2019 has been quite the year! For this list, WatchMojo UK counts down the weirdest, most unexpected and most incredible rugby news stories of 2019.
1. Haskell smashed?
James Haskell was forced to respond to suggestions that he was drunk live on Sky Sports.
Haskell tweeted: “I didn’t think I had to spell this out, but it appears I need to. I was not drunk, nor had I had a drop to drink working for Sky.
“It was a technical fault that altered my voice and what I was saying. Its funny as hell. But the divs are out in force making insinuations.” he added
2.Fiji star being hit in the face isn’t funny, it’s absolutely HILARIOUS
Fiji replacement tighthead Manasa Saulo gets whacked on the head by a pass from Frank Lomani.
It was pretty funny to see him laugh about it and point to the big screen as they were getting ready for a scrum at the next phase
3. Joe Marler's horse
‘Get back on the horse’ is a cliché often trotted out by sports stars, but England prop Joe Marler has taken it to the next level in a bizarre interview.
4. Baffling accent
As Vasily Artemyevs was about to be interviewed, we were expecting a very Russian accent to come out of the Russian captain, however what we got was very different.
5. Gordon Ramsay recreates infamous idiot sandwich meme with rugby star
Gordon Ramsay re-enacted his 2015 ‘idiot sandwich’ meme with a hench Harlequins rugby player.
Wanting to give the lads a motivational message to rival all others, he yelled at the burly player: ‘WHAT ARE YOU?’
6.Bodybuilder Tries Rugby, Gets SMASHED
Popular fitness channel (Juji and Tom) visited the Melbourne Rebels for a day.
7.Gavin Henson scores free-kick David Beckham would be proud of
The former double Grand Slam winner scored a superbly drilled free-kick for his new football team.
8.Joe Marler tries speaking Japanese in hilarious press conference
England props Joe Marler (left) and Dan Cole talk at England’s team announcement presser in Sapporo ahead of their World Cup opener against Tonga.
9. Newcastle star drags a shark back into the sea
Hooker Kyle Cooper caught a man-eating shark while fishing, before dragging it back into the sea with the help of his brother, Keagan. Simply incredible.
Cooper, who now plays for English club Newcastle, reeled in a 2.82m, 168kg Zambezi bull shark, also known as a bull shark, while fishing in KwaZulu-Natal.
10. Hippos invade pitch at rugby club
Letaba Rugby Club in South Africa had an unexpected pitch invasion.
Hippos from a nearby river decided to graze on the lush grass.
The footage first appeared on the local news site Far North Bulletin.
11. Shane Williams break Guinness World Record
The Wales legend teamed up with Gareth Thomas, Andy Powell and other Welsh stars to attempt this challenge in Cardiff.
12. Guinness launch brand new drink
Guinness even roped in a couple of former rugby legends Brian O’Driscoll and Lawrence Dallagio to test out this brand new concoction.
