Look, let’s ignore the stunning, catwalk beauty that sits on the arm of Sergio Parisse and consider him as a rugby footballer first and foremost.
He’s that good. Sure, Zinzan Brooke, Buck Shelford, Lol Dallaglio and Merve ‘The Swerve’ Davies might have something to say about that, but those guys all played in dominant sides. Parisse has made his name on the back foot.
For all his flashiness, he’s no showboater. He gets his hands dirty.
He is an all-court player, unrelenting in the close exchanges and potent in the wide, open spaces. Parisse is rugby’s Renaissance man.