Rugby Union History

The popular myth regarding the inception of the sport of rugby is the story of William Webb-Ellis. Legend goes that whilst a pupil at Rugby School in 1823, Webb-Ellis invented the game when he picked up a football and ran towards the opposition goal with it. The game of Rugby was then born - or so the story says.

In reality, the evidence to support this story is fairly sketchy - although the Rugby World Cup trophy remains named after William Webb-Ellis. The origins of the game also do seem to stem from the form of the game played at Rugby School, in Warwickshire, England. The first written rules of the game were set out here in 1845.

The first Rugby international was played in 1871 between England and Scotland. Soon after this many other nations had representative teams, and 1888 saw the first overseas team to come to Britain, from New Zealand. The International Rugby Board (IRB) was established in 1886 to deal with regulation of international rugby. For more information on the IRB, and other governing bodies please click here.

One of the most interesting points in the history of rugby was in 1895 - which saw the establishment of two codes of the game. Differences of opinion about the running of the game saw several leading northern clubs form a breakaway form - which in time has become known as 'Rugby League'. For more information about the creation of this second code, and the differences between the two, please visit our page on 'Rugby League'.

The first Rugby World Cup was played in 1987 - New Zealand being crowned champions.

Rugby Union remained an amateur sport until 1995, until the IRB removed restrictions on paying players. The game has developed at a rapid rate since the time money was introduced to the sport.

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