John Gallagher is a former rugby union and rugby league player. Born in England, he moved to New Zealand to join the police, where he played for Wellington. As a permanent resident, John qualified to play for the New Zealand national rugby union team and made 41 appearances (W 40; D 1; L 0), scoring 251 points between 1986 and 1989 and winning the World Cup in 1987. In 1990, John switched codes to rugby league, moving to Leeds and then London Crusaders. During his time at Leeds, he studied for BA (Hons) Human Movement Studies alongside his full-time rugby career.
Following retirement, John was appointed Director of Rugby at Harlequins and then Headteacher at Colfe’s Preparatory School. While teaching at Colfe’s as Director of Sport, John graduated from Hull University in 2005 with an Executive MBA, completed through the Greenwich (London) School of Management.
Since 2013, he has been a director of a property development company in London. Married to Anita since 1991, they have two sons, Alex and Matt. They also have a grandson, Nate, with Alex in Sydney, Australia. Matt lives in Treviso, Italy, and plays for Benetton Treviso in the URC. He has also represented Italy (through his maternal side) in the 2025 Six Nations.
1993
2025
