Pasties and rugby are intertwined in Cornish culture – so much so that supporters of the Cornish rugby team have a long-standing tradition where they throw pasties over the posts to bring the players good luck in important matches.

If you have ever had the pleasure of attending a Cornish rugby match you might have missed the pasty throwing tradition, but you will be familiar with a popular spectator chant – “Oggy Oggy Oggy, Oi Oi Oi”, but do you know where those beloved words came from?

Legend has it that Cornish miners’ wives used to shout “Oggy Oggy Oggy” as they threw their pasties down the mine shaft to their husbands, who replied “Oi Oi Oi”.

The miners wives must have been on to something because now Australian sports fans can be heard shouting their own version:

In the early 18th century many Cornish miners emigrated to Australia in search of work and with them took Cornish traditions.

It seems it’s not just the Cornish who love an Oggy.