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What is the age limit for competitive figure skating? What is double-touching in curling? How is curling scored in the Olympics? What is the main objective of curling? Quick Facts Key People: Richie McCawGeorge NēpiaDanie CravenPeter FatialofaJacques Rogge(Show more) Related Topics: line-outmaulscrumtryseven-a-side rugby(Show more) See all related content Ask Anything Quick Summary Sports & RecreationOther Sports CITE Share Feedback External Websites Rugby World Cup Final, 2019Willie Le Roux of South Africa runs with the ball under pressure from Owen Farrell (L) and George Ford of England during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Final between England and South Africa.(more) rugby sport Homework Help Also known as: rugger Written by John Nauright Professor of Sport Management, George Mason University. Co-author of Rugby and the South African Nation and Making Men: Rugby and Masculine Identity. John Nauright Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Britannica AI Ask Anything Quick Summary Table of Contents Table of Contents Quick Summary Ask Anything Top Questions What are the origins of rugby football? Rugby football originated from the style of football played at Rugby School in England. It is said to have started in 1823 when William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it, creating rugby football. The first rules were established at Rugby School in 1845. How did rugby spread internationally? Rugby spread from England to other parts of the British Empire, including Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. It also reached North America, France, Italy, and other countries, becoming a popular sport worldwide. What is the difference between rugby union and rugby league? Rugby union is played with 15 players per team, while rugby league has 13. Rugby union allows for indefinite possession, whereas rugby league limits possession to six tackles. The scoring system and some rules differ between the two codes. What is the significance of the All Blacks in New Zealand? The All Blacksare New Zealand’s national rugby team, known for their black uniforms. They are a symbol of national pride and identity, performing the haka before matches, which is a traditional Māoriwar dance and chant. News • South Africa vs New Zealand is rugby’s ‘money game’. Why is it being played in the U.S? - The Athletic• Sep. 10, 2026, 6:45 PM ET (New York Times) Show less How to play rugby Overview of rugby.(more) See all videos for this article rugby, football game played with an oval ball by two teams of 15 players (in rugby union play) or 13 players (in rugby league play). Both rugby union and rugby league have their origins in the style of football played at Rugby School in England. According to the sport’s lore, in 1823 William Webb Ellis, a pupil at Rugby School, defied the conventions of the day (that the ball may only be kicked forward) to pick up the ball and run with it in a game, thus creating the distinct handling game of rugby football. This “historical” basis of the game was well established by the early 1900s, about the same time that foundation myths were invented for baseball and Australian rules football. While it is known that Webb Ellis was a student at Rugby School at the time, there is no direct evidence of the actual event’s having taken place, though it was cited by the Old Rugbeian Society in an 1897 report on the origins of the game. Nevertheless, Rugby School, whose name has been given to the sport, was pivotal in the development of rugby football, and the first rules of the game that became rugby union football were established there in 1845. Who actually invented rugby?Rugby has its origins in 19th-century England.(more) See all videos for this article Rugby is now a popular sport in many countries of the world, with clubs and national teams found in places as diverse as Japan, Côte d’Ivoire, Georgia, Uruguay, and Spain. Rugby among women is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. At the turn of the 21st century, the International Rugby Board (IRB; founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board), headquartered in Dublin, boasted more than 100 affiliated national unions, though at the top level the sport was still dominated by the traditional rugby powers of Australia, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. History Origins Different forms of football have existed for centuries. (For more on the development of football sports, seefootball.) In Britain, football games may have been played as early as the time of Roman occupation in the 1st century bce. During the 14th and 15th centuries ce, Shrove Tuesday football matches became annual traditions in local communities, and many of these games continued well into the 19th century. These localized versions of folk football (a violent sport distinctive for its large teams and lack of rules) gradually found favour within the English public (independent) schools, where they were modified and adapted into one of two forms: a dribbling game, played primarily with the feet, that was promoted at Eton and Harrow, and a handling game favoured by Rugby, Marlborough, and Cheltenham. Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thank you for signing up! By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Game playing, particularly football, was encouraged at Rugby School by influential headmaster Thomas Arnold (1828–42), and many boys educated at this time were instrumental in the expansion of the game. Rugby football soon became one of the most significant sports in the promotion of English and, later, British imperial manliness. The game’s virtues were promoted by books such as Thomas Hughes’sTom Brown’s School Days (1857). The cult of manliness that resulted centred on the public schools and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, where boys were sent to learn how to become young gentlemen. Part of the schoolboy’s training was a commitment to arduousphysical activity, and, by the late 19th century, rugby and cricket had become the leading sports that developed the “civilized” manly behaviour of the elite. It was believed that rugby football instilled in the “muscular Christian” gentleman the values of unselfishness, fearlessness, teamwork, and self-control. Graduates of these public schools and of Oxford and Cambridge formed the first football clubs, which led to the institutionalization of rugby. Once they had left school, many young men wanted to continue playing the game of their youth, and the early annual matches between alumni and current senior students were not enough to satisfy these players. Football clubs were formed in the mid-19th century, with one of the very first rugby clubs appearing at Blackheath in 1858. Rugby enthusiasm also spread rapidly to Ireland and Scotland, with a club founded at the University of Dublin in 1854 and the formation by the Old Boys of Edinburgh of the Edinburgh Academicals Rugby Football Club in 1858. In 1863 the tradition of club matches began in England with Blackheath playing Richmond. Britannica Quiz Sports Season Representatives of several leading football clubs met in 1863 to try to devise a common set of rules for football. Disputes arose over handling the ball and “hacking,” the term given to the tactics of tripping an opponent and kicking his shins. Both handling and hacking were allowed under rugby’s rules but disallowed in other forms of football. Led by F.W. Campbell of Blackheath, the rugby men refused to budge over hacking, calling those against the practice “unmanly.” Though Campbell’s group was in the minority, it refused to agree to the rules established for the new Football Association (FA) even though many elements of rugby rules were included in early compromises. Ultimately, rugby was left outside the FA. Despite the initial reluctance to abandon hacking, rugby clubs began to abolish the practice during the late 1860s. Blackheath banned it in 1865, and Richmond supported a similar prohibition in 1866. Rugby received bad publicity after a Richmond player was killed in a practice match in 1871, prompting leading clubs to respond to Richmond and Blackheath’s call for an organizational meeting. Thus, in 1871 members of leading rugby clubs met to form the Rugby Football Union (RFU), which became the governing body for the sport. By this time, hacking had largely disappeared from club rugby, though it remained a part of the game’s “character building” qualities at Rugby School. As a result of its continued adherence to the practice, Rugby School did not join the RFU until 1890. Explore Britannica Premium! The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners. SUBSCRIBE Britannica AI chevron\right Rugby close AI-generated answers from Britannica articles. AI makes mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. Load Next Page Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. print Print Please select which sections you would like to print: - [x] Table Of Contents - [x] Introduction & Top Questions - [x] History - [x] Organization and competition - [x] Women and rugby - [x] Play of the game verified Cite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style Nauright, John. "rugby". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/sports/rugby. Accessed 9 October 2026. Copy Citation Share Share to social media FacebookX URL https://www.britannica.com/sports/rugby External Websites Wayne State College - What is Rugby? 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