Rugby players you never knew were related, including Itoje and Thorley

8 Unexpected Pairs of Rugby Stars We Didn’t Know Were Related

3. Quade Cooper & Sean Maitland

Quade Cooper and Sean Maitland are cousins and were both born in the north of New Zealand. While Cooper moved to Brisbane in his teens and became a star of the Wallabies, Maitland headed to Christchurch to join the Canterbury Crusaders before heeding his Glaswegian grandfather’s words to remember his roots and headed for Scotland.


4. Doug Howlett & Nili Latu 

All Black Howlett and Tonga legend Latu are also cousins, sharing family on the Pacific Island.

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