A Welsh urban legend says that "Every time Wales wins the rugby grand slam, a pope dies, except for 1978, when Wales were really good and two popes died." A grand slam in rugby occurs when one nation beats all the others in the Six Nations League in one year. The six nations are England, France, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Italy.
Although many men on the street in Wales appear to believe the legend, Dr. Gareth Payne of University Hospital Wales and his colleagues disproved it -- sort of. In a 2008 article in the BMJ, they concluded that this event occurs only about 62% of the time. They predicted that "about three-fifths of a Pope will die this year," a prediction that was more or less correct because no popes died.
