England prop Dan Cole swapped his boots for a tie and sash to fill in as assistant manager of a chemists in Leicester's Fosse Park to show his support for the #BleedForEngland campaign.
During the rugby season, players are not permitted to give blood themselves due to strict training regimes.
Therefore, NHS Blood and Transplant have launched the #BleedForEngland campaign, where rugby players can become ‘Blood Substitutes’ and cover work shifts for people who are able give blood.
England tight-head prop Dan Cole has shown his support for the #BleedForEngland campaign by stepping in to take over Karen Metcalf’s job as assistant manager of a Boots chemist, which enabled her to give blood at a local donor centre.
Cole took over Karen’s duties for the day, which included stock replenishment, organising visual displays and customer care.
Thanks to Cole’s support, he was able to free up time for Karen to give blood to a worthy cause.
An England regular, 28-year-old Cole has established himself as his country’s first choice at tight-head prop and is an important player for Stuart Lancaster’s side.
Since making his international debut in 2010, Cole has gone on to make 54 appearances for England and was selected for the 2013 British & Irish Lions squad for their tour to Australia.
Cole’s scrum experience and prowess in loose play will be key for England as they hope to defeat Australia on Saturday evening to prevent a potential early World Cup exit for the hosts.
England take on Australia in the Pool A crunch game at Twickenham on Saturday evening at 8pm.