Five pairs of rugby stars you didn’t know are related

Successful rugby brothers such as the Vunipola’s (Billy and Mako), the Underwood’s (Rory & Tony), the Hasting’s (Gavin and Scott), the Umaga’s (Mike & Tana) and the Gray’s (Jonny & Richie) amongst others have all left their indelible mark on the beautiful game.

However, there are loads of other relations playing the game at an elite level, ranging from brothers to cousins to fathers to the slightly more tenuous link.

Here are such players who you may be surprised are related (even if just a little bit).

The Curry twins are the nephew of former England hooker John Olver and cousins of former Northampton Saints fly-half Sam Olver, who is now at Ealing Trailfinders.

Scarlets and Wales U20 centre Ioan Nicholas is the cousin of top referee Nigel Owens.

Quade Cooper and Sean Maitland are cousins and were both born in the north of New Zealand. While Cooper moved to Brisbane in his teens and became a star of the Wallabies, Maitland headed to Christchurch to join the Canterbury Crusaders before heeding his Glaswegian grandfather’s words to remember his roots and headed for Scotland.

All Black Howlett and Tonga legend Latu are also cousins, sharing family on the Pacific Island.

Gloucester speedster Thorley is Itoje’s cousin, after his grandfather re-married a Nigerian woman who is the Saracens lock’s aunt.