Meet JJ van der Mescht: Northampton's 23-Stone Rugby Powerhouse

Opposition defences have JJ van der Mescht's sympathy. "It must be terrifying," he tells BBC Look East. "A 145kg (22st 12lb) man running at you, two metres (6ft 7in) tall – that is a scary sight." Even among the ranks of rugby's professionals, the perspective-warping Northampton lock stands out. He is the joint-heaviest player in the Prem and one of the tallest. He can shift too. As a schoolboy, Van der Mescht ran the 100m in 11 seconds flat. It's a scary prospect for would-be tacklers. And a pretty regular one too. With fellow South African Juarno Augustus having headed to Ulster, Van der Mescht has taken up Northampton's ball-carrying slack since his summer arrival. The 26-year-old averages 12 carries per game in the top flight and has registered the highest percentage of dominant carries of any forward in the league. "It's an amazing feeling, taking the ball at full tilt," he says. "It's something I've always loved to do, is taking the ball up. "I really thrive for that. I like the physicality." There used to be even more of Van der Mescht. Back in 2022, after some heavy wedding celebrations, he returned to former club Stade Francais tipping the scales at 160kg (25st 3lbs). Since then, he has practised intermittent fasting - not eating for long periods in the day. Now, incredibly, his giant frame and gainline power are fuelled by just one meal a day. His favourite is "definitely a big steak". "I can't really eat more than that," adds Van der Mescht, whose mother was a 6ft 3in international netballer and whose father was a professional wrestler. "My stomach has got a lot smaller now, so it's just one meal in the evening. "I'll snack sometimes if I really feel like I need some energy. And game day is a bit different - I'll eat some pasta before the game instead. "But yeah, just one meal a day. Every person is different. It will work for some people, it won't work for some. "I just found it works for me." It works for Saints gameplan as well. Quick hands and rapid recycling are the hallmarks of a high-tempo game that has them top of the Prem at the halfway point of the campaign. "Playing in the Prem, which is much faster than the Top 14, and especially in this team that moves the ball around, I need to be more mobile and keep up with all the boys who are just amazing players," adds Van der Mescht. "I don't want to let these guys down." The emotional connection is new, but deep. Van der Mescht and his wife Carla have settled in a small village, about 12 miles outside Northampton. After struggling in the anonymity of Paris, they feel at home already. "I love the people. The fans are amazing. We'll be walking down the street and people come up to me and say 'JJ, it's so lovely to meet you'. That is amazing and I really, really, really love it," he says. "It's something I really missed when I was in France, that community sense that I always got at home." The deluge of Christmas cards the couple received from their new neighbours reduced Carla to tears, while Van der Mescht has been volunteering his time to coach nearby Towcestrians. "Seeing these guys working a nine-to-five, coming to training and they are always up for it," he says. "Even if they do fitness, they're smiling, they're enjoying it, just loving the game. It really brought that back to me that I don't play because it is my job, it is because I love rugby."