| RORYBEST | Former hooker and rugby union captain of Ireland (4,4) |
| LESBLEUS | Nickname of France's national football and rugby union teams (3,5) |
| CAELAN | ___ Doris, rugby union number eight who became captain of Ireland in 2024 (6) |
| LAWRENCE | Former England Rugby Union captain (8,9) |
| BEAUMONT | Bill, former England rugby union captain (8) |
| QUINNELL | Scott ........, Welsh former dual-code rugby union and rugby league player (8) |
| SOLIHULL | West Midlands market town that is the birthplace of England ex-rugby union captain Martin Johnson (8) |
| FRONTROW | Term for the hooker and two props in rugby in direct contact with opponents in the scrum (5,3) |
| SEDBERGH | Boys' public school near Kendal, attended by Will Carling and two other future England rugby union captains |
| JOEKARAM | Former All Black and rugby league international who campaigned on behalf of David Bain (3,5) |
| EDENPARK | Auckland home of cricket and rugby (4,4) |
| OFFLOADS | In rugby and rugby league, passes made by a player after he or she has been tackled (8) |
| REFEREES | Tokyo 2021 - Handball and Rugby officials |
| DAWES | John ___, former Wales, British and Irish Lions and Barbarians rugby union captain born in 1940 (5) |
| GAVINHASTINGS | Former Scotland and British & Irish Lions rugby union captain (5,8) |
| ROBSHAW | Chris -, former Harlequins and England rugby union captain born in 1986 (7) |
| MOODY | Lewis ..., former Leicester Tigers flanker and England rugby union captain (5) |
| BENNETT | Phil, former Wales and British Lions rugby union captain awarded an O.B.E. in 1978 (7) |
| DALLAGLIO | Former England Rugby Union captain (8,9) |
| RIVES | Jean-Pierre ___, former France rugby union captain nicknamed Golden Helmet (5) |
