# World Rugby Hall of Fame

The World Rugby Hall of Fame (formerly the IRB Hall of Fame) recognises special achievement and contribution to the sport of rugby union. The World Rugby Hall of Fame covers players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals. The Hall of Fame recognises the history and important contributions to the game, through one or more induction ceremonies that have been held annually except in 2010. The permanent physical home of the Hall of Fame was based at the Rugby Art Gallery, Museum & Library in Rugby, Warwickshire from 2016 until 2021.

## History

The Hall of Fame was introduced by the International Rugby Board (as World Rugby was then known) during the 2006 IRB Awards ceremony in Glasgow, Scotland. The inaugural inductees were William Webb Ellis, who apocryphally caught the ball during a football game and ran with it, and Rugby School, which has left a huge legacy with the game in a number of ways.
The second induction to the Hall of Fame took place in Paris on 21 October 2007, the night after the 2007 Rugby World Cup final. The next induction was in London on 23 November 2008.
The third induction, in which nine figures entered the Hall, was held on 27 October 2009 at Rugby School. The voting process for the class of 2009 was geared toward the history of British & Irish Lions tours to South Africa, the most recent of which took place in that year; all of the candidates were either Lions or Springboks.
For 2011, induction ceremonies were held at various locations around the world, with the year's final ceremony taking place as part of the 2011 IRB Awards on 24 October in Auckland, the day after the Rugby World Cup final in that city. The inductions at the Auckland ceremony, according to the IRB, were "under the theme of Rugby World Cup founders, visionaries and iconic figures," and were made in three groups—first for the founders of the RWC, then all World Cup-winning captains and coaches through the 2007 World Cup (minus John Eales, inducted in 2007), and finally other iconic players of the World Cup.
The pattern begun in 2011 was repeated in 2012, with six induction ceremonies being held in six countries. As in the two previous induction cycles, the 2012 inductions had an overriding theme; "Rugby – A Global Game". According to the IRB, it "celebrates Rugby's expansion to become a global sport played by millions of men and women worldwide."
On 31 July 2014, the IRB announced that its Hall would merge with the separate International Rugby Hall of Fame later in 2014. The merger saw the 37 members of the International Hall who had not already been honoured by the IRB formally enter the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2015. The 2014 class of inductees also included six women.
On 19 November 2014 the IRB rebranded as World Rugby, and the Hall of Fame became known as the World Rugby Hall Of Fame.

