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.
#2. Liam Williams (Wales) - Scaffolder
This is the picture that illustrates the heights Williams has scaled to reach international rugby, starting off as a scaffolder. It wasn’t work for the faint-hearted, with Williams rigging scaffolding “over the top of a blast furnace, 300 feet from the ground” back in Wales.
#3. Jonny Hill (England) - Farmer
Having tried his hand at rugby in his youth, joining local club Luctonians aged nine, Hill initially favoured football before a failed college application forced him into an unexpected gap year, where he'd work on the family farm
Hill returned to Luctonians and after being encouraged to turn up to a walk-up trial at Hartpury College aged 17, he became a first-team fixture at the National League Two South side.
#4. Chris Harris (Scotland) - Architectural Technician
As part of his university course, Harris was required to do a few days work experience with a construction firm. At Story Homes, he was taken through each role of the various technicians, gaining a better insight to what was involved. However, instead of pursuing a career in Architecture, he was offered a professional contract by Newcastle Falcons aged 21.
