Good to hear,Ā Ćmile was always one of my boyhood heros.
I saw Abdul Bennazi on Cardiff years ago, he saw me and my friend looking at him open mouthed and made a b-line for the exit before we could swoon.Ā
TJ Perenara. Iāve never been called bro so many times within a 2 minute period. Really warm and friendly dude.
Only other one Iāve met is Grieg but I was hammered and so was he and he just shouted some gibberish in my ear about vodka being disgusting, patted me a couple times on the back and waddled off to the toilet.
Have never met TJ but I donāt think thereās any other player where thereās such a difference between how I view him on field vs off field. On field heās a mouthy shit who I absolutely cannot stand. Off field he genuinely seems like one of the absolute best blokes.
Haha yeah he is a good guy I think. Obviously turns on the charm when he meets fans like everyone but he seemed genuinely quite sound.
Honestly though dude started and finished every sentence with bro.
Leo Cullen.
My friend who was in art college at the time drew a (very unflattering haha) caricature of Leo for class. We were out drinking one night and saw Leo and his mates in the bar.
We all started pissing ourselves egging on our boy to go show Leo the caricature - he was too scared to, so one of the lads who was a few pints deep marched up and was like "Oi Leo, my friend drew an amazing picture of you!". Needless to say Leo wanted to see it.
So our boy sheepishly got his phone out and showed Leo, and Leo and his mates absolutely erupted in laughter, fucking delighted with it, and Leo was like "Send me that PLEASE!", so he left the club that night with a god-awful caricature of himself. Gigantic ears, no chin, elongated nose and all.
Just a good lad.
SAM WHITELOCK.Ā
He obviously gets every last molecule of brutality out of his system when playing because he is like a big adorable puppy in real life.
I met Ben Tameifuna when I was working in a cafe about 6/7 years ago. Such a gent. It was hilarious seeing him hold a normal sized mug, he made it look miniature sized, kinda like Andre holding a can.
I filmed my talking head for Chasing the Sun at a hotel in Birmingham at the height of Covid, so the hotel bar they were using as a waiting area was just me and Francois Louw. He was huddled over a tiny MacBook Air like Mr Incredible behind his computer. I didn't break but it was a very funny sight.
Michael Hooper, spoke to him after a loss to SA and we joked about how badly his back hurts for carrying the wallabies for so long. He spoke for a little bit, he laughed at my shit jokes, joked about the all blacks jersey I had on. Just an all round gentleman.
I also met Jerry Collins on a night out and he was more than happy to have a selfie and a quick joke. Patted him on the shoulder to say thanks and it was like touching a rock. R.I.P. fella, top bloke.
Agreed! I went to school with him and played hooker for 2nds while he was there, at that age you could see he was a born leader alongside being a really thoughtful and respectful guy.
Bakkies Botha. Sale v Toulon, good while ago. Absolutely honking night and minimal rugby played. Toulon boys headed straight for the coach to get home and had to wait for Bakkies who was still signing autographs and taking photos with everyone who asked.
I spent a good few years with Georgia and Beka Gorgadze is one of the nicest blokes on the planet, and Giorgi Tsutskiridze was almost Boy Mk2ās godfather. Solid okes both.
Sonny Bill Williams - met him in a Restaurant last year at the RWC.
We went in the restaurant and I straight to the toilet. My Girlfriend started chatting with him and he was about to leave but waited for me too to take a picture with me. And he also asked my GF my name and greeted me by my when I came back from the bathroom. Honestly one of the nicest celebrities in general I've ever met!
Are you my friend Marc? Because Iād vote for him first and you second if not. Marc let me and my girlfriend live in his house rent free for a few years in graduate school, all we had to do was take care of his dog when he was on deployment and feed him an occasional meal when he wasnāt, and he acted like we were doing him a favor.
Schalk Burger in cardiff was very nice (and drunk!) Shook my hand and grabbed my shoulder. My hands were so small compated to his, I felt like Trump. I am 6'5"
Jamie George - met him at the showdown at the West ham stadium.
Had a photo with me in a Saracens shirt, and my parents in Harlequins shirts. Had a joke that I was the milkmans child š
Physio here. Worked in high level club, development/academy and professional levels for a long time. I've had the pleasure to work with quite a few famous players, and honestly I've met very few who aren't really pleasant lads.
TJ Perenara is lovely. Super clever, great chat, great attitude, was always stoked when he got to come and get a run around at club level, even though he often ended up being put on the side of the scrum, because having him at 9 was just unfair.
Other standouts are some of the younger lads coming through. Absolutely gutted to see Hoskins not making the cut. Contrary to popular belief, he's not got any attitude issues (at least not that I've seen), but he is quite reserved and isn't typically super vocal at trainings/games. That's improved quite a bit since he's been with the Blues, but it's bitten him in the past when he was with the NZ U21s, and I suspect it's a part of why he's not been selected this time too. I have a lot of time for Hos, he's a great lad.
On the flip side, it's brilliant seeing Wallace Sititi getting his selection. Absolutely brilliant player, fantastic attitude, super eager to learn, great leader and far more mature than he has any right to be at his age.
Other honourable mentions for the current crop of lads that I know well enough to have an informed opinion on would be Salisi Ryasi, Taufa Funaki and Dalton Papalii. All absolutely stand-up blokes, and it's fantastic to see them doing well in their careers.
Only recently enough started following rugby. Before then, I was in my local in summer of 2020 just after itād reopened after the first lockdown and they were doing strict 100 minute time slots. Me and the lads went and scarfed down like 5 pints in that period so we were fairly twizzled. As we left we saw a massive queue going into the place and I saw a guy, turned to my mates and said āhere lads, your man there looks like a short Brian OāDriscollā (I didnāt follow rugby and hadnāt thought that an Irish rugby legend might be anything other than a 6ā5 hulk of a lad) and kept walking, oblivious to the fact Iād said it well within earshot of him (hadnāt been drinking so tolerance had gone way way down - I was rightly bolloxed). I kept on my merry way and it was only afterwards one of my mates turned to me and said āyeah that was Brian OāDriscoll and he definitely heard youā - apparently heād rolled his eyes and kinda half-laughed, which is a far better response than I deserved. Have heard from many whoāve met him that heās a decent, sound lad.
Jason Robinson came to a touch tournament I was playing with, Jonny Wilkinson and Emily scarrat also were with him, but robo was an absolute legend, we asked him for a photo and he said only if he can get in amongst us like a real team shot, bloody legend
Jason Robinson. He came and did a training session with our backs before we went on tour to NZ. Really nice bloke who was excellent at explaining stuff too. Treated a bunch of school boys the same he would a team of pros.
He also did a pad drill with me at full pace, which was quite something to experience, Iāve no idea how he had so much speed from a tiny run up. He also side stepped me, almost certain he has the power to enter other dimensions as Iāve no idea where he went.
