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Clive Mason/Getty Images/Getty Images
Ollie Hassell-Collins of England warms up with his painted nails prior to the Six Nations Rugby match against England at Twickenham.
Remember when All Blacks midfielder Ma’a Nonu admitted to wearing eyeliner in big rugby games back in 2004?
Then Nonu’s great silver booted Welsh rival Gavin Henson revealed in 2005 that he used to shave his legs and slap on hair gel before kickoff.
New England wing Ollie Hassell-Collins is the latest rugby player unafraid to stand out in the crowd through a spot of self-expression.
The 1.92m 104kg outside back has begun painting his fingernails red and white in traditional St George flag colours for Six Nations tests.
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The 24-year-old – London Irish’s first England test starter for nine years – told The Guardian he didn’t expect to set a new rugby trend, but he’d been emboldened to decorate his nails by his partner Eloise.
“My girlfriend gave me a lot of confidence to try it. She’d say: ‘Just do it.’ And I kind of liked it. It just grew from there.
“Previously I’d thought about it but never actually did it. I don’t expect every rugby player will be painting their nails any time soon but it’s just me. It’s the way I am. I don’t see any point in changing that.”
SKY SPORT
Steve Borthwick got his first win as England coach as his pack overpowered the Italians at Twickenham.
Hassell-Collins, who made his England debut against Scotland at Twickenham a week ago, has usually sports green and white nails – London Irish’s colours – for club games.
A prolific scorer for London Irish (39 tries in 90 games), he told England Rugby’s Instagram page his nails were “obviously red and white for England’’ at test level.
Hassell-Collins , a Harry Potter fan, has a Golden Snitch tattoo on his arm and is known for taking his three cats, Betsy, Albus and Marmalade, for walks.
He said on the Instagram page that the nails fad was “kind of this season’’.
“I wear quite a lot of jewellery, and obviously I can’t wear jewellery in games so I suppose it’s like my permanent jewellery.”
David Rogers/Getty Images
Ollie Hassell-Collins and his painted nails at an England captain’s run before his debut against Scotland.
Hassell-Collins said he “used to bite my nails so I was painting them clear’’, but “decided to jazz them up a little bit’’.
And do the nifty nails give Hassell-Collins an edge?
“Absolutely,’’ he told The Guardian before playing in England’s 31-14 win over Italy on Sunday (Monday NZ time). “Look good, feel good, play good. I’m a strong believer in it.”
And what do rugby traditionalists think?
Alastair Grant/AP
England’s Ollie Hassell-Collins left tries to escape a tackle by Scotland’s Sione Tuipulotu on his Six Nations debut.
Former Taranaki dairy farmer Kieran Crowley – an All Black fullback from 1985 to 1991 – now coaches Italy.
‘Colt’ Crowley was asked by the Agence France-Presse news agency after the England test, how he’d react if one of his players daubed his fingernails in Italian colours.
“They are grown men, they can do what they want,” Crowley said.
“As long as it doesn’t affect their performance, when it starts to affect their performance, I might say something.”
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