The students of each school have their own ball the workers from each city craft are also carrying their balls. He described the activities of London youths during the annual festival of Shrove Tuesday:Īfter lunch all the youth of the city go out into the fields to take part in a ball game. The first detailed description of what was almost certainly football in England was given by William FitzStephen in about 1174–1183.

For example, New Zealand had Ki-o-rahi, Australia marn grook, Japan kemari, Georgia lelo burti, the Scottish Borders Jeddart Ba' and Cornwall Cornish hurling, Central Italy Calcio Fiorentino, South Wales cnapan, East Anglia Campball and Ireland had caid, an ancestor of Gaelic football. Many of these involved handling of the ball, and scrummaging formations.

It was not until 1995 that rugby union was declared an 'open' game, and thus professionalism was sanctioned by the code's governing body, World Rugby-then known as the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB).Ĭalcio Fiorentino match in Piazza Santa Maria Novella in Florence, painted by Jan Van der StraetĪlthough rugby football was codified at Rugby School, many rugby playing countries had pre-existing football games not dissimilar to rugby.įorms of traditional football similar to rugby have been played throughout Europe and beyond. For most of its history, rugby was a strictly amateur football code, and the sport's administrators frequently imposed bans and restrictions on players who they viewed as professional.

It was not until a schism in 1895, over the payment of players, which resulted in the formation of the separate code of rugby league, that the name 'rugby union' was used to differentiate the original rugby code. The code was originally known simply as ' rugby football'. The code of football later known as rugby union can be traced to three events: the first set of written rules in 1845, the Blackheath Club's decision to leave the Football Association in 1863 and the formation of the Rugby Football Union in 1871. The history of rugby union follows from various football games long before the 19th century, but it was not until the middle of that century that the rules were formulated and codified. A scrummage in a La soule game in Basse Normandie, France, 1852.

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