65 Best Rugby Quotes That Every Fan Should Know

Srija Chanda
Dec 12, 2023 By Srija Chanda
Originally Published on Mar 04, 2021
Edited by Jacob Fitzbright
Rugby helmet with ball on field
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Age: 0-99
Read time: 8.8 Min

Rugby is a football game played with an oval ball by two teams of 15 or 13 players.

The two kinds of Rugby, that is, rugby union and rugby league, originated from football that was once played at Rugby School in England. It has now spread over the world, and there are many national teams and clubs as a result.

Rugby rapidly spread from its elitist origins in Britain, to the British colonies in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. Rugby and American Football resemble each other, but they aren't completely the same as players do not wear any protection.

Rugby is considered to be a more dangerous and high-impact collision sport as the injuries sustained can often leave huge traumas. These quotes about rugby, funny rugby quotes, motivational rugby quotes give you the sporting feel before you step on the field.

If you like this, check out funny football quotes and tennis quotes.

Famous Rugby Quotes

Action during rugby match

The rugby sayings listed below are inspirational quotes that will help you give a kick start before the match. These are the quotes you can say to the players on the field.

1. "Anyone who does not watch rugby league is not a real person."

- John Singleton.

2. "If the game is run properly as a professional game, you do not need 57 old farts running rugby."

-Will Carling.

3. "In my experience, there is only one motivation, and that is desire. No reason or principle contain it or stand against it."

-Jane Smiley.

4. "Whether it is rugby or business or school, or whatever. People respect you, and they certainly have the respect of the team."

- Coach Michael Cheika.

5. "Rugby is a hooligans game played by gentlemen."

- Winston Churchill

6. "Beer and Rugby are more or less synonymous."

- Chris Laidlaw, 'Mud In Your Eye'.

7. "I like to think I play rugby as it should be played."

-Jonny Wilkinson.

8. "I'm still an amateur, of course, but I became rugby's first millionaire five years ago."

- David Campese.

9. "The advantage law is the best law in rugby, because it lets you ignore all the others for the good of the game."

-Derek Robinson.

10. "I don't believe in magic. I believe in hard work."

– Richie McCaw.

Quotes About Playing Rugby

The players can use these rugby quotes with their groups so that they do not run low before the match starts.

11. "Rugby is a game for barbarians played by gentlemen. Football is a game for gentlemen played by barbarians."

-Oscar Wilde.

12. "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."

– Vince Lombardi.

13. "You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win."

- Zig Ziglar.

14. "The men who play on that rugby field are more alive than too many of us will ever be."

- Victor Cahn.

15. "Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom."

– George S. Patton.

16. "I've failed over and over and over again in my life… that's why I succeed."

– Michael Jordan.

17. "Ballroom dancing is a contact sport. Rugby is a collision sport."

- Heyneke Meyer.

18. "The whole point of rugby is that it is, first and foremost, a state of mind, a spirit. "

- Jean-Pierre Rives.

19. "The pub is as much a part of rugby as is the playing field."

-John Dickenson.

20. "Rugby is not like tea, which is good only in England, with English water and English milk."

-Dennis LaLanne.

Inspirational Rugby Quotes

Inspire yourself and the team with the list of rugby quotes offered below. Boost up your team for the best results.

21. "Rugby is a good occasion for keeping thirty bullies far from the center of the city."

- Oscar Wilde

22. "Rugby may have many problems, but the gravest is undoubtedly that of the persistence of summer."

-Chris Laidlaw.

23. "Rugby is a beastly game played by gentlemen, soccer is a gentleman's game played by beasts football is a beastly game played by beasts."

-Henry Blaha.

24. "Rugby is great. The players don't wear helmets or padding; they just beat the living daylights out of each other and then go for a beer. I love that."

- Joe Theismann.

25. "Everybody thinks we should have moustaches but in fact you could put us all on the cover of Vogue."

- Helen Kirk.

26. "New Zealand rugby is a colourful game since you get all black and blue."

- Unknown*.

27. "It's the first time I've been cold for seven years. I was never cold playing rugby league."

- Jonathan Davies.

28. "Rugby is a game for big guys."

- Spike Milligan.

29. "I knew he would never play for Wales, he's tone deaf."

- Vernon Davis.

30. "I'm 49, I've had a brain haemorrhage and a triple bypass and I could still go out and play a reasonable game of rugby union. But I wouldn't last 30 seconds in rugby league."

- Graham Lowe.

Rugby Player Quotes

These rugby quotes will make every player feel good about their game. You can use these quotes to give them good wishes for the play.

31. "I played ten injury-free years between the ages of 12 and 22. Then, suddenly, it seemed like I was allergic to the twentieth century."

- Nigel Melville.

32. "There are no yellow or red cards in my collection - but I cannot say I'm an angel."

- Jonny Wilkinson.

33. "Good big blokes are better than good little blokes. Then again, good little blokes are better than dud big blokes."

