World Cup star makes portly rugby fans feel better about life

Hope for us all yet.

One look at Ireland's line-up at Wembley, on Sunday, would tell even the most casual fan that rugby is an athlete's game now. Loose forwards and locks are now topping 9km in distance covered per match and even hookers are haring around the park in between their usual donkey work. The last vestige [or hiding place] used to be on either side of the front row. Ball-carrying props like Cian Healy, Owen Franks and James Marler are tipping that theory on its head though. Perhaps that is why so many rugby fans were delighted to see Oscar Duran lining out for Uruguay yesterday. The 5' 7" prop, who showed up on the Rugby Banter Page, weighs in at 118kg [18st 8lbs] and stretched every fibre of his figure-hugging jersey. Duran came off the bench in his side's 65-3 defeat to Australia. For those 27 minutes, though... old-school poetry in motion.