How Has the Game Rugby Changed Over the Years?

The game of rugby has changed immensely since William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it in a game of football played at Rugby School in England in 1823, with amongst other changes many versions of the game having developed across the world.

  1. Teams

    • The game of rugby developed out of mass ball games at English public schools; by 1867, Rugby School played its first competitive match with each team consisting of 20 players. Modern rugby union is played with 15 players per team, rugby league between teams of 13 and rugby sevens played between teams of seven.

    Split Of Codes

    • On Aug. 20, 1895, rugby split into two codes after differences between competing teams over payment of players. Twelve teams from the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire in the north of England formed a separate league, allowing payment of players, which has evolved into the modern 13 players per side game of rugby league.

    Professionalism

    • After an increase in television revenue and various disputes over the amateur status of players in the 15 players per side code of rugby union, players were allowed to become professional in August 1995. The announcement was made 99 years and 364 days after the split of rugby codes in 1895.

    Rugby Sevens

    • The game of sevens was created in 1883 in Melrose, Scotland, when a rugby tournament was planned but the common 20-per-side game of the time was unmanageable in the small town. The game is played over two 15-minute periods between two teams of seven players.

    World Cup

    • The International Rugby Board (IRB) was created in Dublin in 1886 to govern the game of rugby alongside the English Rugby Football Union as the game spread around the world. In 1987, the first Rugby World Cup was played in New Zealand and Australia. The world cup of 2011 in New Zealand will feature 20 teams from all over the world.

    Scoring Tries

    • Rugby was based more around the kicking game than touching the ball down for a try when the first rules were put in place. In fact, a try did not count if the kicked conversion was missed. In the modern 15-a-side game, a try is worth 5 points with the kicked conversion worth a single point following the award of a try.