So, what did we learn this season?

[MungoMan]

I can't see how 4 inches and about a stone isn't material. You can see the difference in size here

Taking the most generous readings of his height and weight, Thorn was 6'5" (lol, no chance) and 114kg / 17st 13.

Compared with contemporaries at the 2011 world cup:

Sam Whitelock 6'8" / 117kg (18st 6)
Ali Williams 6'8" / 118kg (18st 8)
Dan Vickerman 6'8.5" / 119kg (18st 10)
Rob Simmons 6'7" / 115kg (18st 2)
James Horwill 6'7" / 117kg (18st 6)
Nathan Sharpe 6'7" / 115kg (18st 2)
Louis Deacon 6'6" / 117kg (18st 6)
Courtney Lawes 6'8" / 115kg (18st 2)
Tom Palmer 6'7" / 118kg (18st 8)
Simon Shaw 6'8" / 123kg (19st 5)
Pascal Pape 6'5" / 122kg (19st 3)
Romain Millo-Chluski 6'5" / 121kg (19st 1)
Lionel Nallet 6'6" / 117kg (18st 6)
Bakkies Botha 6'7.5" / 124kg (19st 7)
Victor Matfield 6'7" / 117kg (18st 6)
Danie Rossouw 6'6" / 119kg (18st 10)
Alun Wyn Jones 6'6" / 122kg (19st 2)
Bradley Davies 6'6" / 122kg (19st 2)

let alone Brodie Retallick at 6'8" and 124kg (19st 7)

All stats from Wikipedia so obviously huge pinch of salt, but then it's really obvious just looking at photos that Thorn was a lot smaller than the locks he played with and against. The vast majority of international locks were well over 18 stone, he was usually comfortably under it. The majority of them also had a few inches of height on him. All of the ones I found under 18 stone were a lot taller.

So, like I said, when it comes to having "the two biggest locks on the field", Thorn was an exception. He was quite often the smallest lock on the field.

He just didn't play like it. Absolute freak.

I saw Thorn up close a few times in his league days and have seen him plenty of times since he took up coaching. I wouldn't doubt for a minute the posted height of 195cm (also given as his height when he played for the Broncos). And his weight varied a bit over the years.

He was bigggish when he first left RL (relevantly, his final season was also the last season of unlimited interchange) and bulked up firther at the Crusaders. He was playing at 118kg or a tad above when he left RU to return to RL but was eventually run down to about 112kg by the new Broncos' fitness coach - the plan was to use Thorn more as high-workrate player rather than impact player.

After he came back to the Crusaders, Thorn asked Robbie Deans if he should start bulking up and the coach responded along the lines of 'Hold off for a bit'. Ultimately Thorn did put on a kg or two but without regaining his former size and, as per the Broncos, was used as a workrate player.

195cm is just under 6'4", so that's about right. It's those putting him at 6'5 that made me laugh!

Out by an inch. Just under 6'5". (195x0.3937).

[Kawazaki]

Anyone who plays lock at test level is going to be a massive bastard. It's the 'density' of a lock that separates the ones who really make a dent and those that don't. I always got the impression that Thorn was hewn out of granite, he was planted like an oak if opponents were daft enough to run through a channel he was guarding.

[JM2K6]

I saw Thorn up close a few times in his league days and have seen him plenty of times since he took up coaching. I wouldn't doubt for a minute the posted height of 195cm (also given as his height when he played for the Broncos). And his weight varied a bit over the years.

He was bigggish when he first left RL (relevantly, his final season was also the last season of unlimited interchange) and bulked up firther at the Crusaders. He was playing at 118kg or a tad above when he left RU to return to RL but was eventually run down to about 112kg by the new Broncos' fitness coach - the plan was to use Thorn more as high-workrate player rather than impact player.

After he came back to the Crusaders, Thorn asked Robbie Deans if he should start bulking up and the coach responded along the lines of 'Hold off for a bit'. Ultimately Thorn did put on a kg or two but without regaining his former size and, as per the Broncos, was used as a workrate player.

195cm is just under 6'4", so that's about right. It's those putting him at 6'5 that made me laugh!

Out by an inch. Just under 6'5". (195x0.3937).

?! I couldn't work out what was going wrong - then realised Google's "convert cm to feet" just gives you a percentage / decimal, not the inches. FFS

Ah well. Cheers! : -)

Toga - oh yes, there's no doubt he was absolutely nails. Brilliant player. But he wasn't a massive fucker compared to everyone he played with and against. Whitelock and Retallick were/are giants among their peers.

[Torquemada 1420]

Anyone who plays lock at test level is going to be a massive bastard. It's the 'density' of a lock that separates the ones who really make a dent and those that don't. I always got the impression that Thorn was hewn out of granite, he was planted like an oak if opponents were daft enough to run through a channel he was guarding.

His freak status extends to League where he had to be much bigger (ironically given this debate) than the rest of the 6ft, 14 stone clones that are the norm. His speed and mobility would have to have been up to that of all those smaller players with and inherent advantage.

[JM2K6]

This is in danger of turning into a Brad Thorn appreciation thread and frankly I'm here for it

[Kawazaki]

Rugby from 2008. Those were the days.

Nowadays, just in this short exchange you'd have a YC and a RC for NZ plus a RC against SA for a punch thrown.

[JM2K6]

I'm definitely down for SA vs NZ to be played under mid-90s refereeing standards

[MungoMan]

Rugby from 2008. Those were the days.

Nowadays, just in this short exchange you'd have a YC and a RC for NZ plus a RC against SA for a punch thrown.

I was still posting on Usenet back then - rec.sport.rugby.union from memory. The shitfight over this was excellent and lasted for aaaages.