Top British players Paul Sackey, Steve Borthwick and Shane Williams have appeared naked in an advertisement for sports drink company Powerade.
The players appear in different rugby poses with England captain Borthwick pictured as if he is about to enter a tackle.
His England team-mate Sackey is shown diving for the try-line while IRB World Player of the Year and Wales winger Williams is shown passing the ball.
Borthwick said he has had to put up with plenty of dressing room jokes since the photo shoot but was happy with how the images turned out.
“It is one of the most daring shoots I’ve been involved in but it has been loads of fun, even if it has given my team-mates plenty of ammunition for changing room banter,” he said.
Last year the Powerade campaign, dubbed InnerGear, showed cyclist Rebecca Romero, triple jumper Phillips Idowu and swimmer Gregor Tait nude in sporting poses taken by photographer Nadav Kander.
The latest shots were taken by photographer Alan Clarke.
“Alan’s images are fantastic and they really capture the essence of what we do every day,” Borthwick said.
Image and content courtesy of RugbyHeaven.
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My eyes! Good campaign though, gets people talking. Don’t think I want Powerade SA to get any idead though…
Specially for our Female supporters base.
The ‘appear’ nude. They weren’t all nude when posing for the pics. Some had underwear airbrushed out later.
How do you dive like that without yout tools flapping about all over the show?
@McLovin (Comment 3) : That was the athletes. Not sure about the rugby players.
OH yes pleeeeeeeeease! I am forwardig this to Powerade South Africa. I can think of a number of Sharks who would look apetising in those poses! Bissie, Jean, Beast, JP; Kanko; Steyn, Olivier … 😉
After those ads women would outnumber men 10 to one in the stadia!
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 6) :
🙂
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 7) :
They almost already do in Durban.
@McLovin (Comment 4) : maybe he doesn’t flap much… or have much to flap 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 10) :
oh my word!!! 😯
@wpw (Comment 12) : you like?
@wpw (Comment 12) : Imagine you posing nude 😈
@Charlie (Comment 14) : I’d prefer not to
@Charlie (Comment 14) :
Can he get that high off the ground? I certainly can’t anymore. 😳
@robdylan (Comment 10) : 😆
Never actually seen Williams pass the ball… 😉
@VinChainSaw (Comment 18) : you back? How was it?
@robdylan (Comment 19) :
tiring? 😉
@KSA Shark © (Comment 20) : he he he…
well, if you’re anything like us, you’ll have come back from honeymoon with an extra family member on board 🙂
Steve Borthwick must have loved this shoot…
Last year the Powerade campaign, dubbed InnerGear, showed cyclist Rebecca Romero, triple jumper Phillips Idowu and swimmer Gregor Tait nude in sporting poses taken by photographer Nadav Kander.
http://galleries.thelondonpaper.com/naked-olympic-athletes/2
How many more litres of powerade do they sell because of this kaalgat pic’s?
@Charlie (Comment 14) : you would like that wouldn’t you??? 🙄
whats the ads punchline? only cocks hang out with powerade.
@wpw (Comment 25) : Oe jinne, so for what brand ❓
😯 WOW 😎 😀 😉 😮 🙄 😆
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 6) :
Very nice 😀 BUT nor nearly as good as the ones of Freddie & his mates, Milissa sent us 😛
Thanks KSA!!!
@Me2 (Comment 28) :
most smiley’s I have ever seen you use. 😆
@try time (Comment 26) : Tut,tut 😀
@KSA Shark © (Comment 29) : You should call me on Skype….they got a lot more variety there…can make a whole senrnce out of the smileys alone 🙄
@Me2 (Comment 31) :
I am afraid I am still kicking and screaming against using Skype. 😛
I still prefer messenger. 😳
@try time (Comment 26) : Let it all hang out with Powerade.
@Me2 (Comment 31) : “senrnce” 😕 😳 sentence
@KSA Shark © (Comment 32) : Use Skype ’cause messenger kept rebooting my computer 😕 😕 😕
@Me2 (Comment 34) :
it’s okay, we understand that you were very excited at the time of writing that comment and the odd error could have crept in. 😉
@Me2 (Comment 34) : Weird. Skype’s the one that crashes my machine. I use Google Talk and MSN.
“Alan’s images are fantastic and they really capture the essence of what we do every day,” Borthwick said
So is that what a rugby player does when not in a rugby game?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 16) :
His will be about passing a donut into the moth while sitting pretty on a coach… 😳
😆 😛 🙂
Wiliams looks like a Gay hobbit. 🙄
@Big Fish (Comment 39) :
He cannot be a hobbit…
There is not enough hair on his feet and his feet are too small…
@Big Fish (Comment 39) : hey dude
@Hmmm (Comment 38) :
Ha-ha…he’ll be sitting on the coach…oh jinne I need to go home…
*****couch******
@robdylan (Comment 41) :
Ello Roberto.
@Hmmm (Comment 40) :
Airbrushed.
@Big Fish (Comment 43) : wassup pal?
doesn’t it worry any of you that we have a naked man’s buttocks on this page? 😯
@robdylan (Comment 45) : As long as it’s for a good cause. 😉
@McLovin (Comment 46) : my goodness….
@robdylan (Comment 44) :
Workin. 😡
All good with young Matt?
@Big Fish (Comment 48) : yeah – all good, thanks. Relaxed little guy. Doesn’t sleep at night, though.