LIST | 5 pairs of stars you didn’t know played together as kids

Rugby News

by Steven Smith

Sunday, 23 August 2020 at 08:02

bySteven Smith

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These pairs of rugby stars or celebrities played together when the dream of turning professional was still just a pipe dream...

1. Steff Evans & Josh Adams

When the pair lined up as fresh-faced 11-year-olds in the same schoolboys team at the Millennium Stadium, only in their wildest of dreams could they have imagined they would be back there playing for their country in a Six Nations match in front of 74,500 fans.

Yet that childhood fantasy became reality in 2018 when the former classmates reunited in Warren Gatland’s new-look side that thumped Scotland 34-7 in Cardiff. Evans currently turns out for Scarlets while Adams joined Cardiff Blues from Worcester in 2019.

Steff Evans and Josh Adams (front row) during their school days

2. Taulupe Faletau, Billy Vunipola & Mako Vunipola

The cousins started their impressive rugby careers alongside each other when playing for New Panteg RFC. They've all gone onto become global superstars with the Vunipola's becoming stalwarts for England and Faletau representing Wales.

Taulupe Faletau (back-row, centre left) with Mako Vunipola (back-row, right) and Billy Vunipola (back-row, left) in the East Wales Schools Under-11s in 2002

3. Joe Marler & Billy Twelvetrees

Gloucester star Twelvetrees spent his youth at a succession of Sussex rugby clubs, including a spell at Haywards Heath in the same side as Harlequins prop Joe Marler.

The pair would eventually play for England together in 2013 with Twelvetrees since accumulating 22 caps and Marler 66. They've also both played for the British & Irish Lions.

4. Eddie Redmayne & Prince William

It turns out the pair attended Eton College together as boys and were actually closer than you might expect, as the Fantastic Beasts star revealed they both were on the school’s rugby team.

Redmayne elaborated, ‘Any school you played – all they wanted to do was tackle Prince William so that they could say, ‘I tackled Prince William.’’