Day jobs: How amateur players at the Rugby World Cup pay the bills
Rugby NewsTuesday, 01 October 2019 at 12:51
The 2019 Rugby World Cup saw some of the best-paid players in the world come to blows - but not all players at the tournament are even professional.
Here are six players who have left their day job behind to head to Japan to represent their country.
VEGAN FOOD CHAIN: Canada centre Nick Blevins owns Beetroot Kitchen and has had to take three months out and pay people to replace him. He adopted a plant-based diet in 2015 - has now launched a dairy alternative brand with hopes 'to change the world' with fiancé and fellow rugby star Michele Helmeczi.
ROOFER: Siua Maile was scouted playing amateur rugby by the Tongan coaches on Facebook after an injury crisis at hooker and was suddenly thrust into the starting XV to face New Zealand.
ACCOUNTANT: Uruguay captain Juan Gaminara works as an accountant while also having a centralised contract.
BANK: Loose-forward Thomasau Forbes, who represents Namibia, has taken time off from his job in a bank to play in Japan. The 30-year-old made his World Cup debut against the Springboks at the City of Toyota Stadium.
HUMAN RESOURCES: Canada scrum-half Gordon McRorie's employers have been good but they can't give people three, four months off, so there are players who (have) the extra strain of leaving the job
UBER DRIVER: When Diego Arbelo isn’t in the gym or on the rugby field, he's driving an Uber in Uruguay's capital city Montevideo.
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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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