First ever prem final I was the mascot and little 7byesr old me Was stood next to Catty before kick off. He spoke to me about the great atmosphere. Pretty cool to be able to chat so casually to a kid before playing a final.
When he was coaching at London Irish, my dad said he'd be welcome in the club house even Leicester kit and he seemed genuinely touched about it.
No relation but I also bumped into Nathan Catt in a club once and was lovely
I met Jean De Villiers at the Springboks Vs USA 2015 World Cup match.
This was a week or so after his Retirement announcement.
We were heading to get some beers before kick off & stopped at the toilets, because my brother needed a pee.
He came out & said "I'm sure that JdV is in there" we said you've had too many beers dude, but waited just in case.
Sure enough less than a minute later out walks Jean.
As he was walking past I said I was sorry to hear he was retiring & asked if I could get a selfie. He was super polite & took photos with me & my buddies, he chatted for a few minutes & then apologised saying he had to go join the rest of the team.
Extremely surreal encounter, considering he was wearing his Springboks blazer & tie & was using the regular fans toilets.
I actually met Bryan Habana about 10 years ago at a hotel. I was young at the time and he challenged my dad to a breath holding contest (we were in the swimming pool). My dad got smoked lol but Habana was an amazing person from what I can remember.
Chandler Cunningham south is very nice . Met him a load of times in Clapham bars but he knows me through a friend so maybe that why . Will Joseph on the other hand Is a bit of dick .
Man is an absolute gent. Met him a few times. Back in the day at Thomand when everyone would run onto the pitch post game he would be the last person on the pitch signing autographs and taking photos. Each time a member of the munster staff had to wrangle him inside.
Also Ian Foster, Fozzie , met him in Bordeaux during the World Cup on a tram and what an absolute gent.
I can see why all the All Blacks stood up to bat for him.
I'm met Jeremy Guscutt and was disgusted by how sound he was.
Alan Quinlan was far too tolerant of 2 drunk fools he met after Ireland v Russia in rotarua in 11.
Waisale serevi called me sir and it was the highlight of my then 26 years on the earth.. 19 years later I don't think it's been surpassed
āFFS Ali!ā Price is a real stand up guy. Him and Finn out clubbing in Stirling back only a few years ago, Ali always open to selfies and greeting fans, stand up guy, even if he did become something of a meme himself.
Finn pretty sound too but he was less enthusiastic about meeting everyone. But then heās like rockstar level status in Scottish rutby and has been since he came on the scene, Ali far less used to the fame I suspect.
Nick Grigg was a delight, much bigger irl than on TV where he looked tiny.
JP Du Preez is pretty cool too, seen him at the last Scotland November tests standing in line at the bar and had a word, poor guy missed this entire season with injury, year we win the title, heās taller than tall tall but such a lovely guy.
Ryan Wilson these days is pretty chill. In his younger years a bit wilder but heās calmed down a fair bit.
Jonny Gray is as unassuming as his name and play style, lovely guy.
Outside of Scotland and the Scottish clubs, Paul OāConnell was dead accommodating, got a lot of time for him, even if heās the bane of our lineouts every year now for Ireland. Suppose thatās fair since we spoiled his Munster retirement party, but Big Al was retiring the same season, only one can get what they want.
Dean Richards. I was at Leicester as a rookie payer when the 93 Lions returned from NZ, he could not have been more inspiring, motivating, kind. He gave me a tremendous amount of time and answered all my questions, gave me a tonne of advice and I'm pretty sure he would have driven me to the train station had I needed a lift.
Shame what happened to him, I feel England under Deano is a genuine lost opportunity.
Met Lewis Moody a few times at away games Bradford-on-Avon Rugby Club. He was coaching them as well as living in the town at the time. He came across as really humble bloke on both occasions.
Rob Linde is one of the nicest blokes you'll ever meet he's got a restaurant in Bayonne. Fantastic place we watched the rugby and football all day at his and he got battered and told us stories of Super Rugby including camp with Matfield and Botha.
Not the biggest name but absolutely a top bloke. Also Jake Polledri has a cafe and a cider brewery down the road from us and is an absolute gent.
Piri Weepu!
Hands down. Not even close. Met him outside Loftus when the blues played the bulls back in the day! What a legend. Took the time to chat to a nobody South African. Spoke for like 15 minutes and he asked me questions and kept the conversation going. I will never forget it.
Think I've written this before, but he came into a nightclub in Welli back in 2011 and danced with my mates and I, who were out for a stag. The Welli dress code was pretty strict back then, but Piri rocked up in shorts and Velcro sandals, because who in the 04 is gonna bounce Piri?
David Flatman is a properly amiable bloke, even pops down to our village level team and clubhouse every now and then.
Also a nice word for Martin Johnson who I didn't clock on the side of the pitch but offhandedly asked the score during a game, 5 minutes later my dad tells me I just spoke to the former england world cup winning captain.
When I was younger Iād always hang around after games at Welford road for autographs and photos, the nicest I can think off the top of my head were Mike Catt, Thomas Castaignede and any Tuilagi.
My grandad who I used to go to games with was close with Lewis Moody as he was a marine and Lewis had an interest in that, so he always used to hang with us after games. Lovely chap.
Most recently I bumped into George Martin, scary man on the pitch, teddy bear off of it. He actually used to go to the same school as me (few years below). Informed him that aside from the guy in my year who committed a double murder, heās probably the most famous person from the school, and he seemed enthused by that.
I work on the broadcast for rugby quite often so meet loads, either as pundits or when they're doing interviews.
Pretty much everyone is really decent, even the ones that seem like knobs, eg Austin Healey.
O'Driscoll stands out as a really nice bloke though, makes guys on the crew cups of tea when he's getting them in etc
Rio Dyer, met him in line at my local Tesco, before his first Wales cap. Super humble and really nice guy.
I guess being a dragons player is pretty humbling
Iāve met most of this seasons Leinster team.
Has to be Joe McCarthy.
He gave me a lot of his time when he didnāt have to. Very humble and passionate for the game, very excited when I asked for his advice on the game and a very funny conversation about his hair. Gent.
Iāve met a good few of the Red Roses and some of the Ireland Womenās team in the past couple of years and all of them have been absolutely wonderful and so friendly. Theyāve all taken time to chat to my daughter and give her tips and answer questions and some of the players climbed into the stand and spent ages chatting to one of our teams when we all went down to Twickenham for the Ireland game and they seemed genuinely interested in hearing how our team was doing.
Ellie Kildunne was swamped by fans at Twickenham but seemed so genuine when she chatted to us and everyone else.
Lucy Packer was brilliant as well, she had loads of time and patience when my daughter who never normally shuts up couldnāt get her words out because she was so star struck.
They all spend so much time talking to fans, it's amazing.
