LIST: 5 sets of rugby players you didn't know were related

Successful footballing names such as Vunipola (Billy and Mako), Hastings (Gavin and Scott), Youngs (Ben and Tom), Barrett (Beauden and Jordie) and Underwood (Rory and Tony) have all left their indelible mark on the beautiful game.

Sometimes football families are spread across generations too. Just think of these famous footballing father and son duos; Andy and Owen Farrell, Bryan and Cameron Redpath, George and Mike Ford and, of course, Dick and Will Greenwood.

The aforementioned names are all famous across the rugby globe for the successes they enjoyed on the field and anyone who knows a thing or two about rugby is well aware of their family connections.

However, there are loads of other relations playing the game at an elite level, ranging from brothers to cousins to fathers to the slightly more tenuous link of brothers in law.

Gloucester speedster Thorley is Itoje’s cousin after his grandfather re-married a Nigerian woman who is the Saracens lock’s aunt.

They were both born in the north of New Zealand. While Cooper moved to Brisbane in his teens and became a star of the Wallabies, Maitland headed to Christchurch to join the Canterbury Crusaders before heeding his Glaswegian grandfather’s words to remember his roots and headed for Scotland.

The Curry twins are the nephew of former England hooker John Olver and cousins of former Northampton Saints fly-half Sam Olver, who is now at Doncaster Knights.

While fly-half Owen captains the England rugby union team, his cousin Liam has starred as a second-row for England and Wigan in rugby league.

The Scarlets and Wales U20 centre is the cousin of retired top referee Nigel Owens.