The History of Rugby
Origins of The Game of Rugby
There are hundreds, if not thousands of different sports that are played around the world. The range of games includes something small involving just two people, to large team-based sports that can encompass dozens of players at once. Despite all these sports being played across the world, there are only a handful that have truly gained international popularity. Football, baseball, cricket, horse racing, and rugby to name just a few. But while this is only a handful, the impact these games have on the world is monumental.
Rugby, for example, is a contact sport beloved by millions of fans spanning the entire planet, and remains one of the most watched and played sports in modern history. The rules of the game are pretty simple, and like football, it relies on a combination of skill and training.
Rugby is also one of the oldest of the modern sports, and has a long and interesting history that can date back hundreds of years. In a world where we often get lost in other activities such as streaming and online pokies NZ, it’s a good idea to remember where games like rugby first came from.
Where It All Began
Rugby can trace its origins to about the same period that football first became prominent within England. While different versions of football existed hundreds of years ago – as early as the 14th century – it would take many years for football to evolve into different types. Football was especially renown amongst town’s people, and over time it began to become more violent.
Contact was introduced into the sport; the action whereby players would forcibly try and remove the ball from their opponent to gain an advantage. This kind of contact sport would begin around the 19th century after football as we know it today had become much more widespread around the United Kingdom.
Larger teams and a general lack of rules meant that many of these games were different from each other, often depending on the region that they were played in. This would change in the mid 1800s as professional rugby training schools were put into place that trained young boys in games that had specific rules and regulations. It was from here that the more modern version of rugby as we know it today first formed, and would go on to become a nation-wide pastime.
Rugby Around The World
The British Empire conquered much of the world during the 1800s, including such countries as Australia, South Africa, India, and many more. Naturally, much of the British culture was introduced into these countries, including sports. Games like football, cricket, and rugby quickly became favourites for these countries, with Australia and South Africa taking a liking to rugby in particular.
Rugby Today
Almost 200 years later, and rugby is an international phenomenon, with tournaments played all over the world, with millions upon millions of followers and enthusiasts. While rugby and football are intrinsically tied together in the past, they have since gone in very different ways, giving some of the best action sport the world has ever seen.