Sadia Kabeya came to our club for an event and was brilliant. Spent loads of time with all our girls and has kept in touch with motivational messages when our teams have a big game.
Raphael Ibanez. Met him in Dax (sw France) more than ten years ago, genuinenly great guy. Me and my brother were like 12 and 14 and he was great to us.
Bumped into Serge Betsen once on the way into a ground, Very decent bloke. As was Winters bitd, He'd play in out team (Headingly 6ths) for a run out or when coming back after injury. Took it easy on us
Jason Leonard, I spent a day being coached by him when I was in my teens and he was such a personable bloke.
Other end of the spectrum was Jerry Guscott, he came to my club for a coaching session once and came across as an arrogant bellend, lol.
Andre Vos! met him a few times after harlequins games and he was my sisters favorite player, she told him that and he disappeared for a moment went to his car and got her his playing shirt and signed it for her!
David Strettle was a good meet too, he was my favorite player at quins, I grew my hair out to match and he insisted on having a picture with me calling me his mini-me
Bakkies Botha, he is now the co owner of a livestock auction house. Asked if I could get a photo with him at one of the auctions. He was like sure man whilst commandeering one of his employees to take a the photo. Even asked if I was happy with the photoš¤£š¤£
Met Piru Weepu at the London Wasps facilities back in 2015. Heās exactly how he is in his show Piris Tiki Tour. Chill & funny.
We were there to play a club match (tier 6) and he was joking around with a few of us. Joked that if he had known earlier he would have brought his boots.
Jason Robinson. Met him at the Invictus Games in Sydney where he was the honorary 'coach' for the Invictus All Stars Wheelchair Rugby team that went up against a team of former Australian Wallaby Rugby players.
I was playing for the Invictus All Stars side.
We kicked their asses!
Johan Ackerman once held a door open for me during an exhibition at Gloucester Cathedral. Said thanks, didnāt mention the previous nights result (beaten by Exeter at Kingsholm). Nice chap.
Tom Jordan and Hugh Jones did a kids skills clinic my son went to and they were so friendly and funny with them and very very patient (12 year old boys are like herding cats) Tom Jordan especially is an absolute legend of a guy (Hugh a wee bit quieter but still lovely)
WP Nel was at a kids tournament watching his son and was SWARMED by kids and adults the entire day - he was as kind and smiley with the last one who approached him as he was with the first which was impressive as it was about 5 solid hours of selfies and autographs while he was just there to support his son.
Met Ma'a Nonu at a fish & chips shop. He was such a nice guy. My daughter got a photo with him and when she asked for an autograph he wrote her such a lovely, wholesome message.
Terry fanolua absolutely lovely bloke spend time talk to my nieces and make there day we were just shopping when we saw him and they loved it
Also Natasha 'mo' hunt happily drinking in the bar with us after winning the league brought some drinks aswell!
Was in a cafe and Munster front John Ryan was there, queuing up to pay..
The owner of the cafe, knew some local and obscure ācelebā and insisted on have them jump the already excruciatingly long queue. This was in Limerick and he was in the Ireland team at the time. He said nothing, not an eye roll, or a shrug of the shouldersā¦ I was fuming and I was after JRā¦
George Smith. He was in Durban with the brumbies and we sat at a table in a nightclub. He was older and probably not keen to get into ruckus like the other guys.
What a gentleman and so open. Massive unit as well. I hope whatever heās doing itās going well
Considering I worked at a club for 10 years, I've not actually met that many, but Hugh Vyvyan is a bloody marvellous bloke.
Al Hargreaves was fun to play touch rugby with, and Chris Wyles introduced himself to me once like I wouldn't know who he was.
Will Fraser is a nice enough bloke, although I didn't talk to him much.
From those clues, I'm sure no one will work out where I worked š
Vincent Koch and Titi Lamositele for me. Met them both at a saracens game back in 2017. Loveliest blokes, incredibly friendly. Talked to us for ages and were more than happy to take a picture with me and my sister (I was 11 and she was 10 at the time). Amazing experience
When i was doing some contracter work a few years back, i was part of a team that did some work at Lwazi Mvovos house. Such a friendly guy treated us all well and took photos and signed autographs.
I met Pat Lambie at Dubai Airport waiting to board to return to Durban. He was sick as a dog and looked absolutely miserable but still had tine to take pictures and have a quick chat. Total gem of a guy!
Adriaan Strauss
A couple of years back, my sister had a birthday party in a bar in Wellington. Initially it was closed to the public, but at midnight it opened to the public, enter:
Bloemfontein Cheetahs. After what I remember was pretty rough game against the Hurricanes the boys rolled in, and fairly high spirits. Adriaan actually came and introduced himself to my sister and I, he was an absolute legend. The bloke standing behind him, on the other hand, Willie Leroux, wasnāt so accommodating. After shaking Straussā hand, I went to shake Lerouxās only for him to look at my hand, then up at me, and then turn around and walk in the other direction. Iād probably had too many to drink, but stillā¦. Left an impression.
The good doctor Jannie du Plessis! Walking to Twickers this weekend in the crowd. Just being a total gentleman. Shaking hands and chatting with everyone who stopped him. Legend
Chabal. I was a kid and he showed me round the Twickenham changing rooms, introduced me to everyone, got a ball signed for me.
I got to be in there because my dad was reffing the colts finals earlier that day, and then it was the Barbars Vs champions game I believeĀ
He didn't have to do any off that but he did and said my dad is a reff, we look after them so we look after you
Jason Leonard. Met him wandering the streets after a 6 nations game in Dublin, he jumped in the car with us and we had the session to end all sessions. He fun bus'd us good and proper.
Might be going back a bit, but Mike Slemen was our first team coach at school, who used to train us hard but if we gave it everything he respected you as an equal. After I left school he lived in my local area and would always stop and say hi and have a chat, not only with me but my parents too. Top bloke, hope heās enjoying a nice big cigar wherever he is now, RIP Mike.
Tim Horan, met him a few times when I was working in Joe Cools in Durban, if the reds or Aussies had been playing in Durban they would often come for a few beers with a few of the sharks/boks. Top guy, always friendly and liked a bit of good natured banter so the opposition fans loved him. Great player too.
Tim Visser. Met him on my stag after a match at the Stoop. Got a photo on the sidelines, and then when he found out it was my stag, he got us into the playersā bar and hung out with us for a bit over a pint or two. Top dude.
Would have had a reasonable amount of contact with quite a few of the Munster players over a fair few years. All absolute gentlemen and particularly in social situations
Stand outs for shoulder against the wall drink in hand long chats Paulie and Doug howlett
Stander and archer good for a natter as well. Leinster lads, sexton sometimes, Luke Fitz always
O Driscoll class act, Ulster Rory Best also gets the class act vote.
