Speaking to Rugby World, England and Leicester Tigers prop Dan Cole has revealed the five toughest tight-heads he’s faced during his distinguished career.
1. Carl Hayman New Zealand, 45 caps
“When I started propping at 18, Carl Hayman was the man. Technically he’s spot-on. At 6ft 4in, he’s tall for a prop but he knows how to use his size, he stays straight, scrummages legally and has a huge work rate around the field. When he came to Newcastle, he was a revelation, I think he was playing 10 in some games. What I mean by that is he was happy to stand at first receiver, which was unheard of for a tighthead. He was the pioneer of an all-round game for tightheads. A thoroughly modern prop.”