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Oldest ever professional gallagher premiership players
By Jack Tunney
Age comes to us all, for some it comes a little later than others.
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With the increase in sports science and the reduced contact in training sessions, players are able to maintain their playing careers for longer and longer.
We take a look below at the nine oldest-ever professional premiership rugby players, and include a particularly special mention:
9) Julian White – 38y 273d
Julian White spent much of his earlier years travelling between clubs trying to settle into one that suited his personality.
After a rugby apprenticeship playing for The Crusaders in New Zealand, he found himself jumping between stints with both Saracens and Bristol.
With neither side suiting White, he found his perfect fit with the English giants Leicester who were known for their physicality.
It was here that White played the majority of his rugby, before eventually retiring in 2012.
8) Andy Deacon – 38y 285d
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A late addition to the professional game, at the age of 31 Andy Deacon found himself being paid to play the game he had always loved to do for free.
Decon lifted the Powergen cup with Gloucester in 2003 and went on to play 305 games for the cherry and whites in total.
7) Victor Matfield – 38y 362d
Often described as the greatest South African lock to have played the game, Victor Matfield signed for English outfit Northampton Saints in 2015 before retiring from the game a year later.
Matfield was a three-time winner of the Currie Cup, a one-time winner of the world cup, and also helped the Bulls to three Super 14 titles.
6) Gareth Llewellyn – 39y 4d
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One of the most capped players in Welsh international history, Gareth Llewellyn had a career spanning over 20 years which saw the amateur era transition into the professional.
Primarily playing the majority of his rugby over in Wales, Llewellyn made his penultimate stop at the west-country side, Bristol, in 2005 to spend 3 years back in the premiership. This was his second foray into the English game after his four-year stint at Harlequins ending in the year 2000.
5) Tony Windo – 39y 10d
Another player that played through the transition from amateur to professional was Tony Windo. The prop forward spent his amateur days playing for Gloucester, before moving on to Worcester as the game turned professional.
Despite being called up to England’s ‘Tour of Hell’ in 1998, he sadly never made his full international debut.
After 20 years in the senior game, Windo finally retired in 2008.
4) Graham Dawe – 39y 16d
Just sneaking into the professional era, Graham Dawe won 14 major trophies during the amateur era as his Bath side dominated both domestically and in European competitions. Following his success at Bath and later Sale, he ended his professional career at Plymouth Albion as a player-coach.
Incidentally, Dawe is thought to be the oldest ever professional rugby player after appearing for Plymouth in the Championship at the grand old age of 50.
3) Chris Budgen – 39y 297d
Despite seeing through 14 years worth of professional rugby, Chris Budgen was also an active soldier. Stationed on Salisbury Plain, the 20-stone prop had also been in action in Helmand Province.
Budgen started his career at Bridgend RFC, then moved onto Northampton with regular appearances for the British Army rugby team.
He finally retired in 2008 at the Exeter Chiefs, just a week after he touched down to become the oldest try scorer in premiership rugby history.
2) Peter Stringer – 39y 298d
Possibly the greatest Irish scrum-half of all time. Peter Stringer spent 15 years at Munster with the majority of that time striking up a deadly halfback partnership with Ronan O’Gara.
Towards the end of his career, Stringer turned out for five different premiership sides before finally hanging up his boots at Worcester Warriors.
1) Brad Thorn – 40y 109d
A true rugby union legend, Brad Thorn played for the best teams all around the world.
The 6 ft 5 in lock picked up 59 caps for the All Blacks, as well as appearing for Leicester, Leinster, The Crusaders, and many other high-level teams during his 22-year professional career.
Thorn’s extended playing career has been attributed to his professional approach, including focusing on stretching, listening to his body, and doing only light weights when he felt it was right for him. Thorn was known for his strength and his dedication to weight training throughout his career.
Special Mention – Simon Shaw
A special mention to Simon Shaw who would have made the list, but decided to play on until he was almost 40 years of age in France instead.
Having amassed 71 caps for England and played over 23 years of club rugby, Shaw was as robust as they come.
He picked up many trophies during his time in professional rugby, most notably the world cup in 2003, alongside 4 premiership titles and 2 Champions Cup wins with Wasps.
On a side note, Shaw is the only lock in the history of the English premiership to score a drop goal.
Shaw ended his playing career with big spenders Toulon in the south of France, which by all accounts topped off a very impressive career.