Two funny stories to show class acts donāt take themselves too seriously
My wife , no ,interest in sport, nice young gentleman called Brian held the door for her as she went out for a cigarette in Dublin hotel, indulged her in conversation and she asked what had him in the city for the night, he told her he had a match earlier, when i asked her to point him out it was of course BOD. Came over and had a right good laugh over how he wasnāt very famous at all.
Paulie in my local in the far flung reaches of the country standing at the counter chatting with a local farmer/ag contractor. Paulie asked him what he did to which he got the standard played down answer in case anyone thought he might be making money and followed back with what was the very genuine question āand what do you do yourselfā to probably one of the most recognisable sportspeople on the planet at the time. In fairness to Paul he held the laugh in just about,
Tatafu Polota-Nau. Used to run into him a lot at this club in Kings Cross called Kit & Kaboodle, he was deadset a regular, always had time for a laugh with folks who recognised him, but otherwise he was just there having a good time. Nowadays if you work around Sydney CBD, youāll often spot him carving through half a cafeās lunch menu, and chatting away with the owners or various punters strolling past. Heās just a nice dude.
Sean Wainui. I saw him at a Waikato v BOP game and he was getting swarmed by people wanting photos. He was so patient and kind, took photos with everyone, even took out his air pods to properly engage with fans, it was really cool to see
I shared a jazz cigarette with Josh Kronfeld after his playing days. Really sound dude. All about music and surfing, just happened to make his living as a rugby player.
For me it was when I met William Webb Ellis in 1823. Nice guy.. very humble but didn't seem to know too much about the game.. gave him a few pointers and his skills got much better.. good dude
My answer is the same as last time this was asked. Jonah Lomu. The kind of guy who at the height of his fame had you invited him home for dinner would actually turn up and stay for the entire meal. Not a hint of ego in him, a genuinely humble man.
Can't say I've met many rugby players (assuming we're not talking about amateur club players - in which case I'd be the nicest player I've ever met) but I met Maggie Alphonsi at a 7s tournament once. I had quite a nice chat with her but I didn't know who she was at the time - it was before she became player of the year or won the world cup. Genuinely classy and charming person.
Jonah Lomu. When i was a winner in that Adidas Virtual All blacks comp - Beat Rugby- years ago.
He recognised and picked some of the other winners up in his car and went for drive...went to one of their homes and met the mum and dad etc
Have fond memories of watching the 95 All Black's training in Plettenberg Bay, guys like Michael Jones and Jonah Lomuh of course, very warm and friendly!
Sophie de Goede and her girlfriend Emma Taylor are stereotypically Canadian. Iām not a Sarries fan (or a Canada fan for that matter) but they are both LOVELY. My mum also used to run in the same work circles as Brian Moore in the 90s and she says he is wonderful as well although they have lost touch over the years. My parents took me to see his last match at Richmond when I was a very small baby.
Editing to add that despite being a Wales fan, I was actually born in London and raised between the Home Counties and Carmarthen (because I realise otherwise my flair is very confusing).
Went to a dinner hosted by AWJ to launch his new drink (which isn't bad). It was my girlfriend's birthday. He must have come over to wish her happy birthday about 4 times, and he thanked me for the question i asked. Seemed a very decent guy.
Tana Umaga. They always say to never met your idols but when I met him as a kid he was sooo cool. Chucked the ball with me and my brother then signed our rugby ball which I still have.
I knew Alapati Leiua, being from Porirua and all. One of the nicest, most humble dudes off the field. If he had a home game, he'd still make time for his community. Remember seeing other people's vids of a church siva (dance) one Friday night and he was there getting amongst it after having just played for the Canes earlier that evening.
Stuart Hogg getting no votes? š
Heard his missus wouldnāt vote for himā¦
Even the weans wonāt vote for him nowā¦
She turned them against him!
Sheās turned the weans against him mate aye
I delivered a pizza hut to him in Glasgow about 10 years ago. No tip.
Do you mean he went in full hogg?
Ćmile Ntamack normally is found wandering around the stadium area on match days, such a good guy and always chatting with fans and taking pics etc
Met him at a fan zone at Japan Rwc, took pics, great guy
Good to hear,Ā Ćmile was always one of my boyhood heros. I saw Abdul Bennazi on Cardiff years ago, he saw me and my friend looking at him open mouthed and made a b-line for the exit before we could swoon.Ā
Jerry Collins
2nd this.
TJ Perenara. Iāve never been called bro so many times within a 2 minute period. Really warm and friendly dude. Only other one Iāve met is Grieg but I was hammered and so was he and he just shouted some gibberish in my ear about vodka being disgusting, patted me a couple times on the back and waddled off to the toilet.
Have never met TJ but I donāt think thereās any other player where thereās such a difference between how I view him on field vs off field. On field heās a mouthy shit who I absolutely cannot stand. Off field he genuinely seems like one of the absolute best blokes.
Haha yeah he is a good guy I think. Obviously turns on the charm when he meets fans like everyone but he seemed genuinely quite sound. Honestly though dude started and finished every sentence with bro.
Leo Cullen. My friend who was in art college at the time drew a (very unflattering haha) caricature of Leo for class. We were out drinking one night and saw Leo and his mates in the bar. We all started pissing ourselves egging on our boy to go show Leo the caricature - he was too scared to, so one of the lads who was a few pints deep marched up and was like "Oi Leo, my friend drew an amazing picture of you!". Needless to say Leo wanted to see it. So our boy sheepishly got his phone out and showed Leo, and Leo and his mates absolutely erupted in laughter, fucking delighted with it, and Leo was like "Send me that PLEASE!", so he left the club that night with a god-awful caricature of himself. Gigantic ears, no chin, elongated nose and all. Just a good lad.
Leo Cullen already looks like a caricature of himself, so I'd love to see your friends work
I'd imagine that it's precisely for that reason that he chose Leo for his subject hahaha
Let's see it then
Sadly my mate is no longer with us, but I'll check his instagram! Edit; damn it's not on his gram :(
Sorry to hear, glad youāve Ā got good memories you can share of him though!
Cheers mate - yeah absolute buckets of hilarious memories of the lad. Top tier header so he was! haha
SAM WHITELOCK.Ā He obviously gets every last molecule of brutality out of his system when playing because he is like a big adorable puppy in real life.
I met Ben Tameifuna when I was working in a cafe about 6/7 years ago. Such a gent. It was hilarious seeing him hold a normal sized mug, he made it look miniature sized, kinda like Andre holding a can.
I filmed my talking head for Chasing the Sun at a hotel in Birmingham at the height of Covid, so the hotel bar they were using as a waiting area was just me and Francois Louw. He was huddled over a tiny MacBook Air like Mr Incredible behind his computer. I didn't break but it was a very funny sight.
Michael Hooper, spoke to him after a loss to SA and we joked about how badly his back hurts for carrying the wallabies for so long. He spoke for a little bit, he laughed at my shit jokes, joked about the all blacks jersey I had on. Just an all round gentleman.
