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How the heights and weights of hookers compare across the Premiership, Top 14 and PRO14
The top three leagues in Europe each have certain stereotypes regarding the size of their players that they stick to, particularly in the pack. So when comparing the measurements of hookers across Europe to get a gauge of the average weight and height, cultural norms will shine through. But there is still a model of what a No2 should look like.
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France’s Top 14 – and indeed the French national team – traditionally field the largest forwards, with the Gallagher Premiership just behind, and the Guinness PRO14 being slightly more varied, partly due to the plurality of rugby cultures that make up that five-nation league.
So when comparing the measurements of hookers across Europe to get a gauge of the average weight and height, cultural norms will shine through. But there is still a model of what a No2 should look like.
Taking each player’s figures from their club’s website, the first weekend of January is one of the best game weeks of the entire season to compare players. This was a sufficient enough gap after the World Cup to play first-choice players and before the Six Nations and European fixtures.
While it may seem like a while ago, little rugby has been played since then due to the Covid-19 pandemic. What is worth noting is that the favoured hookers for England, France, Ireland, Wales and Italy during the Six Nations – and many of the second-choice players – were all starting this particular January weekend, which suggests these are the stats demanded of Test players as well as the level below.
In contrast to many positions on the field, No2 seems to be defined by the lack of variety when it comes to the players’ physical statistics.
The height of hookers is dictated by the size of the props either side of them. They will often be smaller than the props and very seldom taller. Therefore it isn’t too surprising that the average height of hookers across the three leagues was only separated by two centimetres as a player too tall or short would create an unbalanced front row.
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The PRO14 had the tallest players at 1.83m (6ft 0ins) compared to the Premiership’s 1.82m (6ft 0ins) and the Top 14’s 1.81m (5ft 11ins). While there is a slight difference between each league, 65 per cent of the players in the French league and the PRO14 were between 1.8m and 1.85m compared to 50 per cent in England. The reason why the average is slightly higher in the PRO14 is that 21 per cent of players were over 1.85m compared to only 14 across the Channel.
With that in mind, Montpellier’s Bismarck du Plessis, at 1.89m (6ft 2ins), was the tallest hooker across the three leagues on this particular weekend. Although he is perhaps on the extreme end of what is a permissible height for a hooker, he has played in some sizeable front rows throughout his career for South Africa and now Montpellier which could accommodate taller hookers.
But these average heights show that there is a rough range of heights that a hooker has to fit in, simply in order to be most efficient.
What is stranger is that there is even less diversity in terms of weight in the three leagues. The players in both the Premiership and the PRO14 averaged 106kgs (16st 10lbs), while those in France were only a kilogram heavier.
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France’s predilection to field heavier forwards is no secret, but the fact that it is by such a fine margin is bizarre, particularly as hooker is a position that doesn’t automatically necessitate what weight a player should be.
As it happens, excluding the anomalous Paul Ngauamo, who weighs 121kgs (19st), the average weight across all three leagues was the same. The Tongan hooker weighed significantly more than any other player in Europe on this weekend. Although he may not appear that weighty, his stats were from Agen’s website and the RWC website actually had him a kilogram heavier.
The Top 14 had 21 per cent of their players over 110kgs and 14 per cent under 100kgs, while the PRO14 had 29 per cent over and zero under. Meanwhile, the Premiership had zero players over 110kgs and only one player (eight per cent) under 100kgs.
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This suggests that there is a template of an ideal hooker that many of the clubs in England – and to a lesser extent the PRO14 – adhere to, while there is more variety in France. However, compared to some other positions, the range is fairly parochial.
So the most defining thing about the average weight and height of hookers across Europe is that there isn’t a great cultural divide. In this position, a greater comparison would be made when looking across eras, as this is one of the few positions where the average weight may have actually reduced.
In recent years, the premier No2s in the world have been characterised by qualities that would not have been seen in previous eras. The All Blacks’ Dane Coles has made a name for himself in the wider channels of the field, while the Springboks’ Malcolm Marx has the workrate and the potency at the breakdown of a flanker.
While neither of these players would be deemed small, their output in the loose is greater than those of previous eras. Indeed, one of the form hookers in England this season and someone quite stylistically similar to Coles, Bristol Bears’ Harry Thacker, was the lightest and shortest player in Europe on this particular game week.
