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'He probably squats more than me and I bench more than him.'

Cian Healy and Andrew Porter

“He probably squats more than me and I bench more than him – call it even.”

That was Cian Healy’s response when asked who could lift more, himself or fellow Ireland prop Andrew Porter.

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Porter’s prodigious gym strength – and Healy’s before him – have been the talk of Irish rugby circles for years. The numbers they have been putting up would look more at home within the powerlifting community than in ranks of a field sport.

Exactly how much rugby players lift is generally subject to more than a smidge of conjecture and buckets loads of rumour. For the most part, the best anyone can go on is taking them at their word.

It is understood is that Healy’s holds the bench press record in the current Ireland camp. As fellow loosehead David Kilcoyne’s bench press PB is 187.5kg, we can infer that Healy likely benches at least 190kg.

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In fact Healy told The42.ie in 2015 that he benched 190kg and squats 300kg. Being that that figure was given four years ago, he could well have bested it since.

Meanwhile, multiple sources have Porter squatting 350kg, or nearly three times his own bodyweight; a figure that tallies with Healy’s claim that Porter squats more than him.

While these figures are impressive in their own right, bench presses approaching or even exceeding 200kg are become more or less the norm in professional rugby union.

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England’s Andrew Sheridan famously had a PB of 225kg on the bench, while Samoan backrow Alfie To’oala benched 210kg at London Welsh – a figure equalled by Sale Sharks prop Will Griff John. A mention should also go to former Wallabies winger Alistair Murdoch, who benched 230.5kg, albeit after he retired from the game.

Porter’s reputed squat PB of 350kg – however – would be an outlier even in the world of heavy lifting frontrow forwards.

Meanwhile, Healy has the small matter of the All Blacks in a World Cup quarter-final to think about.

“Do-or-die game. I think everyone understands that and knows the position we are in and the opportunity of what we have to do. It is not a case of looking to get people to buy-in.

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“Everyone wants in. Everyone is trying to get in. That’s going to cause big challenges for the coaches, to pick that team, because everyone has put their hand up. Everyone wants to be involved.”

One imagines bench pressing records are the last thing on this loosehead’s mind.

Press conference with Ireland forwards coach Simon Easterby in Tokyo ahead of Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand

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Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Rassie Erasmus' Boks selection policy is becoming bizarre

To be fair, the only thing that drives engagement on this site is over the top critiques of Southern Hemisphere teams.


Or articles about people on podcasts criticizing southern hemisphere teams.


Articles regarding the Northern Hemisphere tend to be more positive than critical. I guess to also rile up kiwis and Saffers who seem to be the majority of followers in the comments section. There seems to be a whole department dedicated to Ireland’s world ranking news.


Despite being dialled into the Northern edition - I know sweet fokall about what’s going on in France.


And even less than fokall about what’s cutting in Japan - which has a fast growing, increasingly premium League competition emerging.


And let’s not talk about the pacific. Do they even play rugby Down there.


Oh and the Americas. I’ve read more articles about a young, stargazing Welshman’s foray into NFL than I have anything related to either the north and south continents of the Americas.


I will give credit that the women’s game is getting decent airtime. But for the rest and the above; it’s just pathetic coming from a World Rugby website.


Just consider the innovation emerging in Japan with the pedigree of coaches over there.


There’s so much good we could be reading.


Instead it’s unimaginative “critical for the sake of feigning controversial”. Which is lazy, because in order to pull that off all you need to be really good at is:


1. Being a doos;

2. Having an opinion.


No prior experience needed.


Which is not journalism. That’s like all or most of us in the comments section. People like Finn (who I believe is a RP contributor).


Anyway. Hopefully it will get better. The game is growing and the interest in the game is growing. Maybe it will attract more qualified journalists over time.

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