Heaviest rugby players of the professional era

[Jaguares]

If you watched the NFL you could claim that African Americans are the most *whatever*.

Even in the NFL, Pacific Islanders are the biggest:

Haloti Ngata (Tongan descent) 1.93 m and 154 kg (Baltimore Ravens):

Paul Soliai (Samoan descent) 1.93 m and 154 kg (Miami Dolphins):

Not so many Pacific Islanders in the NFL because rugby is much more popular than american football in Pacific Islanders, but the few that there are very big.

Cheers

 

[ratsapprentice]

The biggest PI's in the NFL are smaller than the biggest black guys in the NFL.
Again though, there aren't very many people in the NFL from the ethnic groups I mentioned.

Sif: I've seen you referring to this "EBF" number a few time now, I have tried to do some research into it's use and have only found about 2-3 references to it, all on little known rugby sites.
This is not some well renowned and respected method of measurement, please stop using it as if it is.

 

[sifplay]

The biggest PI's in the NFL are smaller than the biggest black guys in the NFL.
Again though, there aren't very many people in the NFL from the ethnic groups I mentioned.

Sif: I've seen you referring to this "EBF" number a few time now, I have tried to do some research into it's use and have only found about 2-3 references to it, all on little known rugby sites.
This is not some well renowned and respected method of measurement, please stop using it as if it is.

Because it is accurate. Please tell me this is wrong

EvtecHs Build Factor (EBF) is a measure of how "stocky", how well built (beefy) a player is. It combines height and weight together.

EBF is derived from the height and weight of any given player and gives an idea of what type of build is required for the various positions.

