It's tight fit for giant Samoan Tuilagi
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:46
Giant Samoan forward Henry Tuilagi struggled to find a shirt big enough for him to wear against France on Saturday, a dilemma which sparked a furious shopping trip in Paris on Thursday.
Tuilagi, who will start the Stade de France match at No.8, weighs in at 125kg and stands at an imposing 1.85m, but the blue shirt set aside for him was too small.
At first, a solution was found with the No.18 shirt fitting him.
A member of the backroom staff then bought blue paint from a hardware shop to cover the first digit, but the result "wasn't clean", according to the assistant.
The next solution was to list Tuilagi as the No.6, still suitable for the back row, with the shirt perfectly fitting over his broad shoulders and chest.
Back row partner Jonathan Fa'amatuainu will wear the No.8 shirt which fits his 104kg frame.
AFP