Like every great sport, Rugby Union brings with it its own history, legends, and heroes. One such legend relates to the sports very founding in 1823.
William Webb Ellis, a school boy (predictably) attending Rugby School, is first accredited to playing rugby while at recess. As so many historical sites proclaim, a witness states that the young Ellis “took the ball in his arms and ran with it”, separating “Rugby” from sports like soccer, that mainly utilize feet. The International Rugby Board (IRB) now recognizes the World Cup champions with the William Webb Ellis Trophy.
From there, rugby was quickly adopted by many different schools as well as groups of men looking to form clubs. National teams began to play against each other in the 1860’s, developing now well-known rivalries, such as those between England and France and Australia and New Zealand.
For someone just entering the sport, it may seem as if rugby lacks the conventional histories and rivalries of a traditionally American sport such as baseball or basketball. In reality, however, these currents reside just beneath the surface of American rugby. Americans in particular should be both proud of their rugby heritage.
Did you know that the USA won the Rugby Union event at the Olympics in both 1920 and 1924?
This fact in particular should spark your interest in the history of rugby. When the Olympics later ceased to recognize the sport as “Olympic” (a point of frequent controversy), American teams ceased their development of the sport. Now though, with renewed interest in the game, many Americans have the opportunity to engage in this legacy and bring American rugby back to par with the rest of the world.
Once again, my post ends with some suggestions: I encourage you all to read the more detailed versions of rugby history at the MSN Encarta site or at RugbyFootballHistory.com. Become familiar with rugby’s great players, games, and events. And of course, go make some history of your own.
Note: Most references for this post were taken from the aforementioned web-sites, as well as usarugby.org.
