When Chris Robshaw joins the cast of Strictly Come Dancing later this month, he’ll be the latest in a long line of former rugby stars to swap oval balls for glitterballs.

Five Englishmen, two Scotsmen and a Welshman have all previously thrown shapes on BBC One’s smash hit reality show, with some managing to keep dancing further into the contest than others.

So, as Robshaw prepares to enter a world of fake tans, sequins and public votes, we look back at all the rugby stars who’ve proved Saturday night’s alright for dancing.

Martin Offiah

• 4th place (2004)
• Partner: Erin Boag

Although best known for his legendary exploits rugby league, “Chariots” did spend a few seasons in union with Bedford Blues and Wasps.

A few years later he joined the first intake of celebrity recruits to compete for the Glitterball, and – along with partner Erin Boag – waltzed, jived and quickstepped his way to the quarter-finals. He was no match, however, for inaugural champion Natasha Kaplinksy.

Matt Dawson

Dawson (pictured here with Strictly host Claudia Winkleman) later returned to the dancefloor for Sport Relief (Photo by Comic Relief/Getty Images)

• Runner-up (2006)
• Partner: Lilia Kopylova

Within months of hanging up his rugby boots, Matt Dawson was slipping on his dancing shoes.

Dawson’s moves weren’t quite good enough to take home a Glitterball to sit alongside the Rugby World Cup in his trophy cabinet, but his second-place finish remains the best ever for a rugby player. In fact, among sportspeople, only gymnast Louis Smith, and cricketers Mark Ramprakash and Darren Gough have done better.

Kenny Logan

© BBC Studios

• 5th place (2007)
• Partner: Ola Jordan

The first Scottish player to enter the Strictly ballroom struggled to win over judge Craig Revel Horwood (he’s not alone in that, of course), but his scores still peaked with a solid 30 (out of 40).

Logan’s run came to an end a week shy quarter-finals, one of many men to fall victim to the so-called “curse” of the rumba. Perhaps more importantly, he did finish up with bragging rights in the Logan household as his wife, TV presenter Gabby, had been eliminated five weeks earlier.

Austin Healey

© BBC Studios

• 4th place (2008)
• Partner: Erin Boag

Given his legendary versatility on the field, it was perhaps inevitable that England international Healey would excel in both ballroom and Latin disciplines.

The utility back’s scores were impressively high from day one, and he went on to receive plenty of perfect 10s from the judges. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to prevent him leaving the competition at the quarter-final stage.

See more: Why you should go to Gloucester this season

Gavin Henson

© BBC Studios

• 5th place (2010)
• Partner: Katya Virshilas

Henson had long been famous for his spray tan, so it was possibly destiny when he became the first (and only) Welsh international to set foot in the Strictly Come Dancing arena.

The talented back was on unpaid leave from the Ospreys when he danced his way to Blackpool – and beyond – finding, in pro Katya Virshilas, a partner as much on his wavelength as regular centre sidekick Tom Shanklin. The duo ultimately made it all the way to the semi-finals.

Ben Cohen

© BBC Studios

• 7th place (2013)
• Partner: Kristina Rihanoff

The joint-third highest try-scorer in the history of the England men’s national team, the 2003 World Cup-winner ran all the way to the ninth week of Strictly, before a bottom-of-the-leaderboard Charleston saw him knocked out of the competition.

But perhaps the bigger headline is that Cohen ended up in a long-term relationship with dancing partner Kristina Rihanoff.

Thom Evans

© BBC Studios

• 11th place (2014)
• Partner: Iveta Lukošiūtė

A neck injury had prompted Scotland international Evans’ premature retirement from rugby, but that didn’t stop him participating in Strictly.

He could have done with some TMO intervention, however, after an impressive fourth place on the leaderboard proved insufficient to save him from a fifth week dance off. Evans lost on the night to Blue singer (and eventual runner-up) Simon Webbe.

Ugo Monye

© BBC Studios

• 11th place (2021)
• Partner: Oti Mabuse

Pro dancer Oti Mabuse had taken Kelvin Fletcher and Bill Bailey to the title in the two previous competitions, but she couldn’t make it a hat-trick with former England international Monye.

The couple secured an upper-midtable finish in Movie Week, but the erstwhile A Question of Sport team captain – like Logan before him – became yet another casualty of the rumba on his next outing.

Chris Robshaw

© BBC Studios

• ??? (2025)
• Partner: TBC

Backs tend to be the ones renowned for fancy footwork, but Robshaw will become the first forward to strut his stuff on Strictly – the lifts will presumably come naturally.

The former England captain is the latest player of the Stuart Lancaster/Eddie Jones vintage to dive into the reality TV arena, alongside James Haskell (an I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! castaway in 2019), and Joe Marler (a participant in the upcoming Celebrity Traitors).

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Saturday 20 September. Going to be travelling outside the UK this autumn? You can still watch your usual TV streamers when you’re overseas with the help of a VPN. 

70% off + 3 months FREE
“NordVPN delivers the best balance of privacy, usability, extra features, and value for money,” say Tom’s Guide, and who are we to argue? It unblocks all major streaming platforms, and also comes with a money-back guarantee and a big discount!

View Deal