Rugby union, or simply rugby, is a popular sport enjoyed by people all around the world with more than 100 countries as members of the International Rugby Board. There are millions of registered rugby players but there are some who have been able to make their name as the best as well as richest players in the world. Check out this article for the list of the top 15 richest rugby players in the world in 2023 along with some interesting details about them.
Top 15 Richest Rugby Players In The World 2023
The table provides the list of the top 15 richest rugby players in the world along with their net worth (as of 2023), and nationality.
| Name | Net worth | Nationality |
| Sir Anthony O’Reilly | $180 million | Ireland |
| Simon McDowell | $54 million | Ireland |
| Bill Gammell | $50 million | Scotland |
| Sonny Williams | $25 million | New Zealand |
| Johnny Wilkinson | $21 million | United Kingdom |
| Mike Tindall | $20 million | United Kingdom |
| Beau Ryan | $10 million | Australia |
| Charles Piutau | $5 million | New Zealand |
| Handré Pollard | $5 million | South Africa |
| Antoine Dupont | $5 million | France |
| Michael Hooper | $5 million | Australia |
| Richie McCaw | $3 million | New Zealand |
| Cheslin Kolbe | $3 million | South Africa |
| Maro Itoje | $2 million | United Kingdom |
| Owen Farrell | $2 million | United Kingdom |
World’s 15 Richest Rugby Players In 2023
Find out more fascinating details about the 15 richest rugby players in the world in 2023.
1. Sir Anthony O’Reilly
Sir Anthony Joseph Francis O’Reilly is a former international rugby union player and a member of the International Rugby Board’s Hall of Fame. He is also a former businessman who used to have astonishing net worth but later had to declare bankruptcy. Once a billionaire, the net worth of O’Reilly in 2023 stands close to $180 million. Check: Richest Baseball Players in The World
2. Simon McDowell
With a net worth of $54 million, Simon McDowell is one of the richest rugby players in 2023. During the 1990s, Simon was a star player of rugby internationally but was forced to quit because of several injuries. Even after years of quitting the game, he is still counted as one of the best rugby players in the world.
3. Bill Gammell
Sir William Benjamin Bowring “Bill” Gammell is a businessman and former Scotland international rugby union player. He too was one of the top players of rugby who had to end his career due to injuries. After his rugby career was over, Gammell entered the business world and established the popular Cairn Energy plc (now known as Capricorn Energy plc), a British oil and gas exploration and development company.
4. Sonny Williams
Sonny Bill Williams is a former rugby league and rugby union player who has won the Rugby World Cup twice. Since 2009, Williams has been a professional heavyweight boxer and has been the World Boxing Association International Heavyweight Champion (later stripped due to not responding to challenges). As a rugby player, he has won 12 caps for New Zealand and was the International Player of the Year in 2013. Check Richest Table Tennis Players in The World
5. Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter Wilkinson is a former rugby player considered one of the best rugby union players of all time. Wilkinson gave up his place at the University of Durham, to become a professional rugby union player and has won 91 caps for England. Wilkinson is the recipient of an honorary doctorate in Civil Law from Northumbria University.
6. Mike Tindall
Michael James Tindall is a former rugby union player who was a member of the England team which won the World Cup in 2003. Tindall is married to Zara Phillips, the eldest niece of King Charles III, and is thus a member of the British royal family. As of 2023, Tindall’s net worth stands approximately at $20 million. Check Richest Volleyball Players in The World
7. Beau Ryan
Beau Ryan is an actor, television presenter, singer, and former professional rugby league player from Australia. He had to take instant retirement from rugby due to a neck injury in 2014. Ryan is also popular for his comic work on television and has advertising contracts for several clothing lines.
8. Charles Piutau
Charles Salesi Tu’ipulotu Piutau is a professional player of rugby union from New Zealand. He is the youngest of 10 siblings and his elder brother Siale Piutau is also a rugby union player. Piutau is also a real estate investor who has invested in houses all across New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. See Top 11 Richest Tennis Players in the World
9. Handré Pollard
Handré Pollard is one of the highest-paid and also one of the richest rugby players in 2023. He has been signed by the Leicester Tigers of England’s Premiership Rugby and also plays for the South Africa national team. Pollard has been playing professional rugby since he was in primary school and was selected for the Under-13 Craven Week competition.
10. Antoine Dupont
Antoine Dupont is one of the greatest rugby players of all time who started playing for Magnoac FC at the age of 4 years. He has been presented with the World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year award and is the only French player to win the Six Nations Player of the Championships three times. Le Stade is a 2022 superhit documentary made on the life of Dupont.
11. Michael Hooper
Michael Hooper, counted among the world’s richest rugby players, is also one of the most-capped players of Australia of all time. Hooper has been named International Player of the Tournament in the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship and is the 2013 winner of the Australian Super 15 Player of the Year award.
12. Richie McCaw
Richard Hugh McCaw, known popularly as Richie McCaw, is a retired rugby union player and former captain of the New Zealand national team. Richie is the winner of two Rugby World Cups, has been awarded the World Rugby Player of the Year thrice, and was once the most capped test rugby player of all time. McCaw has also been presented with the New Zealand Sportsman of the Decade award.
13. Cheslin Kolbe
Cheslin Kolbe is one of the highest-paid rugby players in the world known for his finishing skills, pace, and side-stepping ability. Widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, Kolbe is also one of the world’s richest rugby players with an estimated net worth of $3 million.
14. Maro Itoje
Oghenemaro Miles “Maro” Itoje is the winner of five English Premiership titles, three European Rugby Champions Cup titles, and three Six Nations Championship titles. He has been selected the Lions Player of the series by his peers twice and is considered a top rugby player with no major weakness when it comes to the sport.
15. Owen Farrell
Owen Andrew Farrell is the son of the renowned former rugby player and coach Andy Farrell. Owen himself is also an excellent player of rugby and at the same time a charity worker who is associated with the Duchenne muscular dystrophy charity based in Duchenne UK. Farrell has scored over 1000 points from over 100 tests and is one of the top points scorers in test history.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Sir Anthony O’Reilly
$54 million (est.)
Handré Pollard
New Zealand and South Africa
3 times each
Women’s Premier League (WPL) is the annual American women’s rugby union competition.
Total care has been taken to provide you genuine details about the richest rugby players in the world. However, if you find any kind of discrepancy in the given data, let us know about it in the comment section.
