Rugby... Why Is This Sports So Similar To Football.
The history of rugby and these other ball games can trace its roots back to ancient England. As early as the 10th Century, great mobs would get involved in games that involved kicking and throwing an inflated pig bladder through town streets and squares. Villages would compete against each other and any means short of murder could be used to get the ball across the goal.
William Webb Ellis is often credited with the invention of running with the ball in hand in 1823 at Rugby School, when he allegedly caught the ball while playing soccer and ran towards the opposition goal.
The current Rugby World Cup trophy is called the 'Webb Ellis Cup'.
Fifteen players work as one cohesive unit -- maintaining possession, gaining territory and controlling ball movement at game pace. Meanwhile, their opposite numbers cover the field, tackling runners and working to regain possession.
To no one’s surprise such games were frowned upon by ruling authorities. In the 12th and 13th Centuries, no less than nine European monarchs banned these ball games. The kings weren’t so much opposed to the violence and the property destruction, but to the distraction the games caused from military training.
The earliest clubs include :
Barnes Club (Barnes RFC) formed 1839 but not well documented, 1858, 1862 (first recorded result).
Guy's hospital (1843)[2], 1866 (The football annual 1873) [9]
Cambridge University 1846 [5] (stemmed from an earlier football club formed in 1839 by Old Rugbeians)
Marlborough school - Rugby rules but without hacking 1850, 1852 [8]
Durham Grammer School circa 1850
Neuenheim College in Heidelberg 1850
Trinity College (Dublin University Football club) - Dublin 1854[2][7]
Liverpool [first game 1857]
Academical Football Club (Edinburgh) 1857 [4] 1858 -based upon first AGM [2][6]
Blackheath 1858 (closed club formed, Old Blackheathen Football club), 1862[2]
University of St Andrews RFC 1858
Merchiston school 1860 [4]
Manchester RFC 1860
Sale 1861
Richmond 1862 (founded in 1861 but switched to Rugby rules a year later)[2]
---According to Wikipedia there are 5,062,396 registered players of rugby union.
---The first written laws of rugby were produced in 1845.
---Once again according to Wikipedia there are 18,920 rugby clubs worldwide.
---Wales sang the first ever national anthem at a game in 1905, it was in response to the touring New Zealanders haka
---Rugby League in the UK - instigated the split between Union and League which was finalised when a meeting of the RFU on September 19th 1895 was rejected and the league commenced.
---1877 saw a shift from 20-a-side to 15-a-side matches in the Union code
---In 1908, eight clubs in Sydney broke away from the Australian Union to form the New South Wales Rugby League
---Since the World Cup has started, every opening game has used the same whistle to start the game.
---Jonah Lomu scored the most tries in one world cup in 1999 where he scored 8 tries.
---The 2011 World Cup was the biggest sporting event to be held in New Zealand.
