This man has, to put it simply, balls of steel. Wayne Thomas "Buck" Shelford shocked and awed everyone at the same time during one fateful match that left him walking with a hanging testicle. This news is not new, but it's worthy of a mention for his sheer strength.
Rugby is one of those tough games that firmly distinguishes the 'Men' from the 'Boys'. It is, as we know, a ruthless game filled with real injuries and real, excruciating pain. As part of the game, players engage in something called "rucking.” It involves everyone falling over each other in order to get the ball first.
As it happens, the men don't mind giving their fellow players a 'hard' time. These players have no 'padding' or any other form of protection. For Shelford, a Frenchman's spiky shoe made brutal contact with his scrotum, while he was busy getting his hands on the Rugby ball.
The cleat, as the shoe is called, ripped open his scrotum. Shelford not only walked up to the physio with his testicle hanging, he actually got himself stitched up and jumped back into the game. Unfortunately, he suffered 4 broken teeth and a head concussion later during the same match. That had, effectively, put him out of the game.
Alas, his team lost that game, named the 'Battle of Nantes' for its incredible aggression. The NewZealand player has no memory of the 1986 game, which was his Test debut for the All Blacks against France.
[Picture Courtesy: Russell Cheyne/Getty Images]
(AW: Sruthi)