Rugby player left with a claw hammer in head after nightclub brawl (PHOTO)

A rising English rugby star was left with a claw hammer embedded in his head during the early hours of Sunday morning after a horrifying attack by another patron outside a nightclub.

Scunthorpe Rugby Club player Matthew Probert was photographed slumped against a wall with the claw of the tool embedded in his skull after a night out with pals. He was attacked at about 1 a.m.

Up to five bouncers were seen by onlookers trying to reassure him and keep the 21-year-old tough guy awake, as they checked his pulse.

Probert, a loose-head prop, (yes, that a real rugby position) was rushed to a specialist brain unit at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.

Surgeons spent an hour removing the hammer from his forehead and he has since been described as being in a stable condition and "lucky to be alive."

Lincolnshire Police later confirmed a 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Probert's prognosis is good — he's a rugby player after all.