They may be some of the biggest names but that doesn’t prevent them from falling into the routine of ritual and repetition, all in hope of having the best possible chance of heading onto the field and emerging victorious.
Some deem superstitions in rugby a waste of time, others swear by it, but one thing is for sure – superstition won’t be leaving the world of rugby any time soon.
Superstitions in Rugby
1. Mark Cueto’s recipe for success
Former Sale Sharks and England international Mark 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 – Cueto 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?
2. Lewis Moody enjoys film night
The flanker always went to the cinema on the night before a game and insisted on wearing his match shirt underneath his warm-up kit. Also, which is one of the stranger superstitions in rugby, he used to have two cans of Red Bull before every game.
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3. Simon Taylor the Dragon
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.”
4. The habitual vomiting of the Welsh national team
According to ex-Bath and England international Michael Lipman, the players within the Welsh national team used to collectively vomit before a key international clash, as a way of clearing their stomach and being 100 per cent ready for what lay ahead.
5. The ear-lobe loving of Mike Catt
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.
6. No, after you…
Mike Tindall was one of those players who had to be the last man out of the changing room before big international fixtures. This is the type of routine that’s perfectly harmless – so long as it only applies to one of your squad. If most of your team have the same superstition, you could be faced with a long wait at the end of the tunnel while your team argues, prima-donna style, over who’s going to be at the tail end of the procession.
7. Tim Horan and the fear of 13
In an article he wrote for The Guardian back in 2001, France and Saracens fullback Thomas Castaignède revealed that Aussie rugby great Tim Horan - then a teammate of his at Sarries - had refused to wear the 13 jersey when he started at outside centre on his return from injury. Horan had suffered four injuries in the shirt that season, and demanded that he either wear 12 or 26 when he returned to Saracens' starting lineup. One of the strangest superstitions in rugby from down the years.
8. The Haka
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.
9. John Smits pants
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.
10. Bath Rugby and the omission of number 13
For decades Bath played without a number 13, meaning former outside-centre Jeremy Guscott was not in the normal number for his position. Sadly, the original omission of the 13 shirt dated back to the death of Clifford Walwin, who was kicked in the spleen in a match against Cross Keys on December 27, 1919. Despite undergoing emergency surgery, he died the following day and the interim period which followed saw the shirt removed completely.
11. Touching every corner flag
Before the warm-up I'll run out and touch every pole. I have to touch all four corner flags," Joe Cokanasiga told the England Rugby Podcast.
The Fiji-born star said he's been doing the flag-touching routine since joining London Irish in 2015.
12. Putting the boot in
Henry Slade has developed a reputation among other players for taking 15 minutes to lace his boots and his driven mates round the bend with his obsessive habits.
13. Consistent shirt
Before each game, Jonny Wilkinson would always wear the same T-shirt under his shirt by means of a lucky charm. On many occasion it could be said to have paid off for the Surrey-born national treasure. As well as keeping his T-shirt as consistent as his ever reliable kicks, the former England number 10 would never wear his match shirt during the warm up.
14. Timely strapping
Jason Robinson was said to have a special order for applying strapping and at a certain time prior to a game. On top of this, and unlike many other players, Robinson was also keen to leave the tunnel first as part of his routine.
15. The very even routine of Stefan Ratchford
Warrington rugby league player Stefan Ratchford can be said to be a man of precise routine. The full-back gets up at the same time of day on matchday, gets dressed in the same predetermined order, eats the same food at the same time and does everything in even numbers.
16. The correct socks
Whether or not that little bit of extra padding around the big toe really makes a difference – or whether it’s more to do with making sure the logo is displayed to maximum effect; either way, foot specific socks are now in many-a-player’s kit bag.
With this comes another thing to get superstitious about. For instance, when the All Blacks were routed by England in 2012, Brodie Ritallick vowed never again to get left and right mixed up.
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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