Please tell me this is wrong

Pos EBF H-met W-met H-imp lbs st-lb Clb Fnam Player
=== === ===== ===== ===== ========= === ==== ======
p 6 644 202cm 130kg 6' 8" 287 20s 7 Btz Pelu Taele-Pavihi
p 6 636 187cm 119kg 6' 2" 262 18s10 Bru Ita. Vaea
p 6 619 194cm 120kg 6' 4" 265 18s13 XCh Jame Phillips
p 6 615 195cm 120kg 6' 5" 265 18s13 Mtp Mamu Gorgodze
p 6 609 192cm 117kg 6' 4" 258 18s 6 Osp Geor Stowers
p 6 606 198cm 120kg 6' 6" 265 18s13 XCh Dami Welch
p 6 601 193cm 116kg 6' 4" 256 18s 4 Stm Duan Vermuelen
p 6 599 192cm 115kg 6' 4" 254 18s 2 Blu Pete Saili
p 6 596 191cm 114kg 6' 3" 251 17s13 Btz Raph Lakafia
p 6 595 193cm 115kg 6' 4" 254 18s 2 XCh Davi Ewers
p 6 593 192cm 114kg 6' 4" 251 17s13 Mtp Alex Tulou
p 6 592 196cm 116kg 6' 5" 256 18s 4 Zeb Josh Sole
p 6 591 193cm 114kg 6' 4" 251 17s13 Qin Nick Easter
p 6 590 183cm 108kg 6' 0" 238 17s 0 Mun Sean Dougall
p 6 589 190cm 112kg 6' 3" 247 17s 9 Shk Jean Deysel
p 6 586 198cm 116kg 6' 6" 256 18s 4 LTg Ed.. Slater
p 6 585 193cm 113kg 6' 4" 249 17s11 SSh Andy Powell
p 6 585 188cm 110kg 6' 2" 243 17s 5 Qin Chri Robshaw
p 6 584 185cm 108kg 6' 1" 238 17s 0 BTr Robe Barbieri
p 6 582 196cm 114kg 6' 5" 251 17s13 Osp Jona Thomas
p 6 582 184cm 107kg 6' 0" 236 16s12 Cru Shan Christie
p 6 581 191cm 111kg 6' 3" 245 17s 7 Lns Rhys Ruddock
p 6 580 193cm 112kg 6' 4" 247 17s 9 GWa Jame Eddie
p 6 580 193cm 112kg 6' 4" 247 17s 9 Con Mike McCarthy
p 6 580 193cm 112kg 6' 4" 247 17s 9 Uls Step Ferris
p 6 579 195cm 113kg 6' 5" 249 17s11 Edi Davi Denton
p 6 579 190cm 110kg 6' 3" 243 17s 5 Edi Dimi Basilaia
p 6 578 185cm 107kg 6' 1" 236 16s12 Mun Tomm O`Donnell
p 6 577 196cm 113kg 6' 5" 249 17s11 RMo Bern Le Roux
p 6 577 196cm 113kg 6' 5" 249 17s11 Osp Ryan Jones
p 6 577 194cm 112kg 6' 4" 247 17s 9 Bul Jacq Potgieter
p 6 577 194cm 112kg 6' 4" 247 17s 9 Che Fran Uys
p 6 577 189cm 109kg 6' 2" 240 17s 2 CmA Elvi Vermuelen
p 6 576 198cm 114kg 6' 6" 251 17s13 Chf Ross Filipo
p 6 575 193cm 111kg 6' 4" 245 17s 7 Hur Faif Levave
p 6 575 193cm 111kg 6' 4" 245 17s 7 Stm Scha Burger
p 6 574 195cm 112kg 6' 5" 247 17s 9 Cas Pedr Wannenburg
p 6 574 188cm 108kg 6' 2" 238 17s 0 Mun CJ.. Stander
p 6 574 188cm 108kg 6' 2" 238 17s 0 CfB Luke Hamilton
p 6 574 188cm 108kg 6' 2" 238 17s 0 Lns Sean O`Brien
p 6 574 188cm 108kg 6' 2" 238 17s 0 Qin Maur Fa`asavalu
p 6 573 192cm 110kg 6' 4" 243 17s 5 Btz Iman Harinordoquy
p 6 573 192cm 110kg 6' 4" 243 17s 5 Wat Dave Dennis
p 6 573 185cm 106kg 6' 1" 234 16s10 Hln Jake Paringatai
p 6 573 185cm 106kg 6' 1" 234 16s10 Nth Ben. Nutley
p 6 572 187cm 107kg 6' 2" 236 16s12 Cru Rich McCaw
p 6 571 196cm 112kg 6' 5" 247 17s 9 Con Geor Naoupu
p 6 571 191cm 109kg 6' 3" 240 17s 2 Mun Jame Coughlan
p 6 571 191cm 109kg 6' 3" 240 17s 2 LTg Jord Crane
p 6 570 193cm 110kg 6' 4" 243 17s 5 CfB Andr Pretorius
p 6 570 193cm 110kg 6' 4" 243 17s 5 LTg Bret Deacon
p 6 570 193cm 110kg 6' 4" 243 17s 5 Stm Nick Koster
p 6 570 186cm 106kg 6' 1" 234 16s10 XCh Jame Scaysbrook
p 6 569 188cm 107kg 6' 2" 236 16s12 Osp Tom. Smith
p 6 568 192cm 109kg 6' 4" 240 17s 2 Con John Muldoon
p 6 568 192cm 109kg 6' 4" 240 17s 2 Hur Vict Vito
p 6 568 185cm 105kg 6' 1" 231 16s 7 LTg Rich Thorpe
p 6 568 185cm 105kg 6' 1" 231 16s 7 Cas Ibra Diarra
p 6 568 183cm 104kg 6' 0" 229 16s 5 SSh Hend Fourie
p 6 568 183cm 104kg 6' 0" 229 16s 5 RMo John Leo`o
p 6 567 194cm 110kg 6' 4" 243 17s 5 Che Phil Van Der Walt
p 6 567 187cm 106kg 6' 2" 234 16s10 Wat Pat. McCutchen
p 6 566 198cm 112kg 6' 6" 247 17s 9 Hln Jarr Hoeata
p 6 566 189cm 107kg 6' 2" 236 16s12 Rbl Jarr Saffy

You seem to confuse fat with muscle. NFL players are build for train smashes not endurance hence you will find players with obesity. That 400 pounds blokes are fat its not muscle.

 

[Draggs]

Sorry but whats the point of this thread.

Rugby players can be big? Holy crap, stop the presses everyone, we've got a big news story over here

What's the point of any thread? Discussion.

 

[ratsapprentice]

As you've already explained - it's just a little used variant of BMI.

I'm not "confusing fat with muscle", most guys over 150kg carry significant amounts of body fat.
And none of the PI examples given are any different.

It's you that seems to be confused.