It’s therefore not worth looking at each league individually and drawing any conclusions or stereotypes from them, as the demands and requirements for this position seem to be universal.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Average: 1.82m (6ft 0ins)/106kgs (16st 10lbs)
Bath Tom Dunn: 1.86m (6ft 1ins)/106kgs (16st 10lbs)
Bristol Harry Thacker: 1.73m (5ft 8ins)/93kgs (14st 9lbs)
Exeter Luke Cowan-Dickie: 1.85m (6ft 1ins)/109kgs (17st 3lbs)
Gloucester Franco Marais: 1.85m (6ft 1ins)/108kgs (17st)
Harlequins Elia Elia: 1.83m (6ft 0ins)/110kgs (17st 5lbs)
Leicester Tom Youngs: 1.75m (5ft 9ins)/104kgs (16st 5lbs)
London Irish Saia Fainga’a: 1.87m (6ft 2ins)/108kgs (17st)
Northampton Mike Haywood: 1.8m (5ft 11ins)/105kgs (16st 8lbs)
Sale Akker van der Merwe: 1.78m (5ft 10ins)/110kgs (17st 5lbs)
Saracens Jamie George: 1.83m (6ft 0ins)/109kgs (17st 2lbs)
Wasps Tommy Taylor: 1.83m (6ft 0ins)/104kgs (16st 5lbs)
Worcester Matt Moulds: 1.88m (6ft 2ins)/106kgs (16st 10lbs)
GUINNESS PRO14 Average: 1.83m (6ft 0ins)/106kgs (16st 10lbs)
Benetton Epalahame Faiva: 1.83m (6ft 0ins)/102kgs (16st 1lb)
Cardiff Liam Belcher: 1.78m (5ft 10ins)/104kgs (16st 5lbs)
Cheetahs Wilmar Arnoldi: 1.81m (5ft 11ins)/108kgs (17st)
Connacht Shane Delahunt: 1.88m (6ft 2ins)/112kgs (17st 8lbs)
Dragons Elliot Dee: 1.86m (6ft 1ft ft )/106kgs (16st 10lbs)
Edinburgh Mike Willemse: 1.85m (6ft 1ins)/104kgs (16st 5lbs)
Glasgow George Turner: 1.81m (5ft 11ins)/105kgs (16st 8lbs)
Leinster Sean Cronin: 1.78m (5ft 10ins)/103kgs (16st 3lbs)
Munster Niall Scannell: 1.85m (6ft 1ins)/111kgs (17st 7lbs)
Ospreys Sam Parry: 1.86m (6ft 1ins)/114kgs (17st 13lbs)
Scarlets Ken Owens: 1.85m (6ft 1ins)/112kgs (17st 8lbs)
Southern Kings Jacques du Toit: 1.84m (6ft 0ins)/103kgs (16st 3lbs)
Ulster Rob Herring: 1.85m (6ft 1ins)/102kgs (16st 1lb)
Zebre Luca Bigi: 1.82m (6ft 0ins)/104kgs (16st 5lbs)
TOP 14 Average: 1.81m (5ft 11ins)/107kgs (16st 12lbs) – 106kg excluding Ngauamo
Agen Paul Ngauamo: 1.85m (6ft 1ins)/121kgs (19st)
Bayonne Maxime Lamothe: 1.81m (5ft 11ins)/108kgs (17st)
Bordeaux Adrien Pelissie: 1.8m (5ft 11ins)/110kgs (17st 5lbs)
Brive Peniami Narisia: 1.87m (6ft 2ins)/104kgs (16st 5lbs)
Castres Jody Jenneker: 1.85 (6ft 1ins)/108kgs (17st)
Clermont John Ulugia: 1.8m (5ft 11ins)/115kgs (18st 1lb)
La Rochelle Facundo Bosch: 1.8m (5ft 11ins)/100kgs (15st 11lbs)
Lyon Jeremie Maurouard: 1.81m (5ft 11ins)/96kgs (15st 2lbs)
Montpellier Bismarck du Plessis: 1.89m (6ft 2ins)/115kgs (18st 1lb)
Pau Lucas Rey: 1.75m (5ft 9ins)/98kgs (15st 6lbs)
Racing 92 Camille Chat: 1.78m (5ft 10ins)/101kgs (16st)
Stade Francais Silatolu Latu: 1.78m (5ft 10ins)/110kgs (17st 5lbs)
Toulon Anthony Etrillard: 1.8m (5ft 11ins)/108kgs (17st)
Toulouse Julien Marchand: 1.81m (5ft 11ins)/108kgs (17st)
Comments on RugbyPass
Make what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
1 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
9 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
9 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
38 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
38 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
9 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
38 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
9 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to comments