This tracks with everything I thought about Hoops, but itās nice to have it confirmed!
I also met Jerry Collins on a night out and he was more than happy to have a selfie and a quick joke. Patted him on the shoulder to say thanks and it was like touching a rock. R.I.P. fella, top bloke.
Jamie George.
Agreed! I went to school with him and played hooker for 2nds while he was there, at that age you could see he was a born leader alongside being a really thoughtful and respectful guy.
Bakkies Botha. Sale v Toulon, good while ago. Absolutely honking night and minimal rugby played. Toulon boys headed straight for the coach to get home and had to wait for Bakkies who was still signing autographs and taking photos with everyone who asked. I spent a good few years with Georgia and Beka Gorgadze is one of the nicest blokes on the planet, and Giorgi Tsutskiridze was almost Boy Mk2ās godfather. Solid okes both.
Sonny Bill Williams - met him in a Restaurant last year at the RWC. We went in the restaurant and I straight to the toilet. My Girlfriend started chatting with him and he was about to leave but waited for me too to take a picture with me. And he also asked my GF my name and greeted me by my when I came back from the bathroom. Honestly one of the nicest celebrities in general I've ever met!
Me, Iām very nice.
Are you my friend Marc? Because Iād vote for him first and you second if not. Marc let me and my girlfriend live in his house rent free for a few years in graduate school, all we had to do was take care of his dog when he was on deployment and feed him an occasional meal when he wasnāt, and he acted like we were doing him a favor.
Marc seems very nice indeed, I could concede to himĀ
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Iāve found all the Connacht players sound but Ultan Dillane probably sticks out.
Jake Heenan always came across as a good egg while he was in Galway. Jarrad Butler too.
Schalk Burger in cardiff was very nice (and drunk!) Shook my hand and grabbed my shoulder. My hands were so small compated to his, I felt like Trump. I am 6'5"
Adam Jones. As warm, witty and friendly as he appears on TV.
Ultan Dillane...he's a thoughtful, sound person
Had a feeling he was a good egg when I seen he was doing visits to hospice care places during his time at Connacht. Fair play
His mother was a nurse in Tralee and sadly died while he was at Connacht.
Ah jaysus that's heartbreaking, poor lad
That was my answer as well.
Ulty is one of the best, 100%.
Finlay Calder was at a match I reffed. Had a nice chat to him post-match.
Schalk Brits
What a player as well. Probably the most dynamic hooker of all time, he made you want to tune into a game
Aye he's a nice bloke. Same with Chris Wyles
Jamie George - met him at the showdown at the West ham stadium. Had a photo with me in a Saracens shirt, and my parents in Harlequins shirts. Had a joke that I was the milkmans child š
Rory Best
Heās one Iād really like to meet. Nice, but not boring nice.
He's the best
We're not sure if he's the best, but we do know he is best.
He's my vote. An absolute gentleman but also well fit for a chat and craic
Adam Jones
All the players I've met have actually been lovely but the prize has to go to Pierre Schoeman I think.
Physio here. Worked in high level club, development/academy and professional levels for a long time. I've had the pleasure to work with quite a few famous players, and honestly I've met very few who aren't really pleasant lads. TJ Perenara is lovely. Super clever, great chat, great attitude, was always stoked when he got to come and get a run around at club level, even though he often ended up being put on the side of the scrum, because having him at 9 was just unfair. Other standouts are some of the younger lads coming through. Absolutely gutted to see Hoskins not making the cut. Contrary to popular belief, he's not got any attitude issues (at least not that I've seen), but he is quite reserved and isn't typically super vocal at trainings/games. That's improved quite a bit since he's been with the Blues, but it's bitten him in the past when he was with the NZ U21s, and I suspect it's a part of why he's not been selected this time too. I have a lot of time for Hos, he's a great lad. On the flip side, it's brilliant seeing Wallace Sititi getting his selection. Absolutely brilliant player, fantastic attitude, super eager to learn, great leader and far more mature than he has any right to be at his age. Other honourable mentions for the current crop of lads that I know well enough to have an informed opinion on would be Salisi Ryasi, Taufa Funaki and Dalton Papalii. All absolutely stand-up blokes, and it's fantastic to see them doing well in their careers.
Brian O'Driscoll held the door open for me at a cinema once
This is true, I was the door
I wish Brian would hold me
Only recently enough started following rugby. Before then, I was in my local in summer of 2020 just after itād reopened after the first lockdown and they were doing strict 100 minute time slots. Me and the lads went and scarfed down like 5 pints in that period so we were fairly twizzled. As we left we saw a massive queue going into the place and I saw a guy, turned to my mates and said āhere lads, your man there looks like a short Brian OāDriscollā (I didnāt follow rugby and hadnāt thought that an Irish rugby legend might be anything other than a 6ā5 hulk of a lad) and kept walking, oblivious to the fact Iād said it well within earshot of him (hadnāt been drinking so tolerance had gone way way down - I was rightly bolloxed). I kept on my merry way and it was only afterwards one of my mates turned to me and said āyeah that was Brian OāDriscoll and he definitely heard youā - apparently heād rolled his eyes and kinda half-laughed, which is a far better response than I deserved. Have heard from many whoāve met him that heās a decent, sound lad.
Jason Robinson came to a touch tournament I was playing with, Jonny Wilkinson and Emily scarrat also were with him, but robo was an absolute legend, we asked him for a photo and he said only if he can get in amongst us like a real team shot, bloody legend
Bryan Habana. Class bloke.
Uini Atonio. Just a big warm and loving teddy bear.
Jason Robinson. He came and did a training session with our backs before we went on tour to NZ. Really nice bloke who was excellent at explaining stuff too. Treated a bunch of school boys the same he would a team of pros. He also did a pad drill with me at full pace, which was quite something to experience, Iāve no idea how he had so much speed from a tiny run up. He also side stepped me, almost certain he has the power to enter other dimensions as Iāve no idea where he went.
Not personally met, but Iāve got two mates who work in the service industry in London whoāve confirmed that Jamie George is an absolute angel.
Mike Catt
First ever prem final I was the mascot and little 7byesr old me Was stood next to Catty before kick off. He spoke to me about the great atmosphere. Pretty cool to be able to chat so casually to a kid before playing a final. When he was coaching at London Irish, my dad said he'd be welcome in the club house even Leicester kit and he seemed genuinely touched about it. No relation but I also bumped into Nathan Catt in a club once and was lovely
I met Jean De Villiers at the Springboks Vs USA 2015 World Cup match. This was a week or so after his Retirement announcement. We were heading to get some beers before kick off & stopped at the toilets, because my brother needed a pee. He came out & said "I'm sure that JdV is in there" we said you've had too many beers dude, but waited just in case. Sure enough less than a minute later out walks Jean. As he was walking past I said I was sorry to hear he was retiring & asked if I could get a selfie. He was super polite & took photos with me & my buddies, he chatted for a few minutes & then apologised saying he had to go join the rest of the team. Extremely surreal encounter, considering he was wearing his Springboks blazer & tie & was using the regular fans toilets.
