What causes cauliflower ears in rugby players?

Cauliflower ears are traditionally suffered by the tight forwards who have to squeeze there heads between each others legs hip etc in scrums, rucks and mauls. The resulting rubbing cause internal bleeding that in turn clots and goes hard. The pressure produced by the bleeding misshapes the ear and the clotting stiffens everything up.

They can be cured, however but this involves the blood being syringed out and a button being sewed on to the ear to apply a constant pressure for a few weeks.

Don't ask me why a button but it seems to work.

Vigorously rub your ears for five minutes and you will understand not only what causes cauliflower ears but why only players playing in certain positions suffer from it. That said players playing outside of positions prone to the complaint also suffer so it must also have some other medical underlying factors..

By rubbing your ears the ear cartilague is separated from the skin by a liquid, and therefore from the blood vessels so it dies, and the liquid inside remains, shaping the ear like that.