'Afternoon rugby is better than night rugby' and 6 other rugby myths busted

Alternative facts are all the rage right now and rugby is not immune. Rugby mythbuster Jamie Wall tackles seven mistruths that could make even Sean Spicer blush.

1. The British & Irish Lions are a good side. A quick glance at their all-time test record will confirm that this is a myth. While it’s true that they only really play historically the best test sides away from home, their lowly 43% success rate is propped up by a few wins over the likes of Fiji, Canada and the mighty East Africa. Their last series win was over a very weak Wallaby side, and they have only beaten the All Blacks in a series once, back in 1971. 2017 may see the curtain pulled back on their hyped-up existence, given that it’s highly possible they might only win one game of their NZ tour.

2. Afternoon games are better than night games. Highly illogical, given that night matches have been standard everywhere for a good two decades. The greatest match ever played was at night, and the first test the All Blacks played under lights was the scene of one the most iconic rugby moments ever.

3. Bringing back rucking will make rugby great again. Highly sacrilegious view, but how exactly is the threat of getting rucked going to stop players lying on the wrong side of the ruck any more than they already do? Because, judging by how many ruck marks that got dished out in the old days, it clearly wasn’t enough of a deterrent back then either. Also, boots these days generally weigh about 25-30 grams and don’t have screw-in metal sprigs, so they’re unlikely to cause more than a tickle to anyone attempting to kill the ball.

4. Rebuilding years. England, the All Blacks and the Hurricanes’ respective 2016 seasons blew the idea that teams need to spend a season rebuilding after a player exodus or coaching change completely out of the water. A humiliating exit from the Rugby World Cup could’ve seen England excused for taking a while to get back on their feet, except new coach Eddie Jones couldn’t be bothered waiting around for that to happen. Meanwhile, the Kiwi sides managed to unearth new talent straight away to make up for the biggest off season player exodus seen in NZ rugby.

5. New Zealand raids the Pacific of all its talent. New Zealand is part of Polynesia. People from the Pacific Islands have been migrating there for decades, and not to play rugby.

6. France are unpredictable. A long time ago this may have been true, but now the only thing France do that’s unpredictable is seemingly get amnesia whenever they’re near the tryline and occasionally lose to Italy.

7. The US are a sleeping giant of rugby. If they were then someone must have unplugged the alarm clock. Apart from some brief glimpses of promise at Sevens the Americans have failed to really achieve anything and don’t look they’re going to be getting any better soon. The much-anticipated professional rugby competition that finally got off the ground in the States lasted all of one season, sadly buckling under the inability of the owners and USA Rugby to work together.