Rugby Origins

While there is little evidence to substantiate the origins of the game of rugby, the predominating legend is that it originated in 1823 at one of England's oldest independent schools, Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire. Varying games resembling soccer were played at the time, and displaying abject disdain for the rules of the particular game he was playing one day, student William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and started running with it. Immediately opposite the school gates was a shoemaker's establishment run by Richard Lindon, and it was Lindon who is credited with the creation of the oval ball and inflatable bladder.

  1. Rugby Football Union

    • To standardize the rules of the game, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was formed in London in 1871. In 1895 there was a division that resulted in the two separate games of rugby union and rugby league. The RFU was determined to keep players playing the game for the love of the sport alone, and the sport of rugby union remained predominantly amateur until 1995.

    Rugby Union and League

    • Rugby union is a full contact sport of two teams, each with 15 players. The objective of the game is for each team to score points against the other by carrying, kicking or throwing the ball across the goal line. The RFU states that points can be scored in several ways. A try, scored by grounding the ball in the in-goal area, is worth five points and a subsequent conversion kick scores two points. A successful penalty kick or a drop goal each score three points. The team which scores the most points wins the game.

      A match lasts 80 minutes and is divided into two halves. The referee may add additional time at the end of the match for injuries and other stoppages. If the game is tied at full-time, there will be extra time of play. If the game remains tied, the teams will kick shots at the opposing goal, until one team becomes the winner. Rugby league is similar to rugby union, except that each team has 13 players.

    Passing

    • One of the main rules in rugby concerns passing of the ball. The ball may only be passed between players by throws in a backwards or sideways direction. The ball may not be thrown forward. The players remain on-side by not moving in front of their team member with the ball. A ball may be kicked forward, but the team must be behind the kicker, or they will be off-side. Tackling is also an important tactic. Only the player holding the ball may be tackled.

    USA

    • The first recorded game of rugby on U.S. soil took place in 1874, when Harvard University hosted Montreal’s McGill University. USA's national team is nicknamed the Eagles, and they have been playing since 1976, using an American football-style tackling technique. While they have yet to reach the standard of other world-class teams, they continue to gain reputation.

    Competitions

    • The International Rugby Board Rugby World Cup is rugby union's premier competition, and is the third largest sporting event in the world. The trophy is named the William Webb Ellis Trophy. The competition is held every four years, and includes teams from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and Argentina. Another of rugby union's major competitions is the Six Nations. First contested as the Four Nations, of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, the annual competition became the Five Nations when France joined the competition in 1910. In 2000, Italy joined the competition and made it the Six Nations.