Ask most rugby players whether they believe the general perception of the athlete is accurate, and a large proportion of those will tell you it is not.
The "big and burly"—sometimes even "brutish"—assumptions made about those who play the sport is often far removed from the truth, but some face undue pressure to fit the profile nonetheless.
Austin Hay has experienced those struggles in not only meeting that mould, but adapting in the face of adversity and learning how to react once his route to rugby's pinnacle went off course.
The loosehead prop was formerly on the books at London Irish while studying for a Sports Performance degree at Bath University—but he suffered a blow when he was released by the Premiership club in 2019.
Almost three years on from that seminal moment in his career and Hay, 24, has become more open about his approach to mental health, which has in the past even led to thoughts of suicide.
