12 Strange nicknames for rugby players
Every rugby team has at least one player with a curious nickname.
The nicknames that crop up in rugby circles are not just a reflection of personal attributes; they also give great insight into the vernacular of an individual’s homeland.
South Africans have had some of the most colourful nicknames over the years, though few outside the country would appreciate the richness of such names as Windhond Muller, Vleis Visagie, Draadkar de Lange, Windpomp van Rooyen and Ligtoring Landman.
A nickname means acceptance by your peers, it is a mark of respect that allows you full ‘banter rights’ with the senior members of the team and, if you’re very lucky, it becomes synonymous with your very career.
There are and have been too many to mention, but we thought we would make a list of our favourite monikers of rugby greats that have graced the rugby fields over the last few years.
We sought out the most memorable and original ones. We’re aware we may have missed a few favourites and have done our best to cover all the nations, but feel free to add any we’ve missed in the comments below.
1 ‘Doddie’ – George Weir
When you read this, you’ll probably realise for the first time that the great Scot’s first name is actually George! However, the simple truth here is that Dod is Scots slang for George and his nickname has stuck like glue ever since school days. Unfortunately
the Scottish legend was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND) in 2016. He passed away in 2022).
2 ‘The Chiropractor’ – Brian Lima
Former Samoa centre Lima was so bone crushing in contact and tackle that he was said to rearrange the spines of those that dared to come into his midfield territory. No-one knows who first coined it, but Bill McLaren immortalised the phrase in reference to a tackle by Lima on Emyr Lewis at Cardiff in Western Samoa’s famous victory against Wales in the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
3 ‘Bam-Bam’ – David Pocock
Wallaby flank Pocock’s upper body is so well developed and so powerful that his team-mates believed he resembled Bam-Bam, the strong-arm son of Barney Rubble, in the TV show The Flintstones. Word is that Pocock’s propensity to hammer his colleagues hard in training cemented the name, in reference to Bam-Bam’s clumsiness.
4 ‘Mighty Mouse’ – Ian McLauchan
At only a shade over 5ft 8in, Scottish prop McLauchlan was initially deemed too small by some to succeed in international rugby. Earning his nickname through his superb scrummaging technique, the man known around the globe as ‘Mighty Mouse’ became one of only five men to play in all eight Lions Tests in the glory years of the 1971 and 1974 tours.
5 ‘Sea Bass’- Sebastien Chabal
Mean, moody and magnificent means magical monikers and in Chabal’s case, his nickname stuck like glue during the English part of his career. Known previously as ‘l’homme des cavernes’ (the Caveman) for obvious reasons, his move to Sale met with a lack of enthusiasm to adopt the French language form and he became simply ‘Sea Bass’ to all.
6 ‘The Raging Potato’ – Keith Wood
The legendary Ireland hooker, who was the first ever World Player of the year, was nicknamed The Raging Potato because of his bald head. HE was also called Uncle Fester due to his likeness to the Addams Family character.
7 ‘Chainsaw’ – Brendan Laney
The former professional rugby union player who represented Scotland. Nicknamed “Chainsaw” for the way he cut through defences, he was also a good goal kicker. From South Canterbury in New Zealand, he began his professional rugby career at full back for the Highlanders in the Super 12. He played for Yamaha Jubilo in Japan at the end of his career.
8 ‘Snakey’ – Conrad Smith
Hurricanes centre Conrad Smith copped the reptilian reference from his schoolboy cricket coach who felt the Taranaki tyro’s fielding technique resembled a snake slithering in the grass.
9 ‘The Bus’ – Julian Savea
Savea is nicknamed “The Bus”, a moniker bestowed by under-20s coach Dave Rennie. Savea was a key member of the 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team, and was the highest try scorer of the tournament, with 8 tries. Savea is one of the highest try-scorers in New Zealand‘s history, scoring 46 through the duration of his international career.
10 ‘Nuggy’ – Aaron Smith
Smith’s mother Bridget revealed how he picked up his nickname, Nugget. It was when he started playing for the Feilding Yellows and was wearing the yellow-and-black jersey. “He was a gold nugget inside that, like a Crunchie bar,” she said, laughing. Smith is only the third All Black from Feilding Yellows, the eighth from Feilding High School and the 38th from Manawatu.
11 ‘Guzzler’ – Brodie Retallick
We can only guess at why former World Player of the Year lock, Kiwi Brodie Retallick is dubbed “Guzzler” – perhaps because he gets through a lot of petrol in the tank with his high energy rate.
12 ‘Crockzilla’ – Wyatt Crockett
In the great traditions of New Zealand prop forwards, Wyatt Crockett’s stellar professional rugby career has been defined by steely determination and quiet achievement. Now, the most capped Super Rugby player of all time, the man they call ‘Croczilla’ offers a monster of a story
