Question: Which England star units quizzes for his team-mates, runs ‘magical’ historical past excursions, ‘hated’ rugby a yr in the past earlier than turning into a star and performs golf along with his trousers down? Answer: JOE HEYES. Allow him to elucidate…

Spend just a few minutes with Joe Heyes and you will no doubt be entertained by his excellent company. You’re also likely to learn a thing or two. Heyes is now a key figure for Leicester and England as one of the best props in the country.

That, though, is only half the story. There is far more to the 26-year-old than just rugby and pre-warned as to his reputation as a history buff, I come armed with a test.

Starting an interview in pub quiz form is a first for me. But I’m not even halfway through asking Heyes the country which controlled Vietnam before Japan occupied it during World War II when the hulking forward interjects.

‘France,’ he says, a huge smile spreading across his face.

‘Way too easy that, mate.’ Note to self: must try harder. Already impressed, I move on quickly. Which English King began The Hundred Years’ War? I give Heyes four possible answers. ‘I don’t think it’s Edward I and Henry VIII was too busy killing his wives,’ he responds.

‘I’m going with Edward III.’ Correct again. The rest of our conversation follows a similar theme.

One of England’s most impressive performers in 2025, Joe Heyes ends the year as a central figure for Steve Borthwick’s national side which has won its past 11 matches 

Heyes loves his history and had no problems in nailing Daily Mail Sport’s quiz

What information was recorded in the Domesday Book? No problem for Heyes.

Funnily enough I only manage to catch him out when throwing in a rugby question. Who is Leicester’s record points scorer in European rugby? Answer: Andy Goode. Heyes opts for Geordan Murphy and looks visibly frustrated at being wrong. This is a man who holds himself to high standards on and off the field.

‘I remember very vividly in my Year Two primary school classroom there was a big pile of Horrible Histories books,’ Heyes tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘I had no interest in what we’d been taught, but I loved reading about history. I’m from Bingham, near Nottingham, and there’s an old Roman fort there. I found that very cool straight away. 

‘I was just fascinated by history. I saw studying it as getting out of the real world. It’s always been quite magical to me. If I’m a bit stressed now, I go on Wikipedia and do an absolute doom scroll on history. I absolutely love it.

‘I’m particularly interested in the Age of Discovery, the pre-colonial era, the early Roman Empire and World War I and II. Remember that viral trend a while back? How often do you think about the Roman Empire? I don’t actually think about it that much. My mind was more on colonial empires at that time, but maybe I should focus on it more. Anyway… where were we?’

Heyes’ voice trails off. His range of knowledge is incredibly impressive. And, by the way, he can play too. One of England’s most impressive performers in 2025, Heyes ends the year as a central figure for Steve Borthwick’s side which has won its past 11 matches.

A cruel achilles injury sustained by Bath prop Will Stuart means Heyes will almost certainly start in the white No 3 shirt when the Six Nations begins in February. ‘I do a history quiz for the boys when we’re in camp with England,’ Heyes adds.

‘I got told off for making it too hard in the last week of the autumn. Which general died at the Battle of Little Bighorn? General Custer, obviously. The boys were up in arms claiming that was too difficult! When we were in America in the summer, I also did a history tour of Washington DC. We were out in the city for two-and-a-half hours.

Heyes trains with England in Maryland in the summer. He took his team-mates on a history tour around Washington. ‘It went down really well,’ he says

On Friday night the prop will be in action for his club side Leicester against Leinster in the Champions Cup 

‘We did the Lincoln Memorial, the White House. All the sights. So good. It went down really well. I was surprised at some of the boys. I didn’t think I’d get George Ford on board, but he was loving it and leading the charge!’

Heyes’ fine progression has been one of many English rugby positives this year. On Friday night, he will return to club colours for Leicester’s Champions Cup clash with Leinster. It is all a far cry from the summer of 2024 when, by his own admission, the powerful tighthead fell out of love with the game while a peripheral figure on England’s summer tour of New Zealand.

‘I had a horrible time. I hated it and I hated rugby,’ he says. ‘It became a job to me, a bit of a chore. It shouldn’t. Now I realise it’s a fantastic thing to be doing.’

A heart-to-heart with then Leicester coach Michael Cheika on a pre-season training camp in Portugal at the start of the previous campaign lit a new fire in Heyes.

Cheika might no longer be around, but the Australian’s words have undoubtedly benefited both the Tigers and England. Heyes’ set-piece is rock solid and he has focused on adding a counter-rucking threat to his game too. 

Reaching rugby’s highest level has provided another layer to Heyes’ already intriguing story. In his younger days, he was a goalkeeper in Nottingham Forest’s academy. His father Darren and grandfather George were both professional footballers. 

His mother, Rachel, is Irish. But there is no doubt where the Heyes family loyalties will lie when Leinster arrive at Welford Road. Heyes has prepared with a round of golf in Yorkshire and then a trip to Cologne with his girlfriend Anita, after he was given last week off as part of his mandatory rest period following England duty.

Now, he is back on duty and ready to continue his upward curve with a strong finish to what has been a 12 months to remember.

Heyes poses with Henry Pollock (left), Tom Curry and the Hillary Shield after their victory over New Zealand at Twickenham in November. He is now a key part of the England set up

Heyes credits former Leicester head coach Michael Cheika with reigniting the prop’s love of the game

‘I was at Birmingham Airport ready to fly to Cologne at the same time as the (Leicester) team was going to La Rochelle last weekend,’ Heyes adds. ‘The security guy said to me: “Are you a fighter?” I get that quite a lot. It’s the mangled face and cauliflower ears.’

Finally revealing something he doesn’t have the answer to, Heyes opens up on his golfing exploits.

‘We played off the yellow tees and if you don’t get past the red tees, it’s pants down for your next shot,’ he says. ‘I spent most of my first round with my trousers around my ankles. So, yeah… that was excellent…’

Heyes trails off again. It’s a fitting end to a more-than-memorable conversation.