Brian Moore doesn't so much break the mould as smash it into smithereens.
He was the bustling, aggressive hooker who earned 64 caps for England, played at three World Cups, went on two Lions tours, offended Invercargill by comparing it to Chernobyl, and once provoked a Scottish club into running a poll asking if he was the anti-Christ.
Squat, balding, intense bordering on nasty, uncompromising - just your common or garden variety front-rower, then.
Hmmm. Except Moore was also a solicitor, who liked to read Shakespeare in the dressing room before a game, who became a columnist for the Sun and Telegraph newspapers and a radio broadcaster.
He tweets, he scours countries he visits in search of the finest wine, he delves into the works of JRR Tolkien and he has written two autobiographies, one of which - Beware Of The Dog - won a major British award last year.
"Two, actually. It won the William Hill award and it won best autobiography at the British Sports Book Awards," Moore reminds the Otago Daily Times.
Moore (49) is attending the World Cup with TalkSport radio and has been based in Dunedin for the past three weeks.
His opinions, as they have always been, are to the point. He worries England might be too dumb to win the tournament, and he thinks New Zealanders are guilty of double standards in their treatment of Quade Cooper.
Moore also, bravely, sticks by his original assertion that New Zealand was not the obvious choice as the host of the World Cup.
"I said quite openly that this was supposed to be a World Cup, and asked why you would give it to a country that didn't have the infrastructure.
"That's not New Zealand's fault. Why would you build new four-star hotels that you'd never use again?
"But this is rugby's flagship tournament. I thought it was the wrong decision to award it to New Zealand.
"Having said that, the country has clearly embraced the tournament. It's been the best World Cup so far, I think."
One disappointment for Moore has been hearing of English and, especially, Australian fans copping abuse from one-eyed locals. It appeared there was some depth to the accusations of poor sportsmanship.
"I do know people who say it hasn't been too friendly. That's disappointing to hear.
"It's not until you travel the world you realise that everyone hates England, for historic reasons. But I think the Aussie thing has gone a bit far. It's a near-neighbour thing, I suppose.
"That aside, the country has made every effort to open itself up."
Moore has been bemused by New Zealand's obsession with Cooper's alleged on-field mistreatment of All Black captain Richie McCaw. He pointed out All Black hooker Keven Mealamu had been instantly exonerated for his role in the infamous spear tackle on Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll in 2005.
"Mealamu said he didn't see anything, so of course he was forgiven. Perhaps Quade Cooper should have said the same thing?"
When he came to New Zealand with the Lions in 1993, Moore barely saw anything other than hotel rooms and rugby grounds.
This time, he's been heliskiing and motorbike riding along the Otago Peninsula, and got to sample a few pinot noirs in Central Otago.
He's also relished the opportunity to see up close some of the spectacular scenery utilised in Peter Jackson's epic fantasy film trilogy.
"I am a Lord of the Rings madman. I go to sleep listening to The Silmarillion. That's how geekish I am."
Back on the topic of the World Cup, Moore thinks the Wallabies are looking vulnerable but he is wary of the Springboks.
The All Blacks have everything in their favour - apart from history, of course - and the English, well, they must not be forgotten. Moore points out their scrum and lineout are as good as anyone's. Now if only they could stop giving away so many penalties.
"To be a good rugby player, you can't be stupid. You can't have nothing between your ears, otherwise you'll start playing like England, and you'll give away 15 stupid penalties every game.
"One of the things about the All Blacks and their continual pushing of boundaries, is that when they get caught, they stop.
"That's just smart play. Look at Richie McCaw. He just gets away with what he gets away with. And if he does get warned by the referee, he stops."
Moore has no regrets, despite giving up a "stable and very lucrative" career as a partner in a London law firm. He loves getting the opportunity to analyse rugby, and other sports, through the media.
And he is working on another book, about the battle many sportspeople have dealing with retirement.