Many of the stars who lit up the first two Rounds of the 10th anniversary season of the Heineken Cup have been on international duties before Europe's premier club tournament returns on the first weekend of December.
The All Blacks are one of those Southern Hemisphere giants on tour this autumn and when Dave Gallaher's New Zealand side came to the UK in 1905 their biggest forward, Frank Newton, weighed in at 15 stone (95kg). These days the land of the long white cloud is exporting much bigger players.
Just take a look at the statistics of the former All Black back row man Isitolo Maka. When he stormed over the Glasgow line to bag one of Toulouse's six tries in their comfortable Heineken Cup Round 2 triumph his 6ft 2in frame was hauling a massive 21st 9lbs (137 kgs).
That makes him the biggest man in the Heineken Cup, although the Biarritz Olympique prop Sotele Puleoto isn't far behind him at 21st 6lbs (136 kgs). And waiting in the wings to top them all is the Tongan-born Montpellier prop Philemon Toleafoa.
The 22-year-old is currently the baby of the heavyweights, weighing in at a mere 21 st 4 lbs (135 kgs). That said, he has plenty of time to grow!
