Scrum of the Earth /

OK, so he might not be able to set himself alight (unless he's playing with those extra large kitchen matches) but Tom Rees lit up the Guinness Premiership with a series of outstanding performances at the back end of last season.

The ferocious London Wasps and England flanker lives and breathes rugby. Courageous, strong and intelligent, Rees possesses the mental and physical abilities to vaporize the punishing pain of bruising tackles from the biggest superheroes in rugby.

Endless supplies of energy enable him to stay aflame longer than most back-row forwards and once he's at his peak temperature, Rees almost flies from breakdown to breakdown such is his pace.

A potential British Lions and England skipper of the future, even in torrential conditions Rees' powers cannot be extinguished.

Part of the X-Men of All-Blacks, Carl Hayman became the 1000th player to don the All-Black jersey and is widely regarded as the best tighthead New Zealand has ever produced,

A brute of a species measuring way beyond the ideal size of the average prop, his scrummaging technique is well suited to his supreme combat skills.

Suprisingly agile and effective runner in the loose for his size, Hayman is an absolute mutant of a prop and well known in folklore to be able to handle a few shandies after the match too.

Even though he is capable to inflict injury, it is startling how the Newcastle Falcon stays injury free drawing similarities with the Wolverine's super-regenerative healing powers.

His sustained fitness levels have encouraged the Otago-born beast to hold his own in the international side to the tune of 48 caps.

His enhanced strength allows him to sense weaknesses in oppositions and recognise when to go in for the kill.

Once he has his sharp claws into someone, they very rarely ever survive such is his ferocious attitude to the game.

As an Australian he’s used to big spiders and must’ve copped the odd bite here and there.

A mesmerising whiz kid of the game, Matt Giteau possesses fantastic hands and intelligence.

His reflexes are superior to those of any ordinary human being and instead of webbing, his near-perfect passing and infectious abilities have enabled him to develop his creative skills and become one of the world’s leading fly-halves.

Hardly the biggest animal on the park, Giteau’s sixth sense alerts him to evil dangers and using his equilibrium to swing out of attack and dodge enemy fire.

The Wallaby star’s superhuman strength, speed and agility makes him one of the finest athletes in the game and can adapt to a number of positions, notably at 9,10 and 12.

Considering his size and shape, Giteau’s skin has remarkable resistance to pain and injury.

In his spare time, much like Peter Parker, Giteau is a magnet to the camera, although he is more used to standing in front of them.

Schalk Burger is the master criminal of the breakdown and arguably the greatest villain in the rugby world.

His perception of the law, and what he can get away with, extends beyond the limits of the normal back-row despite his unique blonilocked appearance.

A streetwise operator, he could be likened to a violent sociopath illustrated by his style bordering on insane.

Schalk's erratic rampaging around the field is a super power in itself with a careless attitude for his own body and a resistance to pain.

Doesn't tire, Burger is pretty useful when it comes to hand-to-hand combat shown by his countless episodes with Rodney So'oialo amongst others and his many trips to the sin-bin.

Victor Matfield's superhuman strength, resistance to physical injury and masterful intelligence personifies The World Destroyer.

As a giant summoned to turn the tide of rugby warfare, he is both rich in folklore and pulp fiction.

Superhuman combat powers stemming from his demonic nature, the South African lock can withstand powerful blows and tear down opponents with only a slight vulnerability to injury.

Undoubtedly his foremost implement of war, his right hand of doom, acts as one of the most potent lances in the world.

A utility belt full of firearms, including unrivaled abilities in the line-out, Matfield's ferocious tackling defies his limited speed and delicate handling skills.