History of Rugby

The origins of Rugby Football are disputed. A commonly held belief is that William Webb-Ellis, a pupil at Rugby school, was taking part in a traditional football match in 1823 when he picked the football up and began to run with it, thus creating Rugby Football. 

This tale has been discredited over the years, but what is certain is that various forms of football where handling the ball was part of the game were being played in public schools in England in the early 19th century. The first written set of Rugby Football rules was produced in 1845, with Blackheath Club becoming the first to leave the Football Association and switch to rugby in 1863 and the Rugby Football Union being founded in 1871. 

Arguments over payments to players caused rugby to split into two factions in 1895, with the 'Northern Rugby Football Union', comprised of a number of teams based in the North of England, splitting from the Rugby Football Union. This group would go on to form their own code of the sport with a revised set of rules, rugby league, whilst the remaining clubs would continue to play by the original rugby union rules.

In England, at least, rugby union maintained its traditions for many years following the split. There was no league structure until 1987 and professionalism remained banned until 1995. Today, in England, there is a thriving league structure which links the Premiership at the top of the game with local level amateur sides and there is the opportunity for the most promising players to make a good career from playing rugby.

International rugby union remains a huge draw, and whilst crowds at club level may sometimes be disappointing, Twickenham invariably sells out for a home international. The premier competition in world rugby is the World Cup, which was first held in 1987 and has taken place every four years since. 

Since then, the tournament has grown significantly and now comprises of 22 teams. South Africa, New Zealand and Australia have each won two world cup tournaments, with England's 2003 win making them the only northern hemisphere winner to date.

Aside from the World Cup the two major tournaments in international rugby union are the Six Nations Championship, which takes place in the Spring and pits England, Ireland, Wales, France, Scotland and Italy against each other, and the Rugby Championship which involves New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Argentina.

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