Fans only just realise former England Rugby star played Hagrid in Harry Potter films

Transitioning from the world of sports due to a neck injury in 1998, Bayfield found a new path in broadcasting, where his colossal stature quite literally elevated him above his peers as a presenter for TNT Sport.

Beyond his sports and broadcasting careers, Bayfield's towering presence took on a more magical role in the Harry Potter film series. Cast as the stunt and body double for Robbie Coltrane's beloved character, Hagrid, Bayfield donned a fat suit to portray the half-giant groundskeeper.

Many iconic scenes featuring Hagrid towering over his fellow cast members actually starred Bayfield, who stood a remarkable 10 inches taller than Coltrane.

To ensure continuity in scenes requiring close-ups of Hagrid's face, an animatronic head resembling Coltrane was utilised and worn by Bayfield.

Reflecting on his unconventional career shift, Bayfield humorously remarked, "At least no one ever punched me whilst filming Harry Potter."

Producers of the film praised Bayfield's contribution, emphasising that without his physical presence as a double, the scenes involving Hagrid would have required extensive digital manipulation, making them among the most costly in the movie.

As part of our build-up to the Rugby World Cup in Japan RUCK has found the six tallest rugby players EVER!

The only British & Irish Lion to feature on this list, Gray has been one of the tallest locks in northern hemisphere rugby this decade after breaking through at Glasgow Warriors. After making his debut in 2008 for the Scotstoun outfit, Gray went on to become a key first-team regular during the 2010/11 season when he was named in the Celtic League (PRO12) Team of the Year in an otherwise fruitless season for Glasgow.

Moves to Sale Sharks, Castres and Toulouse have followed to see Gray feature on the international scene alongside his younger brother Jonny – who doesn’t quite measure up to his brother being 9cm shorter than his older sibling.

John Eales, Nathan Sharpe, Rob Simmons. Australia tend to encourage height as much as mobility when it comes to their second row, but the three players listed don’t quite reach the heights of Arnold despite topping over 200cm.

The Wales team-mate Shane Williams rarely liked standing next to. Charteris’ huge engine has seen his international career amass 74 Test caps since his debut in South Africa back in 2004. He's now playing for Bath in the Gallagher Premiership.

The 208 cm (6 ft 10in) tall Bayfield made his England debut in 1991, and would accumulate 34 caps along with three for the British & Irish Lions. Following his retirement, the lock dabbled in acting before becoming a well respected presenter on BT Sport and ITV.

The tallest player currently playing and one who Ireland coach Joe Schmidt relied on to ease the burden of Paul O’Connell’s retirement from international rugby. 6’10” Toner has been a consistent performer for Ireland and for Leinster over the span of his career..

The only player on this list to be 7’0″ or taller, Scotland’s Richie Metcalfe really was a giant of rugby and will be familiar to supporters of Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints.

The Leeds-born lock played 13 times for Scotland and is not only known for being rugby’s tallest player but also the player who was dropped to the replacements bench for Northampton’s victorious Heineken Cup final win in 2000.