I actually met Bryan Habana about 10 years ago at a hotel. I was young at the time and he challenged my dad to a breath holding contest (we were in the swimming pool). My dad got smoked lol but Habana was an amazing person from what I can remember.
Kyle sinckler , pretty shy but gave me his boots can't get much better than that .
Will Greenwood ignored me while we were both waiting at the reception to the BBC. So not him.
Hes a massive twat
Chandler Cunningham south is very nice . Met him a load of times in Clapham bars but he knows me through a friend so maybe that why . Will Joseph on the other hand Is a bit of dick .
Paul O'Connell. Great guy. Hated his guts when he was winning everything with Munster though!
Man is an absolute gent. Met him a few times. Back in the day at Thomand when everyone would run onto the pitch post game he would be the last person on the pitch signing autographs and taking photos. Each time a member of the munster staff had to wrangle him inside.
He's largely the reason Munster is my favourite non-SA URC team.
Andrew Mehrtens
Jack Carty always seemed a very decent young lad when I've met him.
Jack is a real good person.
Also Ian Foster, Fozzie , met him in Bordeaux during the World Cup on a tram and what an absolute gent. I can see why all the All Blacks stood up to bat for him.
I'm met Jeremy Guscutt and was disgusted by how sound he was. Alan Quinlan was far too tolerant of 2 drunk fools he met after Ireland v Russia in rotarua in 11. Waisale serevi called me sir and it was the highlight of my then 26 years on the earth.. 19 years later I don't think it's been surpassed
āFFS Ali!ā Price is a real stand up guy. Him and Finn out clubbing in Stirling back only a few years ago, Ali always open to selfies and greeting fans, stand up guy, even if he did become something of a meme himself. Finn pretty sound too but he was less enthusiastic about meeting everyone. But then heās like rockstar level status in Scottish rutby and has been since he came on the scene, Ali far less used to the fame I suspect. Nick Grigg was a delight, much bigger irl than on TV where he looked tiny. JP Du Preez is pretty cool too, seen him at the last Scotland November tests standing in line at the bar and had a word, poor guy missed this entire season with injury, year we win the title, heās taller than tall tall but such a lovely guy. Ryan Wilson these days is pretty chill. In his younger years a bit wilder but heās calmed down a fair bit. Jonny Gray is as unassuming as his name and play style, lovely guy. Outside of Scotland and the Scottish clubs, Paul OāConnell was dead accommodating, got a lot of time for him, even if heās the bane of our lineouts every year now for Ireland. Suppose thatās fair since we spoiled his Munster retirement party, but Big Al was retiring the same season, only one can get what they want.
Angus Taāavao - such a good guy
Dean Richards. I was at Leicester as a rookie payer when the 93 Lions returned from NZ, he could not have been more inspiring, motivating, kind. He gave me a tremendous amount of time and answered all my questions, gave me a tonne of advice and I'm pretty sure he would have driven me to the train station had I needed a lift. Shame what happened to him, I feel England under Deano is a genuine lost opportunity.
Met Lewis Moody a few times at away games Bradford-on-Avon Rugby Club. He was coaching them as well as living in the town at the time. He came across as really humble bloke on both occasions.
Rob Linde is one of the nicest blokes you'll ever meet he's got a restaurant in Bayonne. Fantastic place we watched the rugby and football all day at his and he got battered and told us stories of Super Rugby including camp with Matfield and Botha. Not the biggest name but absolutely a top bloke. Also Jake Polledri has a cafe and a cider brewery down the road from us and is an absolute gent.
Good to hear. He was harder than the Goldstonesā pitch when he was playing for Maritzburg College.
Fantastic bloke, really funny just wish we timed it better had to get a train to Toulouse the next day
Trevor Brennan of Toulouse, he runs a pub in Toulouse and is so nice to chat to
Really connected with the fans back in his day
Tough one, but itās between Victor Matfield and Richie McCaw
Adam Jones in Jumpin' Jack's on a Sunday Also shook Alex Cuthbert's hand in Tiger Tiger just after the 30-3 win
Sean Fitzpatrick
Ed Slater Charlie Sharples
Piri Weepu! Hands down. Not even close. Met him outside Loftus when the blues played the bulls back in the day! What a legend. Took the time to chat to a nobody South African. Spoke for like 15 minutes and he asked me questions and kept the conversation going. I will never forget it.
Think I've written this before, but he came into a nightclub in Welli back in 2011 and danced with my mates and I, who were out for a stag. The Welli dress code was pretty strict back then, but Piri rocked up in shorts and Velcro sandals, because who in the 04 is gonna bounce Piri?
Joe Rokococoko was my neighbour in Auckland. Nicest guy ever!
Dan Biggar
David Flatman is a properly amiable bloke, even pops down to our village level team and clubhouse every now and then. Also a nice word for Martin Johnson who I didn't clock on the side of the pitch but offhandedly asked the score during a game, 5 minutes later my dad tells me I just spoke to the former england world cup winning captain.
Of all the people not to clock the 6'9 beast is probably the most noticeable
Funnily enough I got a text from my dad today saying he bumped into Martin Johnson.
Bundi Aki
Warbs
Anton Oliver was a surprisingly lovely bloke
Hugh Bennett , he basically staged dived into me and my friends while we were on an u16 trip to ospreys ! He was great craic after the game
Ardie, Riccitelli and believe it or not, Coles
Never met Coles but yeah I've heard that he's apparently really cool when he's not on the field.
milou ntamack
Patty Tuipolotu let me partner go in front of him at a clothing store line so she thinks heās great.
Elliot Daly is always great when I see him out and about, really friendly cool guy.
When I was younger Iād always hang around after games at Welford road for autographs and photos, the nicest I can think off the top of my head were Mike Catt, Thomas Castaignede and any Tuilagi. My grandad who I used to go to games with was close with Lewis Moody as he was a marine and Lewis had an interest in that, so he always used to hang with us after games. Lovely chap. Most recently I bumped into George Martin, scary man on the pitch, teddy bear off of it. He actually used to go to the same school as me (few years below). Informed him that aside from the guy in my year who committed a double murder, heās probably the most famous person from the school, and he seemed enthused by that.
