The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) is a trade union representing elite rugby rugby union players in England. The RPA is the representative body and collective voice of elite rugby players in England and represents more than 600 male and female current rugby players, as well as more than 100 former players.
They support, promote & protect past, present & future elite rugby players in England. Their vision is for players to be valued and respected as partners in a united game.
RPA members qualify for a wide range of benefits, including: independent representation; legal advice; personal and professional development; playing insurance; education; confidential counselling; transition support; and more. Members can also access the support of a charity, Restart, in the event of serious illness, injury or hardship.
Their aims as stated on their website[1] are:
AUTHENTIC: Our agenda is co-created with our members. We work to build honest relationships and seek to add value to every room we enter. The RPA will always act with integrity.
DRIVEN: Stepping forward to create positive change. We wish to be re-evaluated. We are passionate about Rugby Union, working relentlessly to create a united game.
OPEN: We work to build a more inclusive game, empowering players to speak up about things that matter to them. We are agile, adaptable and transparent, always wanting feedback.
SUPPORTIVE: We exist to support players past, present and future. We are caring and dependable, always working behind the scenes. Our team goes above and beyond for each other and our members.
The RPA was founded by professional player Damian Hopley, who was forced to early retirement after an injury.[2]
The RPA announced that Hopley was to leave the organisation after 24 years in charge of the company. His last day was on Monday 15 August, with a visit to Wasps.[3]
On Monday 16 January 2023, it was announced that Christian Day, was elected the new General Secretary of the RPA, following an election to the membership.[4]
The following rugby union professionals playing in England make up the current RPA Players' Board, as of the 2023–24 season:[5]
| width=120 | Role | width=200 | Player | width=160 | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Ethan Waller | Northampton (men) | |||
| Vice-Chairman | Harry Elrington | Gloucester (men) | |||
| align=center rowspan=11 | Board Member | Sarah Bern | Bristol (women) | ||
| Brett Connon | Newcastle (men) | ||||
| Alex Davis | Great Britain 7s (men) | ||||
| Will Evans | Harlequins (men) | ||||
| Max Lahiff | Bristol (men) | ||||
| Ruaridh McConnochie | Bath (men) | ||||
| Simon McIntyre | Sale (men) | ||||
| Stuart Townsend | Exeter (men) | ||||
| Ivan van Zyl | Saracens (men) | ||||
| Harry Wells | Leicester (men) | ||||
| Amy Wilson-Hardy | Great Britain 7s (women) | ||||
The following players have been recognised at the annual RPA Awards, as voted for by professional players in England, since 2010:[6]
| width=50 | Year | width=180 | Player | width=120 | Team | width=30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Schalk Brits | Saracens | [7] | ||||
| 2011 | Thomas Waldrom | Leicester | [8] | ||||
| 2012 |  Nick Evans | Harlequins | [9] | ||||
| 2013 | Christian Wade | Wasps | [10] | ||||
| 2014 | Vereniki Goneva | Leicester | [11] | ||||
| 2015 | Jonathan Joseph | Bath | [12] | ||||
| 2016 |  George Smith | Wasps | [13] | ||||
| 2017 | Jimmy Gopperth | Wasps | [14] | ||||
| 2018 |  Telusa Veainu | Leicester | [15] | ||||
| 2019 | Danny Cipriani | Gloucester | [16] | ||||
| 2020 | Jack Willis | Wasps | [17] | ||||
| 2021 | Sam Simmonds | Exeter | [18] | ||||
| 2022 | André Esterhuizen | Harlequins | [19] | ||||
| 2023 | Jasper Wiese | Leicester | [20] | ||||
| 2024 | Fin Smith | Northampton | [21] | ||||
| width=50 | Year | width=180 | Player | width=120 | Team | width=30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Ben Youngs | Leicester | |||||
| 2011 | Manu Tuilagi | Leicester | |||||
| 2012 | Owen Farrell | Saracens | |||||
| 2013 | Christian Wade | Wasps | |||||
| 2014 | George Ford | Bath | |||||
| 2015 | Henry Slade | Exeter | |||||
| 2016 | Maro Itoje | Saracens | |||||
| 2017 | Zach Mercer | Bath | |||||
| 2018 | Marcus Smith | Harlequins | |||||
| 2019 | Ollie Thorley | Gloucester | |||||
| 2020 | Louis Rees-Zammit | Gloucester | |||||
| 2021 | Marcus Smith | Harlequins | |||||
| 2022 | Freddie Steward | Leicester | |||||
| 2023 | Tom Pearson | London Irish | |||||
| 2024 | Immanuel Feyi-Waboso | Exeter | |||||
The following teams represent the 15 Under 23, consisting of the top players in England aged 23 and under, as selected by voters, each year since 2022:[22]
The following players, coaches, officials, administrators and commentators have been inducted into the RPA Hall of Fame:[23]
| width=50 | Year | width=160 | Inductee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Michael Lynagh | ||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 2000 | Cliff Morgan | |
| Peter Winterbottom | |||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 2001 | Willie John McBride | |
 Philippe Sella | |||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 2002 | Dean Richards | |
| John Rutherford | |||
| align=center rowspan=3 | 2003 | Gerald Davies | |
| Tim Horan | |||
| Peter Wheeler | |||
| width=50 | Year | width=160 | Inductee |
|---|---|---|---|
| align=center rowspan=2 | 2004 | Zinzan Brooke | |
| Gavin Hastings | |||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 2005 | Sir Gareth Edwards | |
| Sean Fitzpatrick | |||
| align=center rowspan=3 | 2006 | David Duckham | |
| Mike Gibson | |||
| Sir Ian McGeechan | |||
| 2007 | Martin Johnson | ||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 2008 | Richard Hill | |
| Jason Leonard | |||
| width=50 | Year | width=160 | Inductee |
|---|---|---|---|
| align=center rowspan=2 | 2009 | Fran Cotton | |
| Jeremy Guscott | |||
| 2010 | Bill McLaren | ||
| 2011 | Lawrence Dallaglio | ||
| 2012 | Jason Robinson | ||
| 2013 | Ieuan Evans | ||
| 2014 | Jonathan Davies | ||
| 2015 | Jonny Wilkinson | ||
| 2016 | Brian O'Driscoll | ||
| 2017 | Dan Carter | ||
| width=50 | Year | width=160 | Inductee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Sir Clive Woodward | ||
| 2020 | Sir Bill Beaumont | ||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 2021 | Rocky Clark | |
| Alun Wyn Jones | |||
| 2022 | Katy Daley-McLean | ||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 2023 | Sarah Hunter | |
| Doddie Weir | |||
| 2024 | Courtney Lawes | ||
