Power is one of the most sort-after attributes within rugby, and these 10 players have some eye-watering stats in the gym.
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As Ox Nche expertly put it 'salads don't win scrums', but power most certainly goes a long way.
The same can be said for a game-breaking carry through contact, a thunderous clear out at the ruck, or the overlooked attributes of a concrete line-out foundation. Strength and power is everywhere you look.
So, we thought it would be an interesting exercise to review the updated records from the strongest stars of the international men's game.
Whilst there is NFL combine-esque database for universal stats, several club and country reports have previously seen the light of day, along with other reported lifts from the confides of the strength and conditioning centre.
We've ensured to include a 'reported' caveat on those claims that can't be backed up with data, but have still come from credible sources at the respective clubs or national team bases.
Here is a run-down of the 10 players currently sporting the biggest gym numbers in rugby today.
10. Rory Sutherland – 200kg (Bench Press)
Rory Sutherland might not immediately spring to mind when discussing rugby’s gym freaks, but the Scotland and Glasgow Warriors prop has long possessed the numbers to back up his reputation.
His 200kg bench press - weighing the same as an adult male lion - puts him firmly into heavyweight territory. It is an old figure rather than a fresh 2026 test, but Sutherland remains an active international prop and recently passed 50 Scotland caps.
9. Nicky Smith – 200kg (Bench Press)
There is a reason Nicky Smith’s strength has always stood out among looseheads. The Wales prop is also said to have once put 200kg on the bench during his time at the Ospreys, having previously competed in weightlifting back in his amateur days.
One of the stand-out signings to arrive in the PREM for the new season, Smith has swapped South Wales for the North of England as he links up with the old school grit of the Sale Sharks pack.
8. Max Lahiff - 210kg (Bench Press)
Max Lahiff has never exactly hidden the fact that he enjoys lifting enormous amounts of metal. His 210kg bench press has been well documented since his Bristol days, putting him comfortably beyond the sort of numbers normally associated with professional rugby.
At 36, Lahiff is still going strong with Bristol and has signed on for an eighth season, making that huge bench even more remarkable for a man in his more veteran years.
7. Biyi Alo – 220kg (Bench Press)
At roughly 130kgs, Biyi Alo already looks like somebody designed specifically for scrummaging. Then there is the gym number: a monstrous 220kg bench press he achieved during his Wasps says.
Now with Ealing Trailfinders in the CHAMP, the tighthead has carried that strength through spells with Saracens, Worcester, and even overseas with Racing 92. His figure remains one of the biggest publicly recorded among still active professional props. He is also proof that enormous gym numbers aren't restricted to Test rugby.
6. Henry Pollock – 230kg x 3 (Squat)
Henry Pollock brings something different to this list. Rather than another monster bench, the England and Northampton Saints star has publicly documented a 230kg squat for three reps - that's like carrying exactly two Tadhg Furlong's on top of one another.
That is a serious number for anybody, never mind a player whose back row role is more built around speed, aggression and cardio than an out-right power game. Pollock has also been reported at 140kg for two on the bench, making his lower-body strength the real headline here.
5. WillGriff John – 230kg (Bench Press)
WillGriff John has one of those rugby gym numbers that sounds like somebody has accidentally added a plate or 10. The Welsh tighthead has been credited with a 230kg bench press, placing him among the biggest recorded benchers in professional rugby.
The figure has been attributed to the player himself, rather than being pure internet folklore. John left Sale at the end of the 2025/26 campaign after returning to international duty with Wales, with his return to the Scarlets bringing him back closer to home.
4. Gheorghe Gajion – 230kg (Bench Press)
The nickname “Beast from the East” suddenly makes rather more sense when you see Gheorghe Gajion’s gym record. The Romanian international has been credited with a 230kg bench press, a figure first widely circulated during his time with Ospreys between 2018 and 2020.
Crucially for this list, Gajion is still an active player, Moldovan-born, yet he ran out for Romania in the 2026 Rugby Europe Championship. Few rugby players can legitimately put this kind of number next to their name, with some industrious levels of clanging and banging happening out in Bucharest.
3. Tadhg Furlong – 240kg (Bench Press, reported)
Tadhg Furlong’s reputation as one of rugby’s strongest men has been around for years, and a reported 240kg bench press is the number that keeps appearing whenever his gym work is discussed.
Unlike some of the more spectacular claims on social media, this figure has been reported several times, and you'd be hard pressed to find someone willing to go plate-for-plate with the man known as the 'Jukebox' - biggets the hits keep coming.
The Leinster and Ireland tighthead’s combination of mass, technique and frightening leg drive makes the number more than believable, with some serious lifting going on behind closed doors in Dublin.
2. Taniela Tupou – 300kg (Squat)
Lets forget the bench press again for a moment, as Taniela Tupou has produced one of the most ridiculous squat numbers attached to any current rugby player.
The Wallabies tighthead has been filmed training with a load of around 300kg - equivalent to a full grown male grizzly bear on his back. Australia teammate Angus Bell has also spoken about Tupou squatting such rediculous numbers, showing how “Tongan Thor” is not exactly an understated nickname.
WHen watching a 140kg-plus prop move that sort of weight makes it seem remarkably appropriate.
1. Andrew Porter – 350kg (Squat, reported)
Andrew Porter still owns the most outrageous number on this list. The Ireland and Leinster prop has long been credited with a 350kg squat - or perhaps three Tadhg Furlongs stacked up in a pile.
This figure he says he achieved when he was in his early 20s, when the Leinster man was fixated on getting as big and as powerful as possible - he certainly achieved that. In a more recent interview, Porter said how he "wouldn't go near that kind of weight now", due to the risk of injury and the scathing he'd get from the Ireland coaching staff.
There is an important caveat: Porter has also been filmed squatting 230kg for eight reps, while the 350kg maximum remains a reported career figure. Even so, it is an absurd number — and one that keeps his name firmly at the top of rugby’s gym freaks.
