Born in the early 1800s, rugby quickly became a popular sport played worldwide. High-profile international matches always fill-in the stadiums and have a lot of media coverage. There is also a lot of attention amongst bookies, where rugby league betting is a big deal. Still, how much do people know about rugby? Well, you can learn more about it by reading the following:
History of Rugby
First rugby balls were created from pigs’ bladders which were of specific plum-alike shape. Since the balls were puffed-up with the mouth, some people got sick from it in case the bladder was infected. Richard Lindon produced balls for Rugby School during the 1800s. His wife died due to the fact that she blew up too many infected bladders.
William Webb Ellis accidentally invented rugby in 1823. He was a student of Rugby School in Warwickshire, England and whilst playing a football match, instead of kicking the ball William caught it and ran with the ball in his arms.
There are two different types of rugby: rugby league and rugby union and the later got accepted as a sport in 1995.
The Oxford English Dictionary has referenced rugby football for the first time in 1852.
Each rugby match at the World Cup is opened using the same whistle, the one that Gil Evans, the Welsh referee used to open England vs. New Zealand in 1905.
Famous Rugby Teams and Players
All rugby players are large but Bill Cavabuti, called Big Bill, was 1.86 m tall and weighed 160 kg.
New Zealand’s player Jonah Lomu is often seen as the first rugby superstar. He scored a total of 15 tries in the Rugby World Cups which is a record. In his prime years, Lomu ran 100 metres in 11 seconds even though he weighed 115 kg.
Harry Walker is considered as a former rugby player who lived the longest having reached the age of 103 and died in 2018. He played his first match for England in 1947 at the age of 32.
The most famous rugby team is the national rugby union team of New Zealand, the All Blacks. They took the first Rugby World Cup in 1987 and became known for their Haka performance.