Facts about Rugby
The code played by those teams who remained in national organizations which were members of the IRB became known as "rugby union."
Professional rugby contains seven reserves, with a player being allowed to be substituted only once, unless they are a front-row specialist player and are replacing an injured front-row player.
Rugby World Cup (RWC) is the financial engine which drives the development of the game world-wide.
Blackheath Rugby Club was founded in 1858 and is the oldest documented rugby club in England.
caught the ball] and ran" while playing a form of football at Rugby school in 1823.
According to IRB figures, rugby union is played in over 100 countries spanning six continents by men and women of all ages.
In 1886, the International Rugby Board (IRB) became the world governing and law-making body for rugby.
Rugby union has been a men's medal sport at the modern Summer Olympic Games; it was played at four of the first seven Olympic competitions.
Nonetheless, the trophy for the Rugby World Cup bears the name of "Webb Ellis" in his honor, and a plaque at the school commemorates the "achievement."
Initially, rugby league in Australia operated under the same rules as rugby union.
Rugby union has established itself throughout the world as a highly popular sport, particularly in Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Romania, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga, Uruguay and Wales.
The revenues generated by the Rugby World Cup provides the IRB with the funds necessary to assist the Member Unions with expansion and development of the game.
The introduction of rugby into New Zealand was by Charles John Monro, son of Sir David Monro, then speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives.
The Rugby World Cup is held every four years between the major national rugby union teams.
www.theroar.com.au. Soon most countries with a sizable rugby community had formed their own national unions.
The IRB controls the Rugby World Cup, the Women's Rugby World Cup, Rugby World Cup Sevens, IRB Sevens World Series, Under 21 World Cup, Under 19 World Championship, and the Super Cup.
Increasing popularity in recent years has led to diversification; women's rugby is increasingly popular in the United States and Canada.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) was involved in the organization of the sport at this edition of the Olympics.
On August 29 1895 22 clubs split from the RFU and met at the George Hotel in Huddersfield to form the Northern Rugby Football Union, commonly called the Northern Union.
One of the attractions of rugby union is the great diversity in playing styles that have been adopted by the various countries that play the game.
The origin of rugby football is often credited to William Webb Ellis, a young man who "took the ball in his arms [i.e.
Rugby football has claim to the world's first "football clubs": the Barnes Club (as it was known), formed in London in 1839, and Guy's Hospital Football Club (1843).
The professionalization of rugby union has created a larger and more international support base than before and very large crowds in international competitions.
NRFU rules gradually diverged from those of rugby union, although the name rugby league did not become official until the Northern Rugby League formed in 1901.
The 1890s saw a clash of cultures within the game, between working men's rugby clubs of northern England and predominantly middle-class southern clubs, a dispute revolving around the nature of professionalism within the game.
Rugby union claims to have formed the first football clubs and the sport is still played today traditionally between local clubs administered by local or provincial unions.
The code played by those teams which played "open" rugby and allowed professionals as well as amateurs became known as "rugby league."
Today, the highest level of Rugby Union is played between some of the 100 nations playing the game.
The code is administered globally by the International Rugby Board (IRB) and currently played in over 100 countries on 6 continents.
An essential part of the safety equipment needed for rugby is the mouthguard.
Alongside the success stories there have been some famous rugby clubs which have not coped well with the new era.
The winners are awarded the Webb Ellis Cup, named after the Rugby School pupil credited with the game's invention.
That school had adopted rugby rules and Monro became an enthusiastic convert.
Rugby union is one of the few ball games where the ball cannot be passed forward.
A rugby union team consists of 15 players: eight forwards, and seven backs.
Rugby union was played at four of the first seven modern Summer Olympic Games.
The International Rugby Board (IRB), founded in 1886, governs the sport worldwide and also publishes the game's laws and rankings.
A traditional rugby union kit consists of a collared jersey (often imitated by fashion labels and called a "rugby shirt"), shorts, long socks and boots with studs (or cleats).
The first Rugby World Cup was hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand with successive World Cups alternating between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Attendances for major international rugby union matches are generally sell-outs.
Rugby shorts are traditionally made from cotton, designed to take the strains of rugby union.
Shortly after the 1924 games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cancelled rugby union as an Olympic sport.
The most important tournament in rugby union is the Rugby World Cup, a men's tournament that takes place every four years between the elite national rugby union teams.
Playing football had a long tradition in England, and football games had probably taken place at Rugby school for 200 years before three boys published the first set of written rules in 1845.
Rugby Union is also played by women's teams and there is also a quicker seven-a-side variation called rugby sevens, which exists in both forms.
Most rugby teams will have two jersey designs, one for home games and a different design for away games.
Amid all the rugby union competitions there are additional Tests between international teams, which usually take place between September and December and then June and August.
On August 26 1995 the IRB declared rugby union an "open" game and removed all restrictions on payments or benefits to those connected with the game.
Records of women's rugby go back over 100 years–the first mention of the game being in New Zealand in 1891 and France ten years later.
The Rugby Sevens World Cup is the world's premier international contest in the Sevens version of rugby union, first held in Scotland in 1993 and held every four years thereafter.
Rugby union is also gaining popularity in Italy, following its acceptance into the Six Nations, and Japan, which bid to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup, losing out to New Zealand.
The Tri Nations is an annual international rugby union series held between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Sponsorship and club attendance is also increasing in rugby union, with many English premiership clubs seeking to expand their existing ground capacity.