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Rugby World Cup Weight Stats: Is bigger always better?

France’s Uini Atonio on the attack.

As the Rugby World Cup progresses, we are exposed to all sort of team and player statistics – tackles made, tackles missed, ball carries, territory, conversions, penalty counts, turnovers conceded, scrums lost, the list goes on and on!

We thought it would be interesting to throw some weight statistics into the mix. So here are some fun facts about this year’s Rugby World Cup squads and players that we thought you would enjoy!

    • Tonga’s pack comes in at the heaviest, with their average forward weighing a whopping 117.64 kg. By contrast, the smallest front 8 in the competition – Namibia, are on average over 13kg lighter than the Tongan’s at 104.60 kg.
    • The average member of an international rugby team’s forward pack weighs 112.56 Kg – which is over 50 Kg heavier than the average human (62Kg)!
    • The heaviest player of all the World cup squads is France’s tight head prop Uini Atonio, who weighs 90kg more than the average human at a staggering 152 kg.
    • The lightest forward in the competition is Namibia’s Max Katjijeko, who weighs a relatively small 86 kg (which is quite scary considering he may find himself trying to tackle a 152Kg French player!)

The top 20 heaviest players taking part in the Rugby World Cup are as follows:

Thank you to WW Australia for providing us with these interesting facts!

We hope you enjoy the upcoming matches.


About Ellaine

Ellaine is the founder of FRN and author of "Mini and Youth Rugby: Complete Guide for Coaches and Parents" (published October 2015). She has been playing rugby union for over 10 years in the UK and the US for teams including Oxford University Blues, London Wasps, Henley, NOVA, and GWU. She has recently developed a love for rugby 7s and has played on several international rugby 7s teams. She also enjoys playing touch rugby and regularly plays for the FRN Mixed Touch Rugby team. She is passionate about helping others develop a love for rugby. View all posts by Ellaine

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