| Rugby History | |
The game of rugby is said to have originated in 1823 at the Rugby School in England when a soccer player decided to add a little excitement to his football game and, in blatant violation of the rules of soccer, picked up the ball and ran with it. Today at the gates of the school lies a stone marker which reads, "William Webb Ellis ... with fine disregard for the rules of football as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it." With that one spontaneous action, Ellis invented a game that continued to deviate even more from soccer and incorporated aspects of many other sports. Rugby eventually gave life to today's version of American football. Rugby is a popular game played by men and women of every
race and creed, from under age five to well over fifty, in over 100 countries
of the world. In a few of those countries it is the national sport --
some say religion. |
|
| Adapted from "Idiot's Guide to Rugby's Rules and Regulations" by Kristina Launey | |