The History of Rugby

Read More About History

'This stone commemorates the exploit of William Webb Ellis who with a fine disregard for the rules of soccer, as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, so originating the distinctive feature of the Rugby game A.D. 1823'

The game of Rugby has a wonderful history that is steeped in traditions of the ages. Rough and tumble games concerning multiple players on each side fighting to get possession of a ball made from a pig's bladder filled with air and transport it to a marker at one end of a patch of ground can be traced into the middle ages. Frequently these games have Celtic and Viking origins. Otherwise, they can be traced back to the Romans. However , these games came to be, we do know that the folks of Britain had a taste for playing them.

There wasn't any formal set of rules to regularize these games. Instead, the local players were known to make up there own rules on the spot. Because these games were so rough and people were so regularly hurt, maimed or even killed in the playing of them, the law began taking measures to outlaw the playing of such games.

The laws went so far as to make it illegal to play on public roads or public lands. The laws did not deter folk from taking part in sporting events. It just meant that the games were moved from public lands to private lands. College became preferred venues for such sports occassions because they had massive enough tracts of land for playing, and because big numbers of boys and younger men were collected there.

The classic story which has been passed down thru generations is that in the year 1823 at an English college in the town of Rugby, a young man named William Webb Ellis was engaged in playing a game with his college pals. At a critical moment in the game, he showed total contempt for the rules and picked the ball up and ran with it across the field, scoring a point for his team.

This story, though very popular, is probably not completely true. There isn't any real evidence to support the story, but Rugby players love the story and so it has lived on. In truth, there's an en-graven stone at Rugby which carries the message found at the start of this article. What is fact is that William Webb Ellis did attend Rugby college at roughly the time Rugby turned into a distinguishable game. And that the origins of the game can be traced to the college in Rugby, thus the name Rugby was given to the game.

By the 1840's the game had gained popularity, and Rugby clubs started to spring up across the country. However , there were still no standardised rules, and each club played by their own rules. In January of 1871, a meeting was held in which representatives from all 22 Rugby clubs were in attendance. In this meeting the Rugby football Union was set up and a delegation was chosen to form a standard set of rules. The rules were introduced by June 1871, and the official sport of Rugby was born.

In the 1890's the division between economic classes split the Rugby union in two. This break slowed the progression of Rugby Football for almost a century. In that time Rugby continued to be played in clubs around Europe, Australia and New Zealand, but other games which also sprang from the seeds of those medieval sports played with an inflated pig's bladder,eg American football and soccer moved into the forefront. Today, Rugby is making a comeback. Latterly, members of the international Olympic Committee voted to include Rugby Sevens as an official sport in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

To find the best selection of quality Irish Rugby Jerseys at great prices Visit: Irish Rugby Jerseys Today!

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive History Articles Via RSS!

Additional Articles From - Home | Politics | History

An Introduction To American War Of Independence - By : Madden
History of ancient buildings left the National Palace Museum has seven event of fire - the Forbidden - By : himfr
The Political Economy Of The Mass Media - By : Dennis Coleman
History of Irish Breakfast Tea and english breakfast - By : dmytro fedosev
The art of paper folding - The Origami history - By : Victor Torrealba
The History Of An Idea - By : Willie Alexander
History Of Battery - By : Russell Carter
History of the Buffalo Sabres - By : Bryant Cervantes
Coming Of Age In Mississippi - By : Russell Carter
History Could Possibly Be Made in 2010 Belmont Wagering - By : Lynn Smith

Our other websites
All about SEO
Beauty Tips Forum

	Print This Article
	Post Comment
	Add To Favorites
	Email to Friends
	Ezine Ready

Submit Articles
Member Login
Link Us
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds
Sitemap

New Stuff
About Us
Developer
Good shopping portal
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service