List of Dual-code Rugby Internationals

List Of Dual-code Rugby Internationals

A dual-code rugby international is a rugby footballer who has played at the senior international level in both rugby league and rugby union.

Rugby league started as a breakaway version of rugby in Northern England (1895) and in New Zealand and Australia in 1908 and consequently a number of the top-class rugby league pioneers had been star players in the rugby union code. Accordingly, a high proportion of Australia and New Zealand's dual-code rugby internationals played in rugby league's formative years in those countries.

From 1910 through to 1995, dual-code internationals were infrequent and with the single exception of Karl Ifwersen, the player had always first appeared as a union international before shifting to league due to the strict "black-banning" approach take by union administrators to those players who crossed to the professional code. In 1995 rugby union itself turned professional and the tide of switches began to reverse. Since then generally all cross-code representatives have debuted internationally in league before being lured to union where there is a larger international competitive arena.

Backs have more often been dually successful at the highest level than forwards - approximately 65% of the players here listed are backs. Although pre-1995 there were many notable forwards who made the union to league switch. Since 1995 nearly 90% of the league to union converts who went on to play internationally have been backs.

The following is an incomplete list of dual-code internationals, listed by country.