Rugby football

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rugby league: Australia's Paul Gallen looks to offload the ball from a tackle. (2008 World Cup).
Rugby is a type of football developed at Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, one of many
versions of football played at English public schools in the 19th century.[1] The two main types of
rugby are rugby league and rugby union. Although rugby league initially used rugby union rules,
they are now wholly separate sports.

Forms
Following the 1895 split in rugby football, the two forms rugby league and rugby union differed in
administration only. Soon the rules of rugby league were modified, resulting in two distinctly
different forms of rugby. After 100 years, in 1995 rugby union joined rugby league and most other
forms of football as an openly professional sport.[2]
See also: Comparison of rugby league and rugby union

History
See also: History of rugby union and History of rugby league

Ancient Greek episkyros player on an Attic lekythos.

A scrummage in a La soule game in Basse Normandie, France, 1852.

Scotland First Rugby Team wearing brown[3] in 1871 for the 1st international, vs England in
Edinburgh, 1871.

The First England Team, 1871, in the 1st international, vs Scotland in Edinburgh.

New South Wales rugby union team, ca. 1883

A form of rugby played in 1905. Art by S.T. Dadd.

The Greeks and Romans are known to have played many ball games, some of which involved the
use of the feet. The Roman game harpastum is believed to have been adapted from a Greek team
game known as "" (Episkyros)[4][5] or "" (phaininda),[6] which is mentioned by
a Greek playwright, Antiphanes (388311 BC) and later referred to by the Christian theologian
Clement of Alexandria (c.150-c.215 AD). These games appear to have resembled rugby football.[7]
[8][9][10][11] The Roman politician Cicero (10642 BC) describes the case of a man who was
killed whilst having a shave when a ball was kicked into a barber's shop. Roman ball games already
knew the air-filled ball, the follis.[12][13] Episkyros is recognised as an early form of football by
FIFA.[14]

In 1871, English clubs met to form the Rugby Football Union (RFU). In 1892, after charges of
professionalism (compensation of team members) were made against some clubs for paying players
for missing work, the Northern Rugby Football Union, usually called the Northern Union (NU),
was formed.[15] The existing rugby union authorities responded by issuing sanctions against the
clubs, players, and officials involved in the new organization. After the schism, the separate clubs
were named "rugby league" and "rugby union