Let’s Know Some Facts About Rugby!

Rugby is a rough game like football, It has been developed at England's Rugby School, early in the 1800s. In 1823, when William Webb Ellis caught the ball while playing a game of soccer at Rugby School, he ran with it, forever changing the game and leading the way to an entirely new sport. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) was formed in the year 1871, and in 1892 the Northern Rugby Football Union (NU) was formed following professionalism charges for paying players. The first international rugby match was played in the year1871 between the country Scotland and England. Since then it has been developed into the rugby sport that is played today, which is rapidly gaining popularity in North America.

Rugby game has two teams of 15 players each. The objective of the game is to run or kick the ball across the opponent's goal or kick it up and through the posts. It is similar to the game of football but there is no forward passing or time-outs.

The Rugby Union World Cup, that held every four years, awards the Webb Ellis Cup to the winning team. By 1892, it was proposed that rugby players should be compensated for missing work to play. The proposed amount was six shillings, and this proposal was turned down by the RFU.

Professionalism in rugby was allowed finally in the year 1898, but players still had to work at regular jobs.The first rugby balls were plum-shaped because they were made of pig bladders. In the late 1800s they were of egg-shaped and are made of rubber inner tubes. Today it is of oval shape, as oval balls are easier to catch, hold and to run with. Rugby has been played as an Olympic sport only for four times. The first time was in the year 1900 and the last time was in 1924.

By: Saksham Gupta

Content: http://www.softschools.com/facts/sports/rugby_facts/580/