Steve Hansen (New Zealand)
He won't reveal why he does it but next time the TV cameras focus on the All Blacks coach during a game, watch him rub his nose with his finger. It's a deliberate act but Hansen won't say if it's a superstition or a signal. Some have speculated the nose-rubbing is an in-joke with Sky TV's commentary team and a signal to let them know that Hansen believes the All Blacks have the match under control no matter what the scoreline might say. Whatever, keep it up Steve...it's working!
Mike Catt (England)
He's better known by New Zealanders as Jonah Lomu's doormat in the 1995 World Cup but Englishman Catt was a RWC 2003 winner and is currently in charge of coaching England's backs. He has a similar "tic" to Hansen in that he touches his ear during the singing of England's national anthem ahead of matches. It was originally intended as a way of sending a visual message to his family, watching from home. But the routine is now a ritual for Catt.
David Campese (Australia)
The unpredictable Aussie winger had one noticeable foible. He had to be the last player to run out on the pitch in any game he played. Leaving the dressing room last seemed to work well for 'Campo' but it did blow up in 1996 at Wellington's Athletic Park when he turned his back on the haka, kicking a ball to himself under the goalposts. The All Blacks were unimpressed, with Jonah Lomu running rampant as New Zealand racked up a 43-6 scoreline in the last test ever played at the famous ground in the capital.
Alan Whetton (All Blacks)
The World Cup-winning All Black loosie from the 1987 squad was surprisingly superstitious in his playing days. "I used to have a little ritual in the changing shed," Whetton said. "I would put the jersey on a peg by itself - it would command a lot of respect. So I would look at it. I used to have my togs, boots and mouthguard in a bag below - they didn't quite warrant being together with the shirt. Also, 40 minutes before a game at Eden Park, I would go round to each corner and would imagine myself dotting down in that corner. I used to pat the grass thinking: 'That could be AJ's spot.'"
John Smit (South Africa)
The World Cup-winning Springbok skipper of 2007 has a dark secret - and one loosely associated with the All Blacks. Throughout his entire illustrious career which included leading South Africa 82 times in a 110-test career, Smit only ever wore black underpants when he played. He believed wearing any other colour would jinx him and his team.
Luther Burrell (England)
The former England centre's pre-match ritual never sounded like much fun. Burrell narrowly missed selection for Stuart Lancaster's RWC 2015 squad, which is probably just as well for his team-mates given he deliberately throws up before big games. "It's normally a ritual for me before every game I play, in that I tend to be sick, so I imagine that ahead of this game - the biggest of my life - that I'll be doing the same. I'd like to think I won't be puking on the pitch. The nerves will be out of my system as soon as I've had my first touch and I'm nice and eased into the game. I'll stick to puking up before the game."
Simon Taylor (Scotland)
The former Lions and Scotland back rower 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."
Grant Fox (All Blacks)
'Foxy' is now an All Blacks selector so he doesn't have to worry about his rugby kit anymore. During his playing days, if anybody sat in the wrong place in the All Blacks dressing room, they would hear from the Superboot. Fox would always try to get the same spot in the changing room, getting changed into his kit in exactly the same order every time. "It was very ordered," he admitted. "And I'd never change it for fear of jinxing myelf."
