Sometimes we should take time to appreciate those British & Irish Lions stars who plied their trade elsewhere before hitting the jackpot in the game we all love.
In an era where you only make it if you dedicate your life to it, it’s rare to find players who just months prior to their professional career were grinding the 9-5.
With that in mind, here are four Lions stars who worked hard before making it big…
#1. Finn Russell (Scotland) – Stonemason
After secondary school, the Scotland star pursued an apprenticeship for three years as a stonemason, in a business owned by a family friend, whilst his rugby developed. Pocketing £100 per week, supplemented by £60 in his hand from Falkirk Rugby Club, Russell is now one of the pre-eminent stand-offs in world rugby and certainly one of the most exciting.
