Rugby is dominated by big men that tower over the rest of us mere mortals. There are, however, a few individuals who quite literally stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Here, RUCK picks out the giants who look on course to make their mark this season.
Courtney Lawes - England
The England lock, who now has 80 caps, will look to the 6ft 6in forward to bash his way over the gain-line. Not only does he bench press 140 kilograms, but has frighteningly electric acceleration.
Andrew Porter - Ireland
Porter is poised to make a sizeable impact for Ireland moving forward. The 24-year-old Leinster tighthead is a huge carrier, massive in the scrum and is renowned for his freakish ability in the gym.
Richie Gray (Scotland)
Gray has made a name for himself as an animal in the maul and nuisance in the lineout. He towers over most of his peers at 6ft 10ins and his natural height, combined with hitting the scales at almost 20 stone, makes him a formidable foe for any player.
Rugby Union - Australia v Scotland - IRB Rugby World Cup 2015 Quarter Final - Twickenham Stadium, London, England - 18/10/15
Scotland's Richie Gray and Jonny Gray are dejected after the game
Action Images via Reuters / Andrew Couldridge
Livepic
Scotland's Richie Gray and Jonny Gray are dejected after the game
Action Images via Reuters / Andrew Couldridge
Livepic
George North (Wales)
Another back known for bulldozing his way through defences, North has made his name by being monstrously strong. His sheer strength was most notably demonstrated on the 2013 Lions tour to Australia when he picked up Israel Folau and carried him… while the ball was in his hand!
Sergio Parisse - Italy
A No.8 of great ability, the 6ft 5in Sergio Parisse is not the heftiest player to occupy the back of the scrum at 17st 5lb, but his positional sense in the line-out and flair for getting across the gainline have marked him out as an outstanding player both for club and country. An absolute machine.
Jamie Bhatti - Scotland
Another prop who is a relative tyro in the world of international rugby with just three Test caps to his name. He built his solid frame outside the conventional confines of the gym. Bhatti spent his youth lugging around cow carcasses during his job as a slaughterman.
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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