I took exception to the idea that "Pacific Islander guys are the thickest, most meaty, chunky, powerful big men out there".
I accept that they commonly are in Rugby.
But the original statement does not limit itself to Rugby.

Strength sports (where being "the thickest, most meaty, chunky, powerful big men out there" is pretty much a description of the sport itself) are dominated by athletes from the Baltic, Nordic, South East Asian and some Slavic countries/regions.
If significant numbers of people from those countries played Rugby, I can guarantee you that they would be quite capable of matching any other ethnic group in being "the thickest, most meaty, chunky, powerful big men out there'.

 

[Jaguares]

The biggest PI's in the NFL are smaller than the biggest black guys in the NFL.
Again though, there aren't very many people in the NFL from the ethnic groups I mentioned.

Sif: I've seen you referring to this "EBF" number a few time now, I have tried to do some research into it's use and have only found about 2-3 references to it, all on little known rugby sites.
This is not some well renowned and respected method of measurement, please stop using it as if it is.

Haloti Ngata and Paul Soliai are smallers in the NFL? How many black NFL players weigh more than 154 kg????

Vince Wilfork (England Patriots) - 1.88 m and 147 kg:

He's one of the heaviest black players in the NFL and he isn't heaviest than Haloti Ngata and Paul Soliai

Cheers

 

[ratsapprentice]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Davis_(American_football)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Gibson

http://www.sportingcharts.com/articles/nfl/top-5-heaviest-players-in-the-nfl.aspx

 

[dullonien]

Because it is accurate. Please tell me this is wrong

EvtecHs Build Factor (EBF) is a measure of how "stocky", how well built (beefy) a player is. It combines height and weight together.

EBF is derived from the height and weight of any given player and gives an idea of what type of build is required for the various positions.

It doesn't really say anything about how well built a guy is, just how heavy he is compared to his height. This includes fat. BMI does something similar, and is just as inaccurate.

If there was a measurement that took into account height, weight, and body fat index, then that would accurately define how stocky a player is.

 

[dasNdanger]

Because NFL players don't need to run, the big guys are often more fat than muscle. They need to be unmovable, not agile. (Anyone remember Refrigerator Perry? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Perry_(American_football) - playing weight 335 lb (152 kg) @ 6' 2" tall. Some NFL players are even weighing in over 400 lbs.: http://www.ajc.com/gallery/sports/football/biggest-players-nfl/g9xn/#3457521

I would hate to see this happen in rugby. I've seen a couple fat guts hanging over waistbands in recent years, and I can't see how that's good for the game. Muscle is one thing, fat quite another - and certainly not healthy for lads running up and down the pitch for 80 minutes with few breaks in the action.


das

 

[Big Ewis]

the shyts these guys must take...

 

[Jaguares]

Because NFL players don't need to run, the big guys are often more fat than muscle. They need to be unmovable, not agile. (Anyone remember Refrigerator Perry? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Perry_(American_football) - playing weight 335 lb (152 kg) @ 6' 2" tall. Some NFL players are even weighing in over 400 lbs.: http://www.ajc.com/gallery/sports/football/biggest-players-nfl/g9xn/#3457521

I would hate to see this happen in rugby. I've seen a couple fat guts hanging over waistbands in recent years, and I can't see how that's good for the game. Muscle is one thing, fat quite another - and certainly not healthy for lads running up and down the pitch for 80 minutes with few breaks in the action.


das

F***ing fat!

They are Mtawarira with 30 kg of pure fat in the belly:

Disgusting! These guys couldn't play rugby

Cheers

 

[big ginger 8]

You realise "fat" people have played rugby? Generally known as frontrowers.

 

[Jaguares]

You realise "fat" people have played rugby? Generally known as frontrowers.

In modern rugby are becoming less fat players, even the first rows are more athletic. Tameifuna was invited to All Blacks camp and told him that he has to lose weight to play in ABs, this is the new trend.


Forwards fat is gone, there are fewer in the high level.

Cheers

 

[ratsapprentice]

Those clinically obese NFL players certainly couldn't play rugby.

But they aren't trying to, the strength and conditioning standard of the NFL is leagues ahead of any Rugby organisation.

 

[Rich Taff]

Those clinically obese NFL players certainly couldn't play rugby.

But they aren't trying to, the strength and conditioning standard of the NFL is leagues ahead of any Rugby organisation.

