The elder and smaller of two propping brothers, Ben Franks has a reputation as a set-piece specialist comfortable with handling loosehead or tighthead duties.
Like his brother, Owen - the tighthead whose rise in All Black colours has eased talk of Carl Hayman from the nation's psychotherapy sofas - Ben has become a fixture in Crusader colours.
At provincial and Super 15 level, he has battled Wyatt Crockett for a spot in the line-up. Franks made the World Cup squad with a reputation as a better scrummager.
It would be unfair to suggest the Melbourne-born Ben Franks was rushed into the black jersey to keep him out of the mitts of Australian rugby. But, had Robbie Deans moved swiftly, a tasty fraternal clash would have been on the Bledisloe cards, as Ben - handy on both sides of the scrum - would have brushed up against his brother.
Away from the field, the Franks brothers' hobbies seem to extend to lifting weights and eating carbohydrates. For fans of large men grunting, there's some impressive footage of Ben squatting 240kg on YouTube.
