Athletes often get to live incredible lives outside of their respective sports. Rugby players seem to be an interesting bunch, and have hobbies and lives that give more insight into rugby players lives and their personalities.
Here is a look into some truly unique rugby players lives and activities they enjoy outside of the sport.
Mike Tindall
Mike Tindall is a well-known rugby player, and some of his hobbies are surprising and add to his overall persona. If you enjoy playing cards or attending poker events, you might find yourself next to former England International Rugby captain Mike Tindall on a rare occasion. While Tindall is primarily known for his time on the rugby field, his personal life aside from the sport is just as interesting. He is an avid card player who enjoys traveling around the world to play in different tournament games and has a reputation for performing quite well. In 2005 while recovering from an injury, he entered the British Poker Open and placed 3rd overall.
As most British fans already know, Tindall is married to Zara Phillips, a member of the British Royal Family and former Olympic equestrian. Fittingly, he has also taken up a love for horses as well. The couple is regularly spotted together at luxurious horse racing events and with Phillips’ expertise in horse breeding and racing, the couple purchased one together with the intent to compete. After paying £12,000 to buy the horse named Monbeg Dude in 2010, the couple raced him in the 2015 Grand National where he placed third, netting the couple an astounding £120,000. When Tindall is not tied up with poker or horses, he has several more aspirations as well. He owns numerous properties including lofts and apartments in England and Dubai, and has been involved with many companies over the years. While some athletes retire from their sport and try to just keep the endorsements coming, Tindall has taken on a very exciting and active life.
Shane Monahan
Representing Ireland, Shane Monahan played for several teams during his rugby career before retiring in 2015. It turns out, rugby wasn’t his only passion or talent. Monahan has been thoroughly enjoying his second career as a painter and has been doing quite well for himself thus far. Many of his paintings are centered around the sport of rugby and his former teammates, most selling in the £1,500-1,600 range. While he attributes his artistic skill somewhat to courses in secondary school, he is largely a self-taught artist that prefers to work in his own style instead of following the trends.
Rory Underwood
Underwood has the distinction of being England’s record international try scorer. Between 1984 and 1996, Underwood was credited with 49 tries in 85 internationals. While rugby was always a sport that was a big part of his life, he was also determined to be a pilot from a young age. While training and playing rugby, he was participating in flight training and amassed 3,000 logged hours in the cockpit. He was part of the Royal Air Force as a Flight Lieutenant, a position he held for 18 years. While he still makes time to get in the air these days, he also mentors and does networking events.
Andy Powell
Many rugby players have larger than life personalities, but Andy Powell could possibly be one of the most entertaining of all. The Youtube channel, RugbyPass Official even made a mini-doc with him, calling Powell “one of the most interesting men to ever play rugby.” His rugby career alone would have put him above most. From Wales to England to France and elsewhere, he played for many teams from 1999 to 2016. Since his time in rugby, it seems as though he has shown an interest in another tough sport, boxing. In 2019 Powell agreed to a charity bout vs event organizer Danny Davies that took place on August 17 of last year. In the lead up to the match, he even called out the recently retired rugby player James Haskell, who also made a foray into combat sports, signing with Bellator MMA. It seems that the Powell saga is far from over, and there is no telling where his path could lead next.
Many others too have some interesting backgrounds and past times. Jonah Lomu loved his car stereos, Gavin Hensen seemed to spend more time at the hairdressers (than most) but overall, the Superstar rugby players lives are certainly notable.
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