## Inductees

| Year | No. | Nation | Inductee |
| 2006 | | England | William Webb Ellis |
| 2006 | | England | Rugby School |
| 2007 | | South Africa | Danie Craven |
| 2007 | | France | Pierre de Coubertin |
| 2007 | | Australia | John Eales |
| 2007 | | Wales | Gareth Edwards |
| 2007 | | New Zealand | Wilson Whineray |
| 2008 | | New Zealand | 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team |
| 2008 | | Scotland | Ned Haig |
| 2008 | | Ireland | Jack Kyle |
| 2008 | | Scotland | Melrose Rugby Football Club |
| 2008 | | Argentina | Hugo Porta |
| 2008 | | France | Philippe Sella |
| 2008 | | New Zealand | Joseph Astbury Warbrick |
| 2009 | | South Africa and Argentina | Barry Heatlie |
| 2009 | | Scotland | Bill Maclagan |
| 2009 | | Ireland | Willie John McBride |
| 2009 | | Scotland | Ian McGeechan |
| 2009 | | Ireland | Syd Millar |
| 2009 | | Wales | Cliff Morgan |
| 2009 | | Ireland | Tony O'Reilly |
| 2009 | | South Africa | Bennie Osler |
| 2009 | | South Africa | Frik du Preez |
| 2011 | | United Kingdom | Barbarian Football Club |
| 2011 | | France | Serge Blanco |
| 2011 | | France | André Boniface |
| 2011 | | Wales | Cardiff Rugby Football Club |
| 2011 | | England | William Percy Carpmael |
| 2011 | | New Zealand | Dave Gallaher |
| 2011 | | Ireland | Mike Gibson |
| 2011 | | Wales | Frank Hancock |
| 2011 | | France | Lucien Mias |
| 2011 | | France | Jean Prat |
| 2011 | | England | Alan Rotherham |
| 2011 | | England | Harry Vassall |
| 2011 | | South Africa | Kitch Christie |
| 2011 | | Australia | Bob Dwyer |
| 2011 | | Australia | Nick Farr-Jones |
| 2011 | | England | Martin Johnson |
| 2011 | | England | John Kendall-Carpenter |
| 2011 | | New Zealand | David Kirk |
| 2011 | | Samoa | Brian Lima |
| 2011 | | New Zealand | Dick Littlejohn |
| 2011 | | New Zealand | Brian Lochore |
| 2011 | | New Zealand | Jonah Lomu |
| 2011 | | Australia | Rod Macqueen |
| 2011 | | South Africa | François Pienaar |
| 2011 | | Argentina | Agustín Pichot |
| 2011 | | Canada | Gareth Rees |
| 2011 | | Australia | Nicholas Shehadie |
| 2011 | | South Africa | John Smit |
| 2011 | | Australia | IR Vanderfield |
| 2011 | | South Africa | Jake White |
| 2011 | | England | Clive Woodward |
| 2012 | | United States | 1920 and 1924 United States Olympic rugby team |
| 2012 | | Romania | 1924 Romania Olympic rugby team |
| 2012 | | Chile | Donald Campbell |
| 2012 | | Chile | Ian Campbell |
| 2012 | | Japan | Yoshihiro Sakata |
| 2012 | | New Zealand | Gordon Tietjens |
| 2012 | | Zimbabwe | Kennedy Tsimba |
| 2012 | | Zimbabwe | Richard Tsimba |
| 2013 | | Scotland | David Bedell-Sivright |
| 2013 | | Australia | David Campese |
| 2013 | | Australia | Ken Catchpole |
| 2013 | | Ireland | Ronnie Dawson |
| 2013 | | Australia | Mark Ella |
| 2013 | | Australia | George Gregan |
| 2013 | | England | Alfred St. George Hamersley |
| 2013 | | Scotland | Gavin Hastings |
| 2013 | | Soviet Union | Vladimir Ilyushin |
| 2013 | | Australia | Thomas Lawton, Snr |
| 2013 | | Wales | Jack Matthews |
| 2013 | | United Kingdom | Robert Seddon |
| 2013 | | United Kingdom | 1888 British Lions |
| 2013 | | Fiji | Waisale Serevi |
| 2013 | | Australia | John Thornett |
| 2013 | | Wales | Bleddyn Williams |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | Fred Allen |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | Don Clarke |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | Grant Fox |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | Sean Fitzpatrick |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | Michael Jones |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | Ian Kirkpatrick |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | John Kirwan |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | Terry McLean |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | Colin Meads |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | Graham Mourie |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | George Nēpia |