The Centres etc are more akin to Sumo wrestlers. Their job is to be an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force in the centre of the field.

Even then, there are some who are 'too big' even for that...

 

[smartcooky]

Rugby players have definitely gotten bigger over the years. I mean, elite wingers the size of former All Black Terry Wright would be a bit of a rarity nowadays



Some years ago, I heard an interview on England's "Radio 5 Live" where the interviewee, Lawrence Dallaglio, was talking about the size of players in the modern game, and how the collision rather than contact nature of the sport was leading to more injuries. He was discussing the increased injury toll that had limited all squads for that year's Autumn internationals. The interviewer had a stat pack with him, perhaps supplied by the Dallaglio, and he noted that the average International prop today is 42 lbs (19 Kg) heavier than his counterpart of 30 years ago!

I also seem to remember reading somewhere, that the 1905 or 1925 All Blacks had no players over 14½ stone (92kg). I'd imagine there'd be very few under that weight now - Aaron Smith perhaps?

I was intrigued by this, so so I thought I would do a little research and analysis. What I found was interesting.

I went back through All Black pack weight statistics, going back every 10 years from 2009. I chose the first test played in each of those years, and input the individual player weights in their correct positions in the scrum, totalled them up to get a pack weight, and charted them. Here is what I got

► The individual player weights are based on the jersey number (left column) they would be wearing now.

► Admittedly, by choosing only the first test of each year, 10 years apart I am limiting the sample, but I doubt this would skew the results very much

► There were no tests in 1939, so I chose 1938 instead

► There was no point in going back to 1929 because prior to 1934, New Zealand was using the 2-3-2 scrum formation, with two hookers, three locks, two back rowers and a Wing Forward who stood off the scrum anyway.

A few interesting things popped up:

1. From the late 1980's onwards the tighthead prop becomes heavier than any other player in the scrum, by quite a margin.

2. The 2009 scrum almost 200kg heavier than the 1938 scrum. That's like having two extra 1938 forwards packed down either side of the No. 8!!!

3. The combined FR weights as a percentage of the pack weight has remained relatively stable at between 36% and 40% for the last 70 years

4. The red line shows how the pack weight is climbing exponentially, so, some time around 2029, the All Blacks will start regularly packing down "one tonne scrums".

5. Prior to the 1950's there were few if any forwards over 100kg. Nowadays, there aren't any under 100kg


My thanks to the Rugby Museum of New Zealand for the extensive player stats.

 

[dasNdanger]

Don't you think that pack weight (and team weight overall) has gone up because of more intensive training in the modern, more competitive pro era? I was watching some archived matches from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and the players in general were much leaner, less muscular, back in the day, more like soccer/football players than rugby players.

I'm just hoping the extra muscle and bulk isn't the result of steroids, etc.



das

 

[Peat]

4. The red line shows how the pack weight is climbing exponentially, so, some time around 2029, the All Blacks will start regularly packing down "one tonne scrums".

No increase goes on forever; how much bigger and heavier do we think the human race can get while maintaining this level of the levels of fitness needed to play rugby?

edit:

I'm just hoping the extra muscle and bulk isn't the result of steroids, etc.

I don't think it is. In some individual cases it is, but it was endemic I think it would have been found out by now, and patience, hard work and creatine can work wonders all by itself.

That said, I look at the number of drugs cheats popping up in other sports, and I look at what rugby athletes accomplish these days, and I feel it beyond belief there's not some serious doping going on somewhere. So maybe there are some major steroids programs going on under the radar somewhere.

 

[nickdnz]

Well...I think it's probably worth noting that one of the reasons why athletes are getting bigger is because the sport is now professional. Steroids don't really need to come into it when you get paid to get in shape for rugby. There is a big difference between what someone can achieve when having a day job as well as rugby - to what someone can achieve when rugby is pretty much their life.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Well...I think it's probably worth noting that one of the reasons why athletes are getting bigger is because the sport is now professional. Steroids don't really need to come into it when you get paid to get in shape for rugby. There is a big difference between what someone can achieve when having a day job as well as rugby - to what someone can achieve when rugby is pretty much their life.

great stats SmartCooky and the above quote is spot on... If I was given an eating program and had nothing else to do really other than train, i'd be a machine. trouble for me is, I'm paid to sit in this chair for 8 hours a day pushing buttons, and I can't be training at the same time