Rugby Champions

England Rugby’s most-capped player, with 114 caps for England, a further 5 for the British & Irish Lions, and in 2003 a Rugby World Cup win in Australia. He was awarded the OBE in 2004 for services to sport, and in 2015 was the RFU President. He founded the Atlas Foundation in 2015 and remains its Chairman.

He has worked throughout his career to support charities, raising over £2m for children’s causes before founding the Atlas Foundation. It took only three years to top the £1M mark with Atlas, which now works in every continent with over 20,000 children on a weekly basis.

Maro is an established international for England and the British & Irish Lions. Beyond the game Maro has a degree in politics and is interested in international development, gender equality and human rights. His family is Nigerian and he brings a focus to the Board to improve the reach and impact of Atlas’s work with children across Africa.

Photo courtesy of Vicki Couchman Photography.

Babalwa Latsha is a current Springbok Player, and was Africa’s first female professional rugby player. She currently has 22 caps for the Springboks, and has been named one of the top 12 leading women in rugby in Africa. She is helping Atlas to inspire women and girls in our projects in South Africa, helping them to become empowered and uplift their community.

John Smit, former Springbok Rugby Captain who played hooker and prop for the Springboks in 111 tests, beat the British & Irish Lions in 2009 and won the Rugby World Cup in 2007. John is the Champion of Atlas South Africa along with other South African Ambassadors Stefan Terblanche, Joel Stransky; Zimbabwe-born Bob Skinstad, Joe Pietersen; and Matt Stevens who played for England but now runs a winery outside Cape Town. Look out for these iconic sportsmen representing Atlas across Southern Africa with their commitment to uplifting and empowering young boys and girls through the team culture and spirit of rugby.

Bob is a former Springbok captain and Rugby World Cup winner. He has played in Wales and England as well as South Africa and frequently captained the Barbarians. After international rugby Bob started his own company, represents a number of public bodies and charities, including his own Foundation, and works as a presenter for Sky Sports.

Stefan Terblanche has gained 37 caps for South Africa. He has played for Sharks, Boland Cavaliers, Ulster and Ospreys.

Stefan delivers Atlas All Schools programmes in South Africa.

Shane is a former hooker for Ireland and also won four caps with the Lions on the New Zealand tour of 2005. He played most of his club rugby with Leinster and a short stint with Saracens. Shane is much loved and remembered for his fearsome mullet haircut. He is now a successful businessman, commentator and burgeoning media celebrity, in 2014 he got his acting debut in Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie.

He heads up the Irish Legends and frequently plays against our Chairman Jason Leonard who heads up the English Legends.

In 2018 Shane helped deliver boots and balls to our projects in Botswana and Zimbabwe. In 2019 he raised money to take critical medical and education supplies to support our rugby kids in the very north of India. In 2020 he because Chairman of Atlas Ireland.

Sir Graham Henry KNZM is a world-renowned rugby union coach who reformed the Welsh national team taking them to huge success; and leading them to hark to one of their famous hymns in calling him ‘The Great Redeemer’. Sir Graham went onto coach his own national team, the All Blacks, where he became one of the most successful rugby coaches of all time, leading his team to a series victory over the British and Irish Lions in 2005, five Tri Nations titles, and winning the Rugby World Cup in 2011.

Before coaching he was a teacher and Headmaster, making him doubly qualified to advise us on our work improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged young people in his region and around the world.

Claudia Macdonald started her studies at St John School, Leatherhead, where she played a variety of sports including netball, tennis and hockey, she has been used to playing ball sports from a young age. However, Claudia didn’t start playing rugby until the age of 19. She attended Durham University where she first went to play rugby, which she has said to be a decision she will never regret.

Claudia’s international pathway started by playing with Mowden Park Sharks which led on to Wasps FC to the join England women where she came off the bench in all three of England’s 2018 Quilter Internationals as well as against Wales in the 2019 Women’s six nations.

Alycia Washington is an international rugby player for the USA Women’s National XVs Team. Alycia has been playing rugby since 2008 and was selected for her first international appearance with the USA U20 squad in 2010 and first senior side appearance in 2015 for the inaugural Super Series in Canada. Alycia received her first 15s international cap against England and was selected for the Rugby World Cup in 2017. Alycia plays her club rugby with New York Rugby Club for XVs and Scion Rugby Academy for 7s. To date, Alycia has 22 international caps with her focus on the Rugby World Cup in 2021. Alycia also enjoys refereeing and coaching high school/college and is passionate about growing rugby in the US.

