5 rugby stars’ bizarre superstitions including lucky pants and beans on toast

All the hours they put into training, honing their talent and preparing their bodies for match day, you'd think they would be ready for battle.

But that's not the case for this superstitious mob, who will do anything to get that extra bit of luck before a big game with these incredible rituals.

And if you think something as simple as keeping the same seat on the team bus will cut it, wait until you read the length some players will go to to ensure a win.

Former Sale Sharks and England international Cueto had a culinary superstition during his playing days, yet not quite the type of cuisine worthy of a Michelin star.

The humble classic of beans on toast was a staple part of Cueto’s pre-match preparation and the winger would not take to the field unless this had been consumed.

It didn’t stop there – the speedster also religiously endeavored to put his left boot on first before every match, along with being the last man off the coach and the last out of the changing rooms. Anything for success though, right?

The most famous pre-match ritual in rugby – and probably the whole of sport, has its roots in ancient Maori warfare.

The combination of chanting, scowling, facial contortions, foot stomping and arm waving was designed to bring luck to and inspire confidence in the war party, while having the added advantage of terrifying the opposition.

Far from dying out, it seems that the All Black’s version of this tribal dance is getting more elaborate each year.

The former Scotland back-row forward, who played for Edinburgh, Stade Français and Bath, possibly wins the prize for the most unusual pre-game quirk. “As far as superstitions or pre-match routines go, I must confess to having a strange habit,” he wrote in 2007. “Ever since I was a kid I’ve always done the Bruce Lee kung-fu wavy hands in the changing room before games. I loved the film Enter the Dragon and thought he was really cool, so I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Prior to any major international, South Africa-born England international, Mike Catt would always touch his ear during the national anthems, as the camera panned across the England line-up.

Originally intended as a way of sending a visual message to his family members watching at home, the routine became somewhat of a pre-match ritual for Catt and continued throughout the entirety of his international career.

He may have been formerly the world’s most capped captain – the South African hooker (and occasional prop) led the Springboks 82 times (in a total of 110 Tests) and played in 46 consecutive international matches – but Smit also had one of the more unusual superstitions in rugby throughout his career.

The only colour of underwear that he would use on match day would have to be black, believing it would be bad luck to wear any other.