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Ben Te Kura of the Broncos reacts after losing the round five NRL match between Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos at AAMI Park on April 04, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia
There are a number of accomplished rugby players who’ve attempted to make the leap to the NFL to varying degrees of success. Now, that group has welcomed a new member in the form of Ben Te Kura, the 6’9″, 268-pound beast who is the tallest man to ever play in Australia’s National Rugby League.
The sport Americans know as “football” was heavily influenced by rugby, and while it has evolved over the decades to become its own unique thing, there are still plenty of similarities between the two pastimes that feature a fair amount of crossover when it comes to the core skill sets required to excel.
With that said, there’s a pretty steep learning curve when it comes to trading one for another, as evidenced by the success rate of people who’ve made a name for themselves on the rugby pitch before turning their attention to football.
The list of guys who’ve managed to stick that landing includes David Dixon, Nate Ebner, and Jordan Mailata, the last of whom is probably the most notable success story. The offensive tackle has more than held his own during the six seasons he’s played with the Eagles, who drafted him in 2018 after he entered the league through the International Player Pathway.
Mailata hails from Australia and grew up playing for a U18 team with ties to a member of the National Rugby League, and one man who set a record after joining one of its squads is now hoping to follow in his footsteps.
The tallest player in the history of Australia’s National Rugby League is quitting to try to make it to the NFL
In 2024, Ben Te Kura made his NRL debut with the Brisbane Broncos, and in doing so, the 6’9″, 268-pound native of New South Wales became the tallest person to ever play in the league.
The 22-year-old, who is aptly known as “Big Ben,” has only played in five games with the team while recording a single try, and earlier this year, he was granted a six-week leave of absence to attend a training camp designed to hone his skills for a potential transition to the NFL.
He was slated to make a decision concerning his future after it wrapped up, and on Thursday, the Broncos announced they were releasing him from his contract “to allow him to pursue an NFL opportunity in the United States in 2027.”
The team noted Kura will be moving to Arizona to continue to train in the hopes of landing a spot on an NFL roster as an offensive tackle, although he will likely have to bulk up significantly when you consider the average player at that position tips the scales at around 315 pounds.