Tom Wood has been outstanding for England in their 2013 Six Nations campaign.  The 26-year-old back rower has England on Grand Slam pace but before he takes a step on the pitch he requires work from Mauro Bianchin.

“A lot of modern boots are made for (soccer players), they are very light and agile but have less substance to them, so they’re not really designed for 17-stone rugby players colliding with someone else of equal weight. I need extra support in the boot.”

These problems are where Bianchin, an Italian cobbler, comes in to the picture.  He customizes Wood’s Nike CTR cleats to work on the rugby pitch.

“Most boots, under the weight of a rugby player, will collapse as you flex the toe, which puts enormous strain on the ball of my foot and the big toe which is where the problem was. So they get sent to Italy, to one of their labs where they stiffen them, put insoles in them and now they don’t flex very much. They are far more substantial.”

What rugby boots do you wear?  The World Rugby Shop.com has the best selection of rugby cleats.