England v New Zealand

Rugby is a world renowned and quintessentially British sport and has a rich history, starting in the 1800s. Discover the origins and differences between rugby union and rugby league.

Rugby. A game described as a mortal’s clash of the Titans. If you’re new to the game of rugby, you might get a little confused about what’s actually going on. You might, for example, wonder why the game keeps stopping; whether there’s actually any difference between a ‘ruck’ and a ‘maul’; and what the heck a scrum is anyway?! As someone who was – until recently – a rugby novice, I feel your pain. I’ve always enjoyed rugby but, now I understand it, I’ve become one of those slightly annoying people that refer to technical rugby terms in casual conversation. And, once you’ve learnt it, the game is actually a lot simpler than you think.

Let’s go all the way back to 1823 – a whole 200 years ago – to a town called Rugby in England. William Webb Ellis was a boy who was playing a game of football and decided to pick the ball up and run with it towards the opposition’s goal line.