Super Bowl champion Jason Kelce walked into an amateur London rugby session, and the players who faced him are still talking about it.
Imagine lining up for a casual practice match and spotting a Super Bowl-winning NFL lineman on the other side. That is what happened to a group of amateur rugby players in London, when former Philadelphia Eagles centre Jason Kelce turned up to join in.
Kelce, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles and is now retired from the NFL, reportedly gave the club players a taste of what it is like to meet a professional athlete of his size and power at full tilt. One player's verdict was that Kelce simply ran straight through him, which tells you plenty about how the tackling went.
The afternoon was not all collisions. Players also described him as great company away from the pitch, and one said he was good value in the pub afterwards. A sporting icon who is happy to swap stories over a pint is exactly the kind of visitor amateur clubs dream about.
It is also a reminder of how well gridiron skills can carry over to rugby. Strength, balance and a willingness to take contact are valued in both games, even though the rules and tactics differ a great deal. Whether Kelce's London cameo leads to anything more or stays a one-off story for the clubhouse, the players he met will be telling it for years.
