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.
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.
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.
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
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
37 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
37 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
37 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
37 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
37 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
37 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
37 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments