PRO-AM

IF YOU want to know how good you are at running, compared to a professional, run a mile and see if you’re quicker than the world record three minutes 43.13 seconds, set by Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj. The same applies for cycling. You can use an app like Strava to compare your own speed on a stretch of road used in a professional bike race and see how much slower you are than a cyclist who was paid to ride it.

It is not possible to do this so simply with rugby. All of the statistics we usually have access to – tries, carries or tackles – are dependent on the opposition. Scoring a try in the back garden is not equal to scoring a World Cup match-winner, for example. Therefore we have to look for