- Bob Dwyer.

34. "League is much, much more physical than Union, and that's before anyone starts breaking the rules."

- Adrian Hadley.

35. "If you can't take a punch, you should play table tennis."

-Pierre Berbizier.

36. "I thought I would have one quiet pint ... and about 17 noisy ones."

- Gareth Chilcott.

37. "In 1823, William Webb Ellis first picked up the ball in his arms and ran with it. And for the next 156 years forwards have been trying to work out why."

- Tasker Watkins.

38. "The sooner that little so-and-so goes to rugby league, the better it will be for us."

- Dickie Jeeps.

39. "If there was a Harlem Globetrotters of rugby league, he'd be in it."

- Brett Morris.

40. "To play rugby league, you need three things: a good pass, a good tackle and a good excuse."

- Unknown*

41. "The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday."

- Tom David.

42. "Rugby players are either piano shifters or piano movers. Fortunately, I am one of those who can play a tune."

- Pierre Danos.

Quotes About Rugby

Rugby is filled with thrill and joy for the players.

43. "You're not going to please everyone, but then, it's not about pleasing people—it's about winning rugby games."

-Alun Wyn Jones

44. "I may not have been very tall or very athletic, but the one thing I did have was the most effective backside in world rugby."

- Jim Glennon.

44. "I'm from Samoan heritage, and with the rugby in our blood and everything, I always felt I've been tough, and that my tolerance for pain is pretty high."

- Tony Finau.

45. "Nobody in Rugby should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."

- Joe Theismann.

46. "Rugby League is war without the frills."

- Unknown*

47. "Rugby is a game for the mentally deficient. That is why it was invented by the British. Who else but an Englishman could invent an oval ball?"

- Peter Pook.

48. "Rugby backs can be identified because they generally have clean jerseys and identifiable partings in their hair."

- Peter Fitzsimons.

49. "I think you enjoy the game more if you don't know the rules. Anyway, you're on the same wavelength as the referees."

- Jonathan Davies.

50. "Rugby backs can be identified because they generally have clean jerseys and identifiable partings in their hair."

– Wallaby Peter FitzSimons.

51. "I prefer rugby to soccer. I enjoy the violence in rugby, except when they start biting each other's ears off."

- Elizabeth Taylor.

52. "England's coach Jack Powell, an immensely successful businessman, has the acerbic wit of Dorothy Parker and, according to most New Zealanders, a similar knowledge of rugby."

- Mark Reason, 'Total Sport'.

53. "The first half is invariably much longer than the second. This is partly because of the late kick-off but is also caused by the unfitness of the referee."

- Michael Green, 'The Art Of Coarse Rugby'.

54. "A major rugby tour by the British Isles to New Zealand is a cross between a medieval crusade and a prep school outing."

- John Hopkins.

55. "The French are predictably unpredictable."

- Andrew Mehrtens

56. "Rugby is a good occasion for thirty bullies."

- Oscar Wilde.

57. "My dad played rugby, so I used to watch a lot of rugby union and rugby league."

- Ryan Giggs.

58. "Playing rugby at school I once fell on a loose ball and, through ignorance and fear, held on despite a fierce pummelling. After that it took me months to convince my team-mates I was a coward."

- Peter Cook.

59. "Looking back, my whole life seems so surreal. I didn't just turn up on the doorstep playing rugby, I had to go through a lot of things to get there."

- Jonah Lomu.

60. "For an 18-month suspension, I feel I probably should have torn it off. Then at least I could say, 'Look, I've returned to South Africa with the guy's ear.'"

- Johan le Roux.

61. "To play rugby league, you need three things: a good pass, a good tackle and a good excuse."

- Unknown*.

62. "Grandmother or tails, sir?"

- A rugby referee to Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips, Gordonstoun School's rugby captain, for his pre-match coin-toss preference.

63. "You've got to get your first tackle in early, even if it's late."

-Ray Graved.

64. "As you run around Battersea Park in them, looking like a cross between a member of the SAS and Blake's Seven, there is always the lingering fear of arrest."

- Brian Moore.

65. "The relationship between the Welsh and the English is based on trust and understanding. They don't trust us and we don't understand them."

- Dudley Wood.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for rugby quotes, then why not take a look at Stuart Scott quotes or [Woody Paige quotes]?

*Do you know where this quote originated? Please email us to let us know at hello@kidadl.com.

Article image credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com

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Written by Srija Chanda

Master of Arts specializing in Mass Communication/Media Studies

Srija Chanda picture

Srija ChandaMaster of Arts specializing in Mass Communication/Media Studies

An aspiring media professional, Srija is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Mass Communication at St. Xavier's University, Kolkata, after completing her degree in journalism. With experience in PR and social media, she has also honed her leadership skills through her participation in a youth parliament. Srija's interests include devouring books, watching movies, and exploring new places through travel.

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