ON the pitch they're fearless, but these rugby heroes share some bizarre phobias that scares the B'jesus out of them.
Taken from interviews with
Rugby World, find out the fears of YOUR favourite rugby stars.
Jonny Wilkinson: "Heights. Being stuck in a lift, now we’ve talked about that. And audience participation, the type you get at stage shows. In school, we had three occasions like that and I got selected all three times. I tried different approaches, apart from getting up and running out of the building, and I still got picked every time."
Jonny May: "I hate heights and flying."
Beauden Barrett: "I’m claustrophobic. When I was at boarding school a guy locked me in a cupboard. It felt pretty traumatic. I don’t have any problems with long-haul flights, but when I get caught under anyone…"
Sean Maitland: "I hate heights. When you’re on a bridge or up a skyscraper and you look down, that absolutely terrifies me."
Sebastian Negri: "I’m very claustrophobic, so lifts aren’t a great one for me. In Florence last year I had a bit of a panic attack in a lift when we were stuck in there for 20 minutes. A lot of the boys were taking the mickey. And my other phobia is probably snakes."
Cheslin Kolbe: "Snakes. If I ever see one I’ll be gone, no doubt about that!"
Ollie Thorley: "I’m not a massive fan of nasty toes, which you see a lot of in rugby. Specifically the nails. You know, when someone’s had their toenail stood on and it’s all blackened. That creeps me out. My own nails are beautiful."
Henry Slade: "I’ve got two, actually three. The first one is ketchup. I don’t like anything about it – not the taste, not the texture, not the smell. If you get a bit on your finger, the smell stays there for ages, even if you wash your finger. I don’t like brown sauce much, so I tend to go for mayonnaise. Snakes and sharks are my other phobias.
Stuart Hogg: "I’ve always hated snakes. When I was young I went to Deep Sea World near Edinburgh and there were snakes there. I was the only one who got to touch them. Even if they’re on the telly, I’ll lift my feet off the ground and get them up on the couch."
Wayne Barnes: "I’m petrified of heights and our offices are on the 25th floor of the Shard!"
Tom Varndell: "No, but I dislike mushy peas. I’ve disliked them since I was a child – my mum isn’t the best cook in the world."
Donncha O'Callaghan: "Cotton wool. I don’t like the noise it makes when you pull it apart, that squeak. It freaks me out."
Danny Cipriani: " Big heights. I look down and it makes you want to jump. It’s called something… vertigo."
Dan Carter: "I hate rats. If I see a rat, I have to jump up on the table because I hate them."
Dylan Hartley: "It has to be dark, deep water – not seeing or knowing what’s beneath me and then weeds touching my feet. I probably watched Jaws too many times as a kid!"
Elliot Daly: " I don’t like roller coasters. I went on the fastest one in the world (Formula Rossa) when Wasps played Quins in Abu Dhabi – I don’t know why – and I closed my eyes the whole way through and hated every minute."
Martin Castrogiovanni: "Snakes and sharks. And 50-year-old mothers who accompany their kids to the Castro Academy, my rugby camp."
Joe Marler: "I’m claustrophobic. I went for an MRI scan on my shoulder and it lasted 30 seconds before I pressed the buzzer and had a panic attack. I was sent to London to the fat person’s extra large scanner, which was okay"
Nigel Owens: "Snakes. I totally hate snakes. It beggars belief why anyone would want one as a pet."
Sam Warburton: "Spiders. I changed rooms once at the Vale Hotel because there was a big spider in my room."
Alun Wyn Jones: "No."
Alun Wyn Jones, Captain of Wales Rugby tells his players to remain focused during the Guinness Six Nations Championship match between Wales and England at Principality Stadium on February 23, 2018 in Cardiff, Wales. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK