4. Mike Tindall – Minchinhampton
The former England international that has since become married with children into the British Royal Family, Mike Tindall is also keeping his hand in with the occasional appearence on the pitch post-retirement. A spinner of many plates, given his duties with the Good, Bad and the Rugby podcast, as well as the occasional cameo on a reality TV show, Tindall still found time to play for his local club Minchinhampton, out in the Cotswolds.
The last documented appearence from the heroic Gloucester centre came three years after his on field retirement, when ‘Tinds’ officially hung up his boots at the end of the 2013/14 season. Tindall swapped the iconic Gloucester cherry and white for the lesser well known green and white stripes of his neighborhood’s grass roots club, which made quite the back-page splash in the local Gloucestershire and Wiltshire papers.
5. Ben Smith – Kobelco Kobe Steelers
The rugby landscape thought that they had seen the end of Ben Smith’s career, after the former All Black announced his retirement in December 2021. However, the masterplan was hatched by Japan Rugby league One club Kobelco Kobe Steelers, who were able to tempt the 84-capped kiwi over to the Far East in time for the 2022/23 season. The fullback made a total of eight appearances for the club, before doubling-down on his retirement and taking up a role amongst the Highlanders coaching staff back home in Otago.
Smith enjoyed a decorated career in New Zealand’s iconic black jersey, and is widely regarded amongst the best fullbacks to ever lace up a pair of All Black boots. The 2015 Rugby World Cup winner cast no shadow when he skipped past his opponents, as he would often leave a trail of embarrassed defenders scrambling back to their feet. Smith initially arrived back at the Highlanders as an off-field ‘advisor’, but has since levelled up his role to oversee the back-three ahead of the 2023 Super Rugby season.
6. Os du Randt – South Africa and Free State Cheetahs
One of the best tales of a retired player overcoming the odds for a return, 1995 Rugby World Cup winner Os du Randt proved that even the most severe injuries couldn’t break a legend’s spirit. The prop initially ended his career in 2000 at the age of 27, with a litany of injuries forcing him to step away from the pitch for three years. However, rugby’s all-time greatest loose-heads simply don’t go away, with Rassie Erasmus credited with bringing du Randt back to action in 2003.
Erasmus was du Randt’s former Springbok’s teammate, and was coaching the Free State Cheetahs at the time. The prop accepted the offer to play for the Cheetahs, and proved he still had plenty of gas in the tank to go let it out on the Test match stage. Big Os returned to the Boks for his 50th cap in 2004, where he won the Tri Nations competition and was named in the IRB 2004 Team of the Year for his efforts. Du Randt called an end to the supersonic return after the 2007 Rugby World Cup triumph, as the third most capped Springbok of all-time, with 80 caps.