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Rugby has produced some seriously tough men. But according to Wales legend Graham Price, nobody was harder than a fearsome French prop.
Forget the fancy boots and gym selfies. These were players who could make grown men question their career choices. And Price knows a thing or two about rugby's rougher side.
The former Wales prop won 41 caps and played 12 straight Tests for the British & Irish Lions. He faced some of the game's most feared forwards. And he rarely took a backward step.
Back in 2020, Price picked his 10 hardest players for WalesOnline. His list featured four All Blacks, three Frenchmen, two Springboks and one Englishman.
And yes, Bakkies Botha only finished ninth.
Here's Price's ranking, with his own words and our RUCK verdict on each player.
One of the most feared locks of the modern era. The double Rugby World Cup-winner has built his career on huge hits, fierce tackles and a refusal to back down.
The Springboks giant has won two World Cups. He has also become one of South Africa's greatest forwards.
What Graham Price said:
“Etzebeth is another who never took a backward step.”
Eben Etzebeth has no plans to call time on his Springboks career as he targets a third successive Rugby World Cup triumph.
Price also noted the influence of Bakkies Botha on the giant lock's career.
RUCK Verdict:
Tenth? That's going to upset a few Springboks fans.
Etzebeth has spent years making life miserable for opposing forwards.
He's got the size, the power and the attitude.
Put him in any era and he'd be a nightmare to face. Then again, the fact this list was put together in 2020 might calm a few angry Springboks fans. Or not.
The man who made intimidation an art form. Botha was the beating heart of South Africa's pack for more than a decade. He won the 2007 World Cup and helped the Springboks beat the Lions in 2009.
The former lock has also named the three toughest opponents he ever faced.
What Graham Price said:
“He was still able to stand out as the Springboks' enforcer for a decade.”
Price praised Botha for maintaining his fearsome reputation despite the growing number of television cameras.
RUCK Verdict:
Ninth place feels almost insulting.
Botha didn't just win collisions. He made sure opponents remembered them.
The Springboks legend later laughed about his position on the list. You suspect he'd have fancied his chances against anyone above him.
The late All Blacks legend was built like a brick wall.
Collins was famous for his huge tackles and brutal work around the breakdown.
He didn't need to shout. His shoulders did most of the talking.
What Graham Price said:
“He intimidated with his ferocious tackling and fearsome ball-carrying.”
Price also recalled Collins' famous tackle on Wales flanker Colin Charvis.
The late All Blacks enforcer Jerry Collins was feared for his bone-crunching tackles. (Credit: IMAGO / Panoramic by PsnewZ)
RUCK Verdict:
One of the most intimidating players ever to wear the black jersey.
Collins could change a match with one tackle.
There was nothing flashy about his game. Just pure force.
Few players have a tougher reputation than Buck Shelford.
The former All Blacks captain became famous for his courage and fearless approach.
His role in the infamous Battle of Nantes remains part of rugby folklore.
What Graham Price said:
Price highlighted Shelford's fearsome reputation and the toughness that made him an All Blacks legend.
The former New Zealand captain was never one to take a backward step.
RUCK Verdict:
If rugby had a toughness test, Shelford would probably break the machine.
His reputation has survived for decades.
That's usually a sign you were doing something right.
The England prop was one of the toughest men of his generation.
Cotton played alongside Price on the 1977 Lions tour of New Zealand.
The pair knew each other well. They also knew how to handle themselves.
What Graham Price said:
“If you went into battle, you knew Franny would watch your back.”
Price recalled how a New Zealand newspaper regularly singled Cotton out for his physical approach.
RUCK Verdict:
The only Englishman on the list. And what a choice.
Cotton was the sort of bloke you'd want beside you in a scrap.
Not because he'd start it. Because he'd make sure you finished it.
Frank Oliver was a hard man with a few tricks up his sleeve. The All Blacks lock played 43 Tests and built a fierce reputation in the 1970s. Price knew him well. And one match still sticks in his mind.
What Graham Price said:
Price recalled Oliver's role in Wales' controversial 1978 defeat to New Zealand.
He claimed Oliver had been barging Geoff Wheel in the lineout throughout the match.
RUCK Verdict:
They didn't call him 'Filthy Frank' for nothing.
Oliver knew every trick in the book. And probably invented a few.
The sort of second-row who could ruin your afternoon without breaking a sweat.
One of the greatest All Blacks ever. Sir Colin Meads was a giant of New Zealand rugby.
Nicknamed 'Pinetree', he built a reputation for his strength and no-nonsense approach.
What Graham Price said:
“The best out and out player in my selection”
Price also praised the legendary lock for refusing to be pushed around.
RUCK Verdict:
A rugby icon who looked like he'd been carved from a tree.
Meads was tough, talented and feared across the world.
Fourth place is some achievement in this company.
The man they called the Beast of Béziers.
Estève was a towering French lock with a fearsome reputation.
He played in an era when rugby could be more like a street fight.
What Graham Price said:
Price recalled a story that Estève had once thrown a man from a first-floor bedroom window after catching him with his wife.
It was a tale Price presented as legend, rather than a verified event.
RUCK Verdict:
You wouldn't want to get on his wrong side.
Estève was built for a different era. One where the referee sometimes had the hardest job of all.
Third place feels about right.
Another member of France's notorious pack of the 1970s.
Palmié was a powerful lock who played on the edge.
Price knew all about him. And he had the scars to prove it.
What Graham Price said:
“In one match he whacked me so hard on the head I had a four inch gash.”
Price also recalled Palmié's disciplinary record and his reputation for foul play.
RUCK Verdict:
A four-inch cut is a fairly good reason to remember someone.
Palmié was one of the game's most feared forwards.
You get the feeling Price was quite happy when their playing days ended.
The hardest man in rugby history, according to Graham Price.
Cholley was a former French paratrooper and heavyweight boxing champion in the armed forces.
He brought that fearsome background onto the rugby pitch.
Price faced him several times. Those meetings clearly left an impression.
What Graham Price said:
“Cholley was a loosehead so I directly came up against him several times”
Price recalled Cholley making a fist gesture towards him before a match in Paris in 1977.
The message was clear. It was going to be a long afternoon.
He also shared a story about Cholley being recruited to rugby after emerging as the last man standing in a bar fight.
RUCK Verdict:
A former boxer, a paratrooper and a French international prop. What could possibly go wrong?
Cholley was rugby's ultimate hard man in Price's eyes. And when someone who played 12 straight Lions Tests says you're the toughest, that's quite a compliment.
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