) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Top 14 club Racing 92. Although fly-half is his preferred position, he frequently played at inside centre at test level. He spent the majority of his club career with Premiership side Saracens. He is known for his goal kicking prowess. Since 2012, Farrell has represented England internationally. With scoring over 1,200 points throughout over 100 tests, Farrell is one of the highest point scorers in test history, and he holds the record with both England and Saracens for highest points scored as a player. His father, Ireland's current head coach Andy Farrell, played both rugby union and rugby league for England, and was captain for England rugby league and his club Wigan Warriors.

5. Dan Biggar (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 38.36, Dan Biggar is the 5th most famous British Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Daniel Biggar (born 16 October 1989) is a Welsh professional rugby union player currently playing for French Top 14 side Toulon as a fly-half. A Wales international, Biggar has also twice been selected to tour with the British and Irish Lions.

6. George North (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 32.44, George North is the 6th most famous British Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

George Philip North (born 13 April 1992) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a centre for Pro D2 club Provence Rugby. Born in England, he represents Wales at international level. He began his professional career with the Scarlets before moving to England to play with the Northampton Saints. Notably, he made Welsh rugby history by being the youngest player to score a try on debut at the age of 18. North also has established himself as one of the top try-scorers at test level, holding the record for the most tries scored by an active international player.

7. Shannon Izar (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 28.34, Shannon Izar is the 7th most famous British Rugby Player.  Her biography has been translated into 12 different languages.

Shannon Izar (born 8 May 1993 in London) is a French rugby union player. She has represented France in both codes of the game. She played at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup and at the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Izar was a member of the squad that won their fourth Six Nations title in 2014. She was selected as a member of the France women's national rugby sevens team to the 2016 Summer Olympics.

8. Ollie Lindsay-Hague (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 24.42, Ollie Lindsay-Hague is the 8th most famous British Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 9 different languages.

Ollie Lindsay-Hague (born 8 October 1990) is a professional rugby union player, who played for Harlequin F.C. Lindsay-Hague is a versatile member of the squad having played wing, fullback and also scrum-half for the club. He was educated at Hall School Wimbledon and Millfield School where he was Sevens captain. He first played pro rugby at London Welsh, while also representing the England Under 16 A team as well as playing for England in 7s. Lindsay-Hague was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rugby sevens. It was announced in August 2016 that he was leaving Harlequins. In August 2021, it was announced that Lindsay-Hague would join Newcastle Falcons and return to the 15-a-side format. He left Newcastle Falcons in 2022.

9. Dan Norton (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 22.23, Dan Norton is the 9th most famous British Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 9 different languages.

Daniel John Norton (born 22 March 1988) is a former rugby union player. He is the leading all-time try scorer in the World Rugby Sevens Series with over 350 tries, beating the previous record of 244 held by Kenya's Collins Injera at the 2017 Hong Kong Sevens tournament. A product of Hartpury College, Norton played most of his career as a winger. Norton was part of the Gloucester academy and dual registered with Moseley for both the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons. Moving on to Bristol Bears (Previously Bristol Rugby) from the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons. Norton won a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, he scored a try in the final, but was unable to prevent a 43-7 drubbing by Fiji. He helped the England rugby sevens team secure bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast with a 21-14 win over South Africa and the same side that won silver at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco 2018.

10. Madison Hughes (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 18.92, Madison Hughes is the 10th most famous British Rugby Player.  His biography has been translated into 7 different languages.

Madison John Hughes (born October 26, 1992) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a fullback. Born in England, he represents United States at international level after qualifying on residency grounds. Hughes captained the US Eagles to their highest ever finish in the sevens series (sixth place) in the 2014/2015 season, a significant improvement on the team's 12th place finish the previous year. This feat was matched with another strong year in the 2015/2016 Season, where Hughes was the highest points scorer in the World Series. Hughes was the second highest scorer for the 2015 series with 296 points. In the last leg of the series Hughes lead the Eagles to victory at the 2015 London Sevens, and was named player of the tournament at that event. Though American in status, he was born in England. Hughes captains the Rocky Mountain Experts of Premier Rugby Sevens and led them to a fourth-place finish during the 2023 season.