Ollie Hassell-Collins will bring a new meaning to the rugby phrase 'hard as nails' when he makes his England debut against Scotland on Saturday.
The London Irish man will become the first winger to debut in a Six Nations game since Jack Nowell in 2014. But he won't be underlining his allegiance to his country via a tattoo, or even by pointing to the red rose on his shirt.
Instead, the 24-year-old will mark the occasion in a most unusual manner for a rugby player. He'll take to the field at Twickenham shortly before 4.45pm sporting red-and-white painted nails, and it won't be the first time either for the eccentric star.
“My nails . I wear quite a lot of jewellery and, obviously, I can’t wear jewellery in games,” he told Rugby Football Union’s Inside Line series. "So I suppose it’s almost like my permanent jewellery.
“I used to bite my nails. I was painting them before – but clear. So, I decided to jazz them up a bit. It used to be white and green, for Irish, but now they’re white and red for England.”
Hassell-Collins is one of a host of changes made by new head coach Steve Borthwick, forming part of a new-look back three with Freddie Steward and Max Malins. And his selection was seemingly sealed with an eye-catching display as London Irish were beaten 28-14 by the Stormers in the Champions Cup last month.
“Steve [Borthwick] called me after the Stormers game,” Hassell-Collins sais. “I was in the car with my girlfriend and I got the call. It was a bit nerve-racking. She was looking at me saying, ‘What do we do?’
"I answered it and he asked how the game went and then congratulated me. My girlfriend was trying to hold back tears and excitement while I was on the call – but it was an amazing feeling. Sometimes I don’t feel like I come across as too excited, so I dropped him a text afterwards telling him how excited I was."
The self confessed Harry Potter fan has previously represented his country at under 18, 19, and 7s level, but despite being called up be Eddie Jones for the 2022 Six Nations, didn't make a single appearance.
If he crossed the whitewash in the Calcutta Cup though, expect the cameraman to make an unusual beeline for his nails.
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