Tiffany Faaee is an American rugby union player, debuting for the United States in 2015 and captaining the US Eagles to the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Having also played for the Samoan and New Zealand Rugby League teams, Faaee has significant experience and knowledge of the sport, allowing her to turn to coaching. From 2014 to her retirement as a player in 2017, she played in the Women’s Premiere League with the New York Rugby Club, captaining in 2016 and 2017 when they won the WPL Championship. She is now an Assistant Coach at Rugby United New York, which is a men’s Major League Rugby team, setting herself as the first woman to coach in men’s professional rugby in the country. Furthermore, she is the Director of the New York Rugby Youth Program.

Tiffany comments:

“I am excited for the opportunity to work with Atlas to help grow the game in the US and all over the world. Rugby helped me find my voice, and I am grateful and excited to join the movement to drive inclusiveness and gender equality through sport.”

Simon joined the Atlas team in 2018 with a particular focus on Atlas France. He has 71 Caps for England and 2 for the British and Irish Lions. He was the first player to reach 200 appearances in the premiership and the first lock to ever kick a successful drop goal!

He visited kids in the Kibera Slum in Nairobi to help with their Atlas rugby programme.

See more of how Simon helps Atlas.

Mako Vunipola, Loosehead Prop for Saracens, England and the British and Irish Lions. He won England Player of the Year in 2018. Born in New Zealand to Tongan parents, he qualified for England and Wales when his parents moved to the UK while he was still young. He is working with Atlas to establish work in Tonga which will allow younger players there to succeed in their own country.

Bernard is a former hooker who played club rugby for Connacht, Leinster and Sale, where he helped them win the European Challenge Cup, and represented Ireland 9 times before retiring due to a concussion injury. He took up coaching and is now Head Coach at FC Grenoble.

Scarra Ntubeni is a dedicated and hardworking hooker with one cap for the Springboks and a decade of service with the Stormers. A true fan favorite, Scarra’s journey began in the junior ranks of the Golden Lions, and he’s since become a core part of the Stormers team, admired for his skill, resilience, and unwavering commitment on the field.

De Wet Barry is a South African former rugby union footballer who played 38 test matches for the South Africa (the Springboks). In 2000, he made his Springbok debut against Canada in East London.

Matt Stevens is a rugby union player who plays for Toulon in France’s Top 14 and won 39 caps for England between 2004 and 2012. Born in Durban, South Africa, to English parents, he can play in both prop positions, and most of his England appearances were at tighthead.

Todd Clever is a former professional rugby player who has played professional Rugby in New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, England and the USA. Clever Represented Team USA ‘The Eagles’ a record 100 times (76 XV’s caps and 24 7’s tournaments).

Todd has his own Todd Clever FOUNDATION, which is where he is able to give back to the sport, athletes and communities around the world, teaching and instilling the CORE Values of Rugby.

Nicholas Vivian Howard Mallett is a former rugby union player, representing South Africa in 1984, and has 4 consecutive Currie Cup wins with the Western Province rugby union team between 1982-1985.

From 1997-1998, Nick coached South Africa’s Springboks on a 17-match unbeaten run where they won the Tri-Nations Series Title undefeated. He moved back to France and coached the Paris club Stade Français, leading them to 2 consecutive French Rugby Club Championships. Nick went on to coach the Barbarian Football Club, winning against the All Blacks in 2009 and South Africa in 2010. From 2007-2011, he recored victories with Italy against Scotland, Argentina, and France.

Mallett is currently employed with Supersport as an expert panelist and is highly regarded locally and internationally in this field of work. He also does a number of corporate motivational speaking engagements and is an accomplished after-dinner speaker.

Allan Bateman is a Welsh former rugby union and rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. He is a dual-code rugby international centre who represented the British Lions at rugby union, and Great Britain at rugby league.

Following his retirement from professional rugby, he continued to play for his hometown club of Maesteg. He now works in the Hematology Department of Princess of Wales Hospital but still plays at an amateur level for local club Heol-y-Cyw.

Patricio Albacete retired from rugby in 2018. He was a second row for Argentina with 57 caps. He was in the Rugby World Cup squad of 2003, 2007 and 2011 helping “Los Pumas” to their historic Bronze RWC position in 2017. 

He played club rugby in Argentina before moving to Stade Toulousain at the top level of French rugby, where he won the Top 14 in 2008, 2011 and 2012 and the European Cup in 2010.

Dan Leo is a Samoan International. He is currently CEO of Pacific Rugby Players Welfare who’s website is here: https://www.pacificrugbywelfare.com/  .He has played for Bordeaux Begles and USA Perpignan in the Top 14, and Aviva Premiership teams London Wasps where he was a replacement as Wasps won the 2007 Heineken Cup Final. He has also played  for London Irish. On 21 May 2015, Leo signed for London Welsh for the 2015-16 RFU Championship season and then for London Cornish for 2016-17 as Player/Coach in London 2 South-West, where he helped the club to the title in an unbeaten season.

