REVEALED: 12 Mental Rugby Facts That Sound Fake But Are Actually True

If you want to learn more about the beastly game played by gentlemen, here are 12 facts you might not know about the sport.

1. Basketball was actually created by a rugby coach who wanted some form of indoor sporting activity to keep his players conditioned when it was off-season!

2. The first ever rugby balls were made by a Richard Lindon who fashioned it out of hand stitched leather casing and pigs' bladders.

3. The All Blacks had no red cards between 1967 and 2017, when Sonny Bill Williams was sent off against the Lions.

4. Rugby Union is the national sport of Madagascar

5. In the first test match ever played, a try was worth 0 points - because it gave you an opportunity to "try" and score a goal (conversion).

6. The team that wins the Tri Nations/Rugby Championship has never won the Rugby World Cup in that same year.

7. Scotland have never beaten New Zealand

8. The notion of singing a national anthem before a sporting event originated at a rugby match

9. It’s a sport the English are actually (quite) good at!

10. Sri Lanka have over 100,000 registered players

11. Wayne Shelford tore his scrotum in a match against France. He got stitched up and returned to the field.

12. Japan have a 100 per cent win record against South Africa.