FACT ONE
The sport of rugby is named after Rugby School, where the game was first played. The game is said to have been invented in 1823 when William Webb Ellis caught the ball while playing a game of football* at school, and ran to the goal with it. Although there is doubt about whether this actually happened, Webb Ellis is still remembered as the sport’s inventor and the winner of the Rugby Union World Cup, held every four years, receives the Webb Ellis Cup.
FACT TWO
The first time a national anthem was sung before a sporting event happened, kind of spontaneously, before a rugby game. New Zealand famously dance the Haka before the start of a game of rugby, a traditional war-dance which is sometimes seen as an attempt to intimidate their opposition. On 16th November 1905 they played Wales at Cardiff Arms Park. After New Zealand danced the Haka before the match, Wales responded by beginning to sing the Welsh national anthem, ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’ (not sure what it means, but it probably isn’t anything to do with chickens). The crowd picked up on this and joined in. Nowadays, before major sporting events, it is traditional for the national anthems of the countries being represented to be sung beforehand.
FACT THREE
Rugby Union World Cup tournaments are held every four years. The first tournament took place in 1987. It was hosted by Australia and New Zealand and was won by New Zealand. The United Kingdom and Ireland hosted the 1991 tournament which was won by Australia. South Africa were hosts in 1995 and also won the tournament. Wales hosted the tournament in 1999 when Australia were victorious. Australia hosted the 2003 tournament which England won and France hosted the 2007 which South Africa won. New Zealand were hosts for the 2011 World Cup, which they also won. They also won the 2015 World Cup which was held in England and Wales.
FACT FOUR
Rugby players mostly earn points by scoring tries, achieved by a player crossing the touchline with a ball and touching it to the ground (which can be done by falling on it!). A try in rugby union is worth 5 points, in rugby league it is worth 4. However, a try was once worth nothing, instead it gave the player who achieved one the opportunity to “try” to score a goal, hence its name. Goals were scored by placing the ball on the ground and kicking it over the crossbar and between the two posts, therefore converting the try into a goal, a goal being worth 1 point. Nowadays, an attempt at a conversion still follows a successful try and gives players the opportunity to score an extra 2 points.
FACT FIVE
The first international rugby match took place between Scotland and England in 1871 at Raeburn Park in Edinburgh. Scotland won 1-0 by converting a try. The scorer, and therefore the first player to score an international rugby goal, was William Cross. If the modern scoring system was used, the score would have been 12-5 to Scotland, who scored two tries and one conversion. England achieved one try but failed to convert. The game happened 18 months before the first international Association Football (soccer) match, which took place in November 1872, also between Scotland and England.