2.1 Rugby History
Description
This article is from the Rugby Union FAQ, by roelofs@f2s.com (Mees Roelofs) with numerous contributions by others.
2.1 Rugby History
You might want to see the match played in 'Asterix chez les Britons', where
Obelix shows some French Flair and decides to start playing the game back
home, as the first recorded Rugby match. You might also want to prefer one
of the medieval football codes looking like Rugby. Despite all that, the
origins of Rugby Union are usually laid at Rugby School in Rugby, England.
It was there, that William Webb Ellis allegedly picked up the ball and
started to run with it, in disregard for the rules of football as played in
his time, thus originating the distinctive feature of the Rugby game.
The Webb Ellis story itself is known to be a myth, but the game did spread
from Rugby School from the 1820s on. From Rugby it went to other Public
Schools and Universities in Britain and from the Home Nations the game
spread throughout the British Commonwealth. Rugby made it to France in
1872, but only really gained footing in the 1880s, when the French elite
started seeing Rugby as the way to go towards regaining Alsace and
Lorraine. The rules were first codified in the 1870s. Women are known to
play Rugby since 1913.
Over the years, the worth of scores has changed as follows:
Try Con Pen D/G GFM (goal from mark)
until 1891 1 2 2 3 3 points
1891 to 1893 2 3 3 4 4 points
1893 to 1905 3 2 3 4 4 points
1905 to 1948 3 2 3 4 3 points
1948 to 1971 3 2 3 3 3 points
1971 to 1977 4 2 3 3 3 points
1977 to 1992 4 2 3 3 - points
1992 onwards 5 2 3 3 - points
International matches (or tests) have been played since 1880. In 1883 the
basis for the current Six Nations Championship was laid. France joined
founders England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in 1910, but were expelled
between 1931 and 1939. Italy became part of the Championship in 2000. There
was no such championship in the Southern Hemisphere. The three traditional
greats there did meet regularly though. Particularly New Zealand and South
Africa built up an intense rivalry, with test series between the two being
regarded as unofficial World Championships. These days, Australia, New
Zealand and South Africa play for the Tri Nations Championship.
With Rugby not being an Olympic sport, South Africa could play on for quite
some time under the IOC Apartheid ban. Touring sides from and to South
Africa came to an end however in the 1980s. The New Zealand High Court
forbade the 1985 tour to South Africa, after the 1981 Springbok tour to New
Zealand had ended in riots all over the nation. England in 1984 was the
last nation to play South Africa until 1992, when Apartheid was over. In
the meantime, the Boks had to do with unofficial touring parties, such as
NZ Cavaliers, South America and World XV.
The first World Cup was held in 1987. The World champions receive the Webb
Ellis Trophy, which is also known as 'Bill'.
** Host Winner Finalist 1987 Aus/NZ New Zealand France 1991 England Australia England 1995 South Africa South Africa New Zealand 1999 Wales Australia France 2003 Australia England Australia 2007 France 2011 New Zealand
Until 1995, Rugby was officially an amateur sport. Only then the game was
finally declared 'open', thereby ending ages of illegal payments.
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