Most pensioners enjoy spending their later years playing bingo, gardening and putting the finishing touches to their latest jigsaw puzzle.

Not 72-year-old Jack Hayes.

Mr Hayes likes nothing better than pulling on his kit and boots to play a game for Hove Rugby Club.

His team mates are often more than 50 years younger than him.

He can regularly be found on the frontline of the scrum and scoring trys.

He is in the 63rd year of his rugby career which began as a schoolboy at St Christopher's School, Hove.

Mr Hayes has taken a fair share of knocks during his career on the pitch.

In one game he had his ear ripped off. He picked it up and walked off the pitch holding it to the side of his face.

A team mate didn't fair so well and passed out at the sight of the grisly injury.

Mr Hayes, of Downside, Shoreham, said: "I tackled somebody but not terribly well. The stud of the other player's boot got stuck in the top of my ear and ripped it off. There aren't any nerves in the ear so it wasn't too harmful. It didn't look very nice. One of my fellow players fainted and had to be stretchered off.

"I was walking next to him saying "hang on, I'm the one injured."

Luckily, doctors managed to stitch the ear back on.

Mr Hayes has played almost every position but at the moment is a tight head prop, one of the most dangerous positions in the game.

The first team he played for was Hove Rugby Club but has also played for Bath, Chippenham and Frome in Somerset.

Mr Hayes has worked in a variety of professions including farming and book making but rugby has remained a constant passion in his life.

He said his long-suffering wife of 48 years, Marion, has spent many an evening in accident and emergency departments of hospitals while his rugby injuries are tended.

He said: "I spent Christmas 2005 in hospital because of rugby. A cut on my leg went sceptic and I had to stay on a drip.

"I've probably broken my nose five or six times."

His team mates at Hove range from teenagers to a 54-year-old.

Jack said: "The youngsters get a bad press but the ones I have met through rugby have all been very nice."

Despite the advancing years, Jack said he has no intentions of hanging up his boots.

He said: "As long as Hove call me up and ask me I'll continue to play.

"I still enjoy it. It's a great game. It helps me keep young."

Are you defying nature and enjoying activities well in to old age? If so, contact The Argus on 01273 544544 or leave a message below.