“He was relentless…” – England prop Jason Leonard ranks rugby’s five biggest drinkers

England legend Jason Leonard has ranked the five biggest drinkers from his playing days when picking his Drinking XV.

Leonard noted that he had 28 pints of lager and when the astounded, part-time nutritionist asked just exactly he was up to each week to consume 28 pints, he was met with a confused look. "That's 20 pints on the Saturday and eight to settle the head on Sunday," Leonard replied.

The switch from amateurism to professional may have been a shock to the system for many players but the very best of them adapted.

Leonard went on to make a then world record of 119 Test appearances [114 for England and five for the Lions] before he retired. The pints were there but not as many of them as before.

Here, Leonard ranks the five biggest drinkers (excluding him) that he came across during his legendary career.

A fullback, he is widely regarded to be one of the best ever Scottish rugby players and was one of the outstanding players of his generation, winning 61 caps for Scotland, 20 of which as captain.

He played for Watsonians, London Scottish, Cambridge University, Scotland and the British Lions.

The Scotland fullback twice toured with the British and Irish Lions, to Australia in 1989 and as captain on the 1993 tour to New Zealand.

DID YOU KNOW? In 1996, Hasting joined the Scottish Claymores an American Football team in the NFL Europe

He played professionally first for London Wasps and then Bedford Blues in the 1990s. He earned 15 caps for Canada between 1987 and 1994, and was part of the team that reached the quarter-final of the 1991 Rugby World Cup.

DID YOU KNOW? While working in London and playing for Wasps, he gained perhaps his greatest notoriety for roughing up two hooligans on the London Underground

The Wales centre, also known by the nickname of "Car Crash", represented Wales and the Lions in rugby union and Wales and Great Britain in rugby league. 

Noted feats included his performance in the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa (in which he was named "Player of the Series") and the individual try he scored in the dying minutes of the last Five Nations match in 1999 against England.

DID YOU KNOW? He currently coaches the Pirates in Muscat, Oman

Dooley more than justified his nickname of "The Blackpool Tower". Standing at six feet eight inches tall and a Police Officer in Blackpool, Dooley amassed 55 England caps after making his debut against Romania in 1985.

DID YOU KNOW? Since retirement, Dooley and his wife, Sharon, have run a tea room called Dizzy Ducks at Wrea Green

Richards was a number eight and played 314 games for Leicester Tigers between 1982 and 1997, he was captain as Leicester won the 1994-95 Courage League and the 1997 Pilkington Cup, and also played as Leicester won the inaugural English league title in 1987-88 and the 1993 Pilkington Cup.

He played 48 times for England between 1986 and 1996, a world record number of caps for his position at the time, including the 1987, 1991 and 1995 Rugby World Cups, and represented the British Lions on their 1989 tour to Australia and 1993 tour to New Zealand playing in six international matches.

DID YOU KNOW? Richards was a police constable for Leicestershire Constabulary between the 1980s and 1990s before English rugby union became professional.