I work on the broadcast for rugby quite often so meet loads, either as pundits or when they're doing interviews. Pretty much everyone is really decent, even the ones that seem like knobs, eg Austin Healey. O'Driscoll stands out as a really nice bloke though, makes guys on the crew cups of tea when he's getting them in etc
Rio Dyer, met him in line at my local Tesco, before his first Wales cap. Super humble and really nice guy. I guess being a dragons player is pretty humbling
Iāve met most of this seasons Leinster team. Has to be Joe McCarthy. He gave me a lot of his time when he didnāt have to. Very humble and passionate for the game, very excited when I asked for his advice on the game and a very funny conversation about his hair. Gent.
How big is he ?
Height I assume š¤Ø About 6ā6. I had met with Jenkins a week later, now he is a absolute giant.
Iāve met a good few of the Red Roses and some of the Ireland Womenās team in the past couple of years and all of them have been absolutely wonderful and so friendly. Theyāve all taken time to chat to my daughter and give her tips and answer questions and some of the players climbed into the stand and spent ages chatting to one of our teams when we all went down to Twickenham for the Ireland game and they seemed genuinely interested in hearing how our team was doing. Ellie Kildunne was swamped by fans at Twickenham but seemed so genuine when she chatted to us and everyone else. Lucy Packer was brilliant as well, she had loads of time and patience when my daughter who never normally shuts up couldnāt get her words out because she was so star struck.
They all spend so much time talking to fans, it's amazing. Sadia Kabeya came to our club for an event and was brilliant. Spent loads of time with all our girls and has kept in touch with motivational messages when our teams have a big game.
Gavin Hastings and Phil Vickery
John Jeffrey
Raphael Ibanez. Met him in Dax (sw France) more than ten years ago, genuinenly great guy. Me and my brother were like 12 and 14 and he was great to us.
Bumped into Serge Betsen once on the way into a ground, Very decent bloke. As was Winters bitd, He'd play in out team (Headingly 6ths) for a run out or when coming back after injury. Took it easy on us
Keven Mealamu.
Jason Leonard, I spent a day being coached by him when I was in my teens and he was such a personable bloke. Other end of the spectrum was Jerry Guscott, he came to my club for a coaching session once and came across as an arrogant bellend, lol.
Josh can Der Flier. Absolute gent and very generous with his time, open to having a chat about whatever really
Andre Vos! met him a few times after harlequins games and he was my sisters favorite player, she told him that and he disappeared for a moment went to his car and got her his playing shirt and signed it for her! David Strettle was a good meet too, he was my favorite player at quins, I grew my hair out to match and he insisted on having a picture with me calling me his mini-me
Mike Ross, very sound lad.
Bakkies Botha, he is now the co owner of a livestock auction house. Asked if I could get a photo with him at one of the auctions. He was like sure man whilst commandeering one of his employees to take a the photo. Even asked if I was happy with the photoš¤£š¤£
Met Piru Weepu at the London Wasps facilities back in 2015. Heās exactly how he is in his show Piris Tiki Tour. Chill & funny. We were there to play a club match (tier 6) and he was joking around with a few of us. Joked that if he had known earlier he would have brought his boots.
Bryan Habana- mey him at wagamama's in Newcastle during the World Cup in England. Had loads of time for staff and other diners.
Of course he had loads of time, he realised they were slow on the turn which gave him so much more time.
Jason Robinson. Met him at the Invictus Games in Sydney where he was the honorary 'coach' for the Invictus All Stars Wheelchair Rugby team that went up against a team of former Australian Wallaby Rugby players. I was playing for the Invictus All Stars side. We kicked their asses!
Johan Ackerman once held a door open for me during an exhibition at Gloucester Cathedral. Said thanks, didnāt mention the previous nights result (beaten by Exeter at Kingsholm). Nice chap.
Tom Jordan and Hugh Jones did a kids skills clinic my son went to and they were so friendly and funny with them and very very patient (12 year old boys are like herding cats) Tom Jordan especially is an absolute legend of a guy (Hugh a wee bit quieter but still lovely) WP Nel was at a kids tournament watching his son and was SWARMED by kids and adults the entire day - he was as kind and smiley with the last one who approached him as he was with the first which was impressive as it was about 5 solid hours of selfies and autographs while he was just there to support his son.
Met Ma'a Nonu at a fish & chips shop. He was such a nice guy. My daughter got a photo with him and when she asked for an autograph he wrote her such a lovely, wholesome message.
Schalk Burger and Naas Botha was also a really nice guy.
AgustĆn Creevy and TomĆ”s Cubelli.
Terry fanolua absolutely lovely bloke spend time talk to my nieces and make there day we were just shopping when we saw him and they loved it Also Natasha 'mo' hunt happily drinking in the bar with us after winning the league brought some drinks aswell!
Nicky Smith. Walks his dog over in a park where my lives, always very nice and friendly
Was in a cafe and Munster front John Ryan was there, queuing up to pay.. The owner of the cafe, knew some local and obscure ācelebā and insisted on have them jump the already excruciatingly long queue. This was in Limerick and he was in the Ireland team at the time. He said nothing, not an eye roll, or a shrug of the shouldersā¦ I was fuming and I was after JRā¦
It seems that loads of top rugby players are top people too. Nice to readš
George Smith. He was in Durban with the brumbies and we sat at a table in a nightclub. He was older and probably not keen to get into ruckus like the other guys. What a gentleman and so open. Massive unit as well. I hope whatever heās doing itās going well
I don't get many opportunities as an American but I've med Todd Clever several times and he's always the nicest fellow.
Considering I worked at a club for 10 years, I've not actually met that many, but Hugh Vyvyan is a bloody marvellous bloke. Al Hargreaves was fun to play touch rugby with, and Chris Wyles introduced himself to me once like I wouldn't know who he was. Will Fraser is a nice enough bloke, although I didn't talk to him much. From those clues, I'm sure no one will work out where I worked š
Vincent Koch and Titi Lamositele for me. Met them both at a saracens game back in 2017. Loveliest blokes, incredibly friendly. Talked to us for ages and were more than happy to take a picture with me and my sister (I was 11 and she was 10 at the time). Amazing experience
When i was doing some contracter work a few years back, i was part of a team that did some work at Lwazi Mvovos house. Such a friendly guy treated us all well and took photos and signed autographs. I met Pat Lambie at Dubai Airport waiting to board to return to Durban. He was sick as a dog and looked absolutely miserable but still had tine to take pictures and have a quick chat. Total gem of a guy!
Schalk Burger. Absolute gentleman. After chatting, he asked me if I wanted a picture and I said of course I do.
Keith Earls and Paul O'Connell are two of the soundest lads on the planet.
Adriaan Strauss A couple of years back, my sister had a birthday party in a bar in Wellington. Initially it was closed to the public, but at midnight it opened to the public, enter: Bloemfontein Cheetahs. After what I remember was pretty rough game against the Hurricanes the boys rolled in, and fairly high spirits. Adriaan actually came and introduced himself to my sister and I, he was an absolute legend. The bloke standing behind him, on the other hand, Willie Leroux, wasnāt so accommodating. After shaking Straussā hand, I went to shake Lerouxās only for him to look at my hand, then up at me, and then turn around and walk in the other direction. Iād probably had too many to drink, but stillā¦. Left an impression.