| 2014 | | France | Nathalie Amiel |
| 2014 | | England | Gillian Burns |
| 2014 | | United States | Patty Jervey |
| 2014 | | England | Carol Isherwood |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | Anna Richards |
| 2014 | | New Zealand | Farah Palmer |
| 2014 | | Wales | Keith Rowlands |
| 2014 | | Scotland | James Greenwood |
| 2014 | | Wales | J.P.R. Williams |
| 2014 | | Australia | Michael Lynagh |
| 2014 | | France | Jo Maso |
| 2014 | | Ireland | Keith Wood |
| 2014 | | Wales | Ieuan Evans |
| 2014 | | England | Jason Leonard |
| 2014 | | England | Jonny Wilkinson |
| 2014 | | England | Bill Beaumont |
| 2015 | | Australia | Tim Horan |
| 2015 | | Australia | Tom Richards |
| 2015 | | England | Edgar Mobbs |
| 2015 | | England | Ronald Poulton-Palmer |
| 2015 | | England | Wavell Wakefield |
| 2015 | | France | Jean-Pierre Rives |
| 2015 | | France | Marcel Communeau |
| 2015 | | Ireland | Basil Maclear |
| 2015 | | Ireland | Fergus Slattery |
| 2015 | | Ireland | Tom Kiernan |
| 2015 | | Scotland | Andy Irvine |
| 2015 | | Scotland | Bill McLaren |
| 2015 | | Scotland | Gordon Brown |
| 2015 | | South Africa | Danie Gerber |
| 2015 | | South Africa | Hennie Muller |
| 2015 | | South Africa | Joost van der Westhuizen |
| 2015 | | South Africa | Morne du Plessis |
| 2015 | | South Africa | Naas Botha |
| 2015 | | South Africa | Nelson Mandela |
| 2015 | | Wales | Barry John |
| 2015 | | Wales | Carwyn James |
| 2015 | | Wales | Gerald Davies |
| 2015 | | Wales | Gwyn Nicholls |
| 2015 | | Wales | Mervyn Davies |
| 2015 | | Wales | Phil Bennett |
| 2015 | | Wales | Johnny Williams |
| 2016 | | Australia and United States | Daniel Carroll |
| 2016 | | Canada | Heather Moyse |
| 2016 | | England | Margaret Alphonsi |
| 2016 | | England | Lawrence Dallaglio |
| 2016 | | England | Jeremy Guscott |
| 2016 | | Ireland | Brian O'Driscoll |
| 2016 | | Japan | Daisuke Ohata |
| 2016 | | Scotland | G.P.S. Macpherson |
| 2016 | | Wales | John Dawes |
| 2016 | | Wales | Arthur Gould |
| 2016 | | Wales | Shane Williams |
| 2017 | 133 | Argentina | Felipe Contepomi |
| 2017 | 134 | Canada | Al Charron |
| 2017 | 135 | France | Fabien Pelous |
| 2017 | 136 | England | Rob Andrew |
| 2017 | 137 | United States | Phaidra Knight |
| 2018 | 138 | Australia | Stephen Larkham |
| 2018 | 139 | Ireland | Ronan O'Gara |
| 2018 | 140 | France | Pierre Villepreux |
| 2018 | 141 | New Zealand | Bryan Williams |
| 2018 | 142 | Wales | Liza Burgess |
| 2019 | 143 | New Zealand | Richie McCaw |
| 2019 | 144 | Japan | Shiggy Konno |
| 2019 | 145 | South Africa | Os du Randt |
| 2019 | 146 | Samoa | Peter Fatialofa |
| 2019 | 147 | New Zealand | Graham Henry |
| 2019 | 148 | Uruguay | Diego Ormaechea |
| 2021 | 149 | Fiji | Osea Kolinisau |
| 2021 | 150 | Kenya | Humphrey Kayange |
| 2021 | 151 | New Zealand | Huriana Manuel |
| 2021 | 152 | Australia | Cheryl McAfee |
| 2021 | 153 | England | Will Carling |
| 2021 | 154 | Scotland | Jim Telfer |
| 2022 | 155 | England | Deborah Griffin |
| 2022 | 156 | England | Sue Dorrington |
| 2022 | 157 | England | Alice Cooper |
| 2022 | 158 | England | Mary Forsyth |
| 2022 | 159 | United States | Kathy Flores |
| 2022 | 160 | New Zealand | Fiao'o Fa'amausili |
| 2023 | 161 | England | The Varsity Matches |
| 2023 | 162 | New Zealand | Dan Carter |
| 2023 | 163 | France | Thierry Dusautoir |
| 2023 | 164 | Australia | George Smith |
| 2023 | 165 | Argentina | Juan Martín Hernández |
| 2023 | 166 | South Africa | Bryan Habana |
| 2024 | 167 | Australia | Emilee Cherry |
| 2024 | 168 | New Zealand | DJ Forbes |
| 2024 | 169 | Italy | Sergio Parisse |
| 2024 | 170 | Scotland | Donna Kennedy |
| 2024 | 171 | New Zealand | Chris Laidlaw |