History of Rugby

 
  • 1823 - A commemorative stone at Rugby school claims that 16-year-old student William Webb Ellis, "with a fine disregard for the rules of football...first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive feature of the rugby game."
  • 1839 - Rugby students spread the game's gospel: Arthur Pell establishes the first team at Cambridge and draws up the 'Cambridge Rules'.
  • 1871 - On 26 January 1871 a meeting attended by representatives from 21 clubs was held in London at the Pall Mall Restaurant. As a result of this meeting the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was founded.
  • 1871 - Scotland beat England in the first ever international by one try and one goal to one goal.
  • 1882 - England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland form the International Championship. A lack of formal points system leads to three unresolved disputes and several black eyes - in 1885, 1887 and 1889.
  • 1883 - Rugby sevens was initially conceived by Ned Haig and David Sanderson, who were butchers from Melrose, Scotland as a fund-raising event for his local club, Melrose RFC.
  • 1895 - On 29 August, at a meeting at the George Hotel, Huddersfield, 20 clubs from Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire decided to resign from the RFU and form the Northern Rugby Football Union, which from 1922 was known as the Rugby Football League.
  • 1910 - France join the International Championship to form the Five Nations.
  • 1932 - The Fédération Internationale de Rugby Amateur (FIRA) was founded - a positive force in spreading the sport beyond the Anglosphere.
  • 1948 - The worth of a drop goal was reduced from 4 points to 3 points.
  • 1973 - Welsh wizard Gareth Edwards scores arguably the greatest ever try while playing for the Barbarians against New Zealand, starting and finishing a pitch-length move that involved nearly his entire side.
  • 1987 - Australia and New Zealand host the first World Cup. France defeat favourites Australia in the semi-final only to lose to the All Blacks in the final.
  • 1987 - Club league rugby starts and is dominated by Bath and Leicester.
  • 1991 - The UK, Ireland and France co-host the second World Cup. England beat Scotland in their semi while Australia overcome New Zealand to set up a clash of the hemispheres in the final which the Wallabies easily win.
  • 1992 - Tries are increased from four to five points to promote running rugby and reduce boring kicking - the mainstay of England's game at the time.
  • 1995 - The third World Cup heralds the return of hosts South Africa following years of apartheid-enforced exile. Springbok fly-half Joel Stransky kicks
  • 1995 - The International Rugby Board suits bow to pressure and the era of professionalism begins.
  • 2009 - The International Olympic Committee voted to return a form of rugby to the Olympics, with rugby sevens to be contested in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
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