Ireland To Scrum Against World Cup's Heaviest Player, Tonga's Ben Tameifuna

Size isn't everything in rugby union but it certainly has value at the elite level. Ireland will be taking on the largest player at the Rugby World Cup when they play Tonga this Saturday, in the form of their tighthead prop and captain, Ben Tameifuna.

Ben Tameifuna: The largest man at Rugby World Cup 2023

There are a lot of big men involved in Rugby's global showpiece this year, from 6' 8, French lock Roman Taofifuena to the rock of the South African scrum, Frans Malherbe. However, none are heavier than the Tongan skipper. At an enormous 151kg, the New Zealand born prop has qualified for Tonga on ancestral grounds. He anchors a Tonga front row that weighs in at 387kg combined.

Tameifuna narrowly missed out on earning a cap for All Blacks in 2012 after training with the squad in preparation for a three match Test series against Ireland.

BOOMFA BEN 💥

Throwing back to this MASSIVE HIT from big Ben Tameifuna in 2014 🤯#SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/W1Uz4FFJp9

— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) August 8, 2023

Since leaving his country of birth in 2015 after a four year stint with the Waikato Chiefs, the nearly 24 stone Tongan captain has plied his trade in the French Top 14 playing for the Paris based outfit, Racing 92 and most recently Bordeaux Bégles.

During his time in France he has impressed mightily, in a league where size amongst forward packs is a premium currency, the Tongan has offered exactly that. He is however, more than just numbers on a scale, his footballing talents have been very evident while playing in the expansive systems of teams such as Racing and he even went somewhat viral when Munster and Ireland fullback Simon Zebo posted a video of him drilling touchlines kicks at goal during a training session back in 2018.

Big @ben_tameifuna with the skills 🔥👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/sc3fhuBfKZ

— Simon Zebo (@SimonZebo) August 20, 2018

Irish struggles against bigger opposition

Eyebrows have been raised this week in certain corners after Andy Farrell named a nearly full strength side for this weekend's pool game against Tonga. Farrell robustly answered these queries in a press conference on Thursday,

"Every game is of the same importance for us. The only thing I care about is winning this weekend, because the points on offer is exactly the same as what's coming down the line."

Tongan attack coach and former Munster fly half, Tyler Bleyendaal, described the familiarity within the Tongan squad with Irish rugby and their experiences of playing within and against the Irish provincial teams but stated they were, "Putting an awful lot of focus on our own game."

Irish sides have been victims of an enormous size differential, especially up front, at the club level in recent times with Leinster's demise against La Rochelle in the last two European Cup final being cited as a prime example of when a team is out muscled. The man who represented this gulf in mass better than anyone was the Australian lock, Will Skelton. Weighing in at an eye watering 135kg, Skelton said that he had made a particular effort to lose weight, after describing his transformation to Rugby Pass,

"I was 148kgs and now 135kg at the moment and I have more bounce on the field and feel I can do more on the pitch. This is the best shape and best I have ever felt."

14 January 2018; Peter O'Mahony, Munster in action against Ben Tameifuna of Racing 92 during the European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 4 Round 5 match between Racing 92 and Munster at the U Arena in Paris, France. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Munster men such as Tadhg Beirne, Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray have all played against Tameifuna in the Champions Cup.

Top 10 heaviest players at the 2023 Rugby World Cup: Ben Tameifuna at number 1

Despite Skelton's weight loss he is still one of the heaviest playing at this years tournament, here's a full list of the top 10 largest men at the Rugby World Cup 2023:

SEE MORE: Ireland v Tonga: Andy Farrell Names Full Strength Team To Play Tonga