5 current internationals who surprisingly come from rugby families

Wednesday, 10 March 2021 at 20:39

byRugby Rucker

There are several well-known rugby stars that have come through the ranks whilst also following in the footsteps of their family members.

Owen Farrell is one of the most famous examples of this after playing for Saracens alongside his father Andy. Other examples includes Taulupe Faletau and the Vunipola brothers.

This list looks at the lesser-known children of rugby families...

#5. Tom Curry (England)

The Curry twins are the nephew of former England hooker John Olver and cousins of former Northampton Saints fly-half Sam Olver, who is now at Ealing Trailfinders.

#4. Jonny Hill (England)

The England second-row is the nephew of former Rugby League international Paul Loughlin. The fullback/centre appeared in a total of five Challenge Cup Finals, three times for St. Helens, and twice for the Bradford Bulls, and was a member of the losing side on each of these occasions

#3. Greig Laidlaw (Scotland)

Two Scotland legends. Uncle Roy was capped 47 times at scrum-half for the dark blues between 1980–1988, and British Lions in New Zealand in 1983. Nephew Greig, who is also a scrum-half, was the captain of the Scottish national team from 2013 until 2017 and has currently won 63 caps, scoring 623 points. He also, like his uncle, toured New Zealand with the British & Irish Lions in 2017.

#2. James Botham (Wales)

The grandson of legendary all-round cricketer Ian Botham, James his father Liam Botham was a cross-code rugby star, playing for Bradford Bulls, Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, Newcastle Falcons and more. He also played for England U21.

#1. Stuart Hogg (Scotland)

Hogg comes from a talented rugby family in the Borders. His father, John, played as a championship winning full-back for Hawick before becoming a rugby referee. His brother, Graham, has played for Scotland in the IRB Sevens World Series as well as representing his country at under-18, under-19 and under-20.