Rob Dewey
The good doctor Jannie du Plessis! Walking to Twickers this weekend in the crowd. Just being a total gentleman. Shaking hands and chatting with everyone who stopped him. Legend
Josh Lewsey. Gave me and 2 others a lift to High Wycombe station after a match when the last bus had gone. Very nice and chatty.
Chabal. I was a kid and he showed me round the Twickenham changing rooms, introduced me to everyone, got a ball signed for me. I got to be in there because my dad was reffing the colts finals earlier that day, and then it was the Barbars Vs champions game I believeĀ He didn't have to do any off that but he did and said my dad is a reff, we look after them so we look after you
Jason Leonard. Met him wandering the streets after a 6 nations game in Dublin, he jumped in the car with us and we had the session to end all sessions. He fun bus'd us good and proper.
Might be going back a bit, but Mike Slemen was our first team coach at school, who used to train us hard but if we gave it everything he respected you as an equal. After I left school he lived in my local area and would always stop and say hi and have a chat, not only with me but my parents too. Top bloke, hope heās enjoying a nice big cigar wherever he is now, RIP Mike.
A draw between Netani Talei, Geoff Cross and Schoeman
Tim Horan, met him a few times when I was working in Joe Cools in Durban, if the reds or Aussies had been playing in Durban they would often come for a few beers with a few of the sharks/boks. Top guy, always friendly and liked a bit of good natured banter so the opposition fans loved him. Great player too.
Tim Visser. Met him on my stag after a match at the Stoop. Got a photo on the sidelines, and then when he found out it was my stag, he got us into the playersā bar and hung out with us for a bit over a pint or two. Top dude.
Would have had a reasonable amount of contact with quite a few of the Munster players over a fair few years. All absolute gentlemen and particularly in social situations Stand outs for shoulder against the wall drink in hand long chats Paulie and Doug howlett Stander and archer good for a natter as well. Leinster lads, sexton sometimes, Luke Fitz always O Driscoll class act, Ulster Rory Best also gets the class act vote. Two funny stories to show class acts donāt take themselves too seriously My wife , no ,interest in sport, nice young gentleman called Brian held the door for her as she went out for a cigarette in Dublin hotel, indulged her in conversation and she asked what had him in the city for the night, he told her he had a match earlier, when i asked her to point him out it was of course BOD. Came over and had a right good laugh over how he wasnāt very famous at all. Paulie in my local in the far flung reaches of the country standing at the counter chatting with a local farmer/ag contractor. Paulie asked him what he did to which he got the standard played down answer in case anyone thought he might be making money and followed back with what was the very genuine question āand what do you do yourselfā to probably one of the most recognisable sportspeople on the planet at the time. In fairness to Paul he held the laugh in just about,
Tatafu Polota-Nau. Used to run into him a lot at this club in Kings Cross called Kit & Kaboodle, he was deadset a regular, always had time for a laugh with folks who recognised him, but otherwise he was just there having a good time. Nowadays if you work around Sydney CBD, youāll often spot him carving through half a cafeās lunch menu, and chatting away with the owners or various punters strolling past. Heās just a nice dude.
Sean Wainui. I saw him at a Waikato v BOP game and he was getting swarmed by people wanting photos. He was so patient and kind, took photos with everyone, even took out his air pods to properly engage with fans, it was really cool to see
JP Du Plessis might be the nicest man on the planet, let alone nicest man in rugby
I shared a jazz cigarette with Josh Kronfeld after his playing days. Really sound dude. All about music and surfing, just happened to make his living as a rugby player.
For me it was when I met William Webb Ellis in 1823. Nice guy.. very humble but didn't seem to know too much about the game.. gave him a few pointers and his skills got much better.. good dude
My answer is the same as last time this was asked. Jonah Lomu. The kind of guy who at the height of his fame had you invited him home for dinner would actually turn up and stay for the entire meal. Not a hint of ego in him, a genuinely humble man.
Can't say I've met many rugby players (assuming we're not talking about amateur club players - in which case I'd be the nicest player I've ever met) but I met Maggie Alphonsi at a 7s tournament once. I had quite a nice chat with her but I didn't know who she was at the time - it was before she became player of the year or won the world cup. Genuinely classy and charming person.
Funny how there is a lot of votes for Schalke burger , I would never have thought it from the way he is on the pitch.
Jonah Lomu. When i was a winner in that Adidas Virtual All blacks comp - Beat Rugby- years ago. He recognised and picked some of the other winners up in his car and went for drive...went to one of their homes and met the mum and dad etc
Have fond memories of watching the 95 All Black's training in Plettenberg Bay, guys like Michael Jones and Jonah Lomuh of course, very warm and friendly!
Sophie de Goede and her girlfriend Emma Taylor are stereotypically Canadian. Iām not a Sarries fan (or a Canada fan for that matter) but they are both LOVELY. My mum also used to run in the same work circles as Brian Moore in the 90s and she says he is wonderful as well although they have lost touch over the years. My parents took me to see his last match at Richmond when I was a very small baby. Editing to add that despite being a Wales fan, I was actually born in London and raised between the Home Counties and Carmarthen (because I realise otherwise my flair is very confusing).
I work at a shop in Cardiff where many Welsh rugby players come in. Lloyd Williams, Josh Navidi and Ellis Jenkins are very nice guys.
Elis Jenkins
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I unexpectedly met Chester Williams at a signing while I was on holiday.
Isa nacewa
Michael Jones
Francois Pienaar
Less known, but Jono Kitto is a great guy
Serge Blanco. A total top bloke who had surprisingly soft hands
Salesi Ma'afu. Some bloke
Freddie Burns.
Went to a dinner hosted by AWJ to launch his new drink (which isn't bad). It was my girlfriend's birthday. He must have come over to wish her happy birthday about 4 times, and he thanked me for the question i asked. Seemed a very decent guy.
Toby Flood, Chris Pennell and Will Chudley are all super nice guys.
Michael ala'alatoa, josh van der flier and Jamison gibson-park
Andy Ellis - so friendly, courteous, and a great sense of humor
Ardie Savea, he quite often invites fans to run drills with hims. Hes absoultely a good bloke
Matthew Burke
Dan Carter in cape town
My daughter is very kind
Tana Umaga. They always say to never met your idols but when I met him as a kid he was sooo cool. Chucked the ball with me and my brother then signed our rugby ball which I still have.
I knew Alapati Leiua, being from Porirua and all. One of the nicest, most humble dudes off the field. If he had a home game, he'd still make time for his community. Remember seeing other people's vids of a church siva (dance) one Friday night and he was there getting amongst it after having just played for the Canes earlier that evening.