Uini Atonio: How much does France Six Nations star weigh? How tall is he?
UINI ATONIO is a man-mountain, but just how big is the France international?
Six Nations: France arrive at stadium ahead of opener
France are targeting Six Nations success in the 2019 tournament, and manager Jacques Brunel has decided brawn and bulk is the way forward for Les Bleus.
The current French pack is one of the heaviest in Test match history, with an intimidating collection of giants looking to dominate their opposition up front.
The pick of the bunch is La Rochelle star Uini Atonio, who was named the biggest forward at the 2015 World Cup and is believed to be the heaviest player on show in the Six Nations.
The tighthead prop, who can also play in the second row, weighs in at a staggering 24st, 8lbs (156kg).
However, that is not Atonio’s only impressive statistic with the 28-year-old standing at a jaw-dropping 6ft 5 1/2 in (1.97m).
The New Zealand-born ace has Samoan heritage and represented the nation at U20 level before switching to Les Bleus in 2014 after qualifying through three years of residency.
Atonio already has 31 caps for France and is tipped to make a huge impression on opposing packs over the next two months.
While the prop’s scrummaging has been called into question in the past, Atonio is swifter than expected and can cause some serious damage around the fringes.
The French pack as a whole, bolstered by Paul Willemse (21st, 4lbs) and Jefferson Poirot (19st, 6lbs), weighs in at a monstrous 154st and looks set to be the powerhouse of this year’s championship.
However, the other five nations are no shrinking violets and a gruelling run of bone-shaking clashes looks certain to severely test the depth of each squad.
Ireland are the defending champions and favourites, having sealed a brilliant Grand Slam last year.
However, England and Wales are also backed to impress in our predicted table while France are not given much of a chance despite their monster pack.