These three rugby stars could have left rugby union at one point during their careers, but instead turned down the radical moves to other sports.
1. Dan Carter - NFL
In May 2018, Carter revealed that he declined the offer to switch to National Football League (NFL) as a kicker for New England Patriots after The Rugby World Cup in 2015
2. Danny Cipriani - Football
The fly-half trained with the football League One side MK Dons in 2010 and was subsequently offered a contract. However, he turned them down to join Super Rugby side Melbourne Rebels.
3. James Haskell - MMA
The Wasps back-rower initially turned down a move to Mixed Martial Arts to sign a one-year deal with Northampton Saints. The following year, after hanging up his rugby boots, he joined Bellator MMA as part of its Heavyweight division. Haskell had previously done analysis and commentary work for English promotions such as BAMMA and CFF.
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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