Meet Owen Franks, the 118kg All Blacks front rower who is enthusiastic about yoga, but not the Kiwi binge-drinking culture.

At just 28, All Blacks and Crusaders tighthead prop Franks could feel entitled to embark on a lifestyle many other men within his age-bracket enjoy; playing footy, swilling grog and chowing on late-night takeaways.

JOHN DAVIDSON / PHOTOSPORT.NZ Owen Franks (left), Codie Taylor and Joe Moody prepare to pack a scrum down against the Chiefs in the first round of Super Rugby.

That's not the way Franks, a 78-test veteran, rolls.

One particular story adds some authenticity to these statements: the morning after the 2011 World Cup final victory over France in Auckland, while their team-mates slept or gobbled tablets to make their hangovers recede, the clear-headed Franks and his older brother Ben were heaving weights in the gym.

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John Davidson Crusaders prop Owen Franks, who has played 78 tests for the All Blacks since his debut against Italy in 2009, questions a call in the round-one match against the Chiefs.

Yet Franks is prepared to make some allowances if the occasion warrants it, especially if he can have a dram of his favourite firewater.

He didn't go to the gym after beating the Wallabies in the World Cup final in London last year because he had been busy farewelling several good mates, including Ben, with some celebratory drinks at their hotel in Bagshot.

"We definitely celebrated the 2015 final win a bit more than the 2011 one," Franks says. "I am not a bigger drinker anyway. After 2015 I had a few more whiskies - we had a really good night. It was the last time I was to play with guys I got on well with, like Kev (Mealamu), Ben and Woody (Tony Woodcock) and those guys. It was good to send them off in the right way."

But Franks has no desire to join the legions of young men who cane it on the booze each weekend.

"I think there are times to celebrate and I guess when you do it, you do it well without any regrets. I think the drinking culture in New Zealand is pretty crazy to be honest - especially in rugby. And a lot of people start drinking pretty young.

"For me it is a no-brainer when you are preparing week-in, week-out to bash your body. I enjoy a quiet whisky, maybe, to unwind after a game but not to the detriment of my recovery.

"I am not someone who likes to lose control of myself and be an idiot."

Following the All Blacks' homecoming parades in New Zealand, Franks went with his wife and young son to Fiji. Then it was back to the gym.

Franks' form for the Crusaders has been impressive in their first two Super Rugby matches against the Chiefs and Blues, a result of not over-training during the summer.

"I don't think I have ever started a season badly, but maybe I have been over-tired. In this pre-season I wanted to focus on recovering really well, getting in the best shape I can and training smart.

"We had a really good pre-season down in my gym in Papanui with my dad and everything was about quality and recovering well."

Because he debuted for the Crusaders and All Blacks in 2009, Franks seems to have been around for an eternity. Yet he is still 21 months short of turning 30, an age some use as the benchmark for when props start to mature.

Franks's drive to preserve his body has resulted in an interest in yoga.

"I thought I would be the last person to get into it ... It is sort of no-frills yoga, without all the airy-fairy things with the magical words and stuff. I have already noticed quite a bit of difference from just doing it a few times. I enjoy doing it."