Men’s rugby can be brutal, it is a full-contact sport, fuelled by testosterone and full of aggression.

Thirty players spend 80 minutes trying to smash seven shades of sh*t out of each other, and then come the final whistle they shake hands, complement their opposite number on the power of that big hit, and then retire to the bar to share a pint or three, full of respect for each other.

The images on this page concentrate on the moments away from the action on the field of play.