Ian Robertson is a Scottish broadcaster, writer and former international rugby player. He is best known as a rugby union commentator for BBC Radio. Robertson was educated at George Watson’s College in Edinburgh, Aberdeen University and Christ’s College, Cambridge. He worked for four years as an English teacher at Fettes College, where his most famous pupil was Tony Blair.

Ian played rugby union for Cambridge University, Watsonians, London Scottish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland (1968–70) and the Barbarians. The most memorable moment of his playing career was Scotland’s 1970 Calcutta Cup victory over England. At 25 he suffered a serious knee injury that ended his sporting career.

Ian joined the BBC in 1972 and since April 1983 he has been the Corporation’s official rugby union correspondent, covering the sport not only on radio but also on television. He regards Scotland’s 1984 and 1990 Grand Slams and Jonny Wilkinson’s winning drop-kick in the final of the 2003 World Cup as his “best on air moments”. Robertson was also a presenter of the English Premiership video review of 1998-99. In February 2018 he announced that he will be retiring at the end of the year.

Ian is a prolific writer; he has written over 30 books and a number of biographies, including those of Bill Beaumont, Andy Irvine, and actor Richard Burton.

Alistair Hargreaves is a former rugby union player that played as a lock. He has played for Sharks and Saracens and has picked up 4 caps playing for South Africa.

Bob Harris is a former Welsh rugby international and stalwart of the grassroots game. Alongside his commercial interests Bob is a Governor of a special school and volunteer for a number of charities. Having seen Atlas’s work with children in Africa, Bob is the driving force behind establishing Atlas in Wales, supported by our other Welsh Rugby Champions

Darren Morris made his Senior Wales début on 6 June 1998 against Zimbabwe. He played in the 2001 Six Nations and toured on the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia.

Darren also served as scrum coach during the 2011 World Cup for the Russian national team, and as forwards coach of that team in 2012 to 2013. The next year (2013-2014), Morris took a role as Director of Rugby for Kuban (pro rugby team/ Russia), coaching team to their highest ever position at in the top division of rugby in Russia. By 2015, Morris moved to the U.S (Texas), where he served for the Dallas Griffins (2015-2016) and then to his most recent role as Director of Rugby for the Dallas “Reds” Rugby Club from 2017, before joining the US pro rugby team, Houston SaberCats, as forwards coach in 2019.

Darren has a keen interest in the work Atlas does currently in the US.

Peter is a former Prop who played for Wales, but played most of his club rugby in South Africa. His strong links and knowledge of the country make him a valuable Champion of our work both in Wales, and in Africa.

Known as Pepsii, Kamaldeep Dagar plays for Delhi Hurricanes and was formerly captain of the national team. Pepsii has a full time job with the police force in Delhi. The Hurricanes were the first club to ever do the double with both the men’s and women’s teams winning the All India tournament.

Philippe is a former French centre who held a world record for the most international appearances with 111 caps, until he was overtaken by ATLAS’s own Jason Leonard. He is one of only five players to have scored a try in every game during a five nations season. He became a member of the IRB Hall of Fame in 2008.

Thinus Delport played for South African at wing or fullback and thereafter for Worcester, Gloucester and in Japan. He is a regular commentator for Sky Sports.

The Australian scrum-half with the quick wit and fastest distribution in world rugby is the most capped player in the international game, playing in 139 Tests for Australia. He played in three Rugby World Cups, winning one.

Alessandro played hooker for Italy 45 times including captaining his country on 17 occasions. He led his club Treviso to the Italian title before announcing his retirement from club rugby in the summer of 2003. He now has a successful corporate career.

Carlo is the current Italian national team manager. As a player he represented Italy at World Cups in 1995, 1999 and 2003. He earned 83 caps and scored 21 tries, an international try total for forwards that he held until 2007.

Andrew Suniula is a former professional Rugby Union and Rugby League player, having played in New Zealand, Australia, UK, Europe and the USA. Suniula has represented the USA Eagles XV’s 40 times including at the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups as well as having two 7’s tournament caps. He officially retired from the game in 2019.

Despite this, he is heavily involved in the US game at all levels – from grassroots community outreach programmes to coaching D1 Mens in Chicago and MLR Austin Gilgronis! Andrew is also a member of the International Athlete Council to the USA Rugby Board for the past four years.

Fernando played fly-half for Uruguay U21 and for Old Boys Club. He recently earned his MBA degree from London Business School and is successfully developing his career both as a Strategy Consultant and as an Entrepreneur. Fernando has been an energetic supporter of several charities, especially those focused on education.