The 21 heaviest players at the Rugby World Cup, including a 151kg powerhouse

Jared Wright
All Blacks prop Tamaiti Williams, Los Pumas and Argentina Joel Sclavi, Tonga Ben Tameifuna, Springboks Frans Malherbe and Wallabies Will Skelton

The big boys at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

As we are always reminded, rugby is a game for all shapes and sizes, and with Rugby World Cup 2023 in full swing, we look at the men tipping the scales in France, the heaviest players at the tournament.

Each country has 33 athletes at the World Cup, meaning that there are 660 players in France.

With the information provided to us by the teams and World Rugby, Planet Rugby brings you the 21 heaviest players at the Rugby World Cup.

=21. Seven players – 130kg, 287lbs, 20.47st

Our list starts at a massive 130 kilograms, a weight that six props and one back-rower hit ahead of the tournament, according to their teams.

Samoa have two players at 130kg in former All Blacks tighthead Charlie Faumuina and back-rower So’otala Fa’aso’o.

Australia also have two in livewire loosehead prop Angus Bell and tighthead Pone Fa’amausilli.

Fiji’s Luke Tagi, Romania’s Thomas Cretu and Namibia’s Adriaan Ludick all feature in joint 21st.

=13. Eroni Mawi and RG Snyman – 131kg, 289lbs, 20.63st

Two players may have just eaten before weigh-in as they nudge ahead of the previous seven by just one kilogram.

Springboks fans and coaches are pleased to be seeing RG Snyman back out on the pitch, and he surprisingly outweighs the likes of fellow lock forwards Eben Etzebeth and Jean Kleyn. The 2.07-metre tall lock weighed in at 131kg before the tournament.

He is joined by Fiji’s tighthead prop Eroni Mawi, who is jotted down at 131kg by World Rugby, a stat that Saracens’ website agrees with.

12. Will Stuart (England) – 132kg, 291lbs, 20.79st

England’s heaviest player in France is Bath tighthead prop Will Stuart, with back-rower Billy Vunipola four kilograms lighter in second place.

Stuart holds 12th position on his own and is also the heaviest Home Nation player.

11. Casper Viviers (Namibia) – 134kg, 295lbs, 21.10st

35-year-old tighthead prop Caper Viviers earned his 45th Test cap for Namibia before the tournament kicked off.

The Welwitschias powerhouse made his Test debut for the Welwitschias all the way back in 2010 and currently plies his trade for Fédérale 3 side RC Baulois in Guérande, France.

=7. Four players – 135kg, 297lbs, 21.26st

Four players are just a kilogram heavier than Viviers, two of them turning out for Eddie Jones’ Wallabies team.

Australia’s captain, Will Skelton, shares the tag as the heaviest lock at the Rugby World Cup along with France’s Romain Taofifenua.

Meanwhile, the Wallabies state that tighthead prop Taniela Tupou matches the weight of his skipper.

Finally, Tonga have their first entry in the top 21 in prop Feao Fotuaika, but he will not be their last.

6. Joel Sclavi – 139kg, 306lbs, 21.90st

Joel Sclavi (Argentina) at the end of the rugby match between national teams of Spain and Argentina (los Pumas)

Argentina feature in the top 10 with La Rochelle prop Joel Sclavi.

The 29-year-old made his Test debut for Los Pumas last year and racked up 11 appearances before the Rugby World Cup.

The 1.85-metre tall prop can also play both sides of the scrum, a handy addition to Michael Cheika’s charges.

=4. Reinaldo Piussi and Tamaiti Williams – 140kg, 308.65lbs, 22.05st

Tamaiti Williams became the heaviest All Blacks player of all time when he came off the bench against South Africa earlier this year.

Weighing in at 140 kilograms, Williams is a serious unit, and like Scalvi, he too can play at loosehead and tighthead prop.

Williams shares fourth place with Uruguay front-rower Reinaldo Piussi, who plays his club rugby with French Pro D2 side Oyonnax.

3 Frans Malherbe (South Africa) – 141kg, 297lbs, 22.20st

The Springboks are renowned for the big forwards, but tighthead prop Frans Malherbe is the heaviest. He outweighs the next heaviest, Snyman, by a full 10 kilograms.

Known for his world-class scrummaging, Malherbe will be looking to scrummage South Africa to back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles after playing a pivotal role in their title run in Japan.

2. Uini Atonio (France) – 147kg, 324lbs, 23.15st

There is quite a gap between Malherbe and second place Uini Atonio, four kilograms to be exact.

France Rugby have noted the tighthead prop’s weight at 147kg ahead of the tournament.

Standing at 1.97 metres tall, Atonio is an imposing figure in the French front-row and is no slouch around the park either. The La Rochelle prop is widely regarded as one of the best in the game, and it’s easy to see why.

1. Ben Tameifuna (Tonga) – 151kg, 333lbs, 23.78st

You just knew it was going to Big Ben Tameifuna, right?

According to Tonga’s pre-Rugby World Cup media guide, Tameifuna has tipped the scales at 151 kilograms before the tournament.

Tameifuna made headlines as the heaviest player at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and tops the list again four years later.

He was infamously stood down by his former club, Racing 92, after the 2019 tournament, however, as he returned to France weighing an unhealthy 160kg.

He has since traded Top 14 clubs and now turns out for Bordeaux-Begles.

The 21 heaviest players at Rugby World Cup 2023 (Kilograms)

151 – Ben Tameifuna (Tonga)
147 – Uini Atonio (France)
141 – Frans Malherbe (South Africa)
140 – Tamaiti Williams (New Zealand)
140 – Reinaldo Piussi (Uruguay)
139 – Joel Sclavi (Argentina)
135 – Will Skelton (Australia)
135 – Taniela Tupou (Australia)
135 – Romain Taofifenua (France)
135 – Feao Fotuaika (Tonga)
134 – Casper Viviers (Namibia)
132 – Will Stuart (England)
131 – RG Snyman (South Africa)
131 – Eroni Mawi (Fiji)
130 – Thomas Cretu (Romania)
130 – So’otala Fa’aso’o (Samoa)
130 – Pone Fa’amausilli (Australia)
130 – Luke Tagi (Fiji)
130 – Charlie Faumuina (Samoa)
130 – Angus Bell (Australia)
130 – Adriaan Ludick (Namibia)

READ MORE: All-time Rugby World Cup player stats: Tries, carries, tackles and much more

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