Editing Rugby union (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of rugby union}}Primitive forms of football included [[harpastum]], played by the Romans, where two opposing teams competed to throw a large ball into an opposition net, fighting for possession of the ball. Medieval Irishmen played [[caid (sport)|caid]], carrying an inflated bladder and using arched trees as goals. The Welsh played an inter-parish game using a wooden ball called [[cnapan]]. Frenchmen played soule and Georgians played lelo. "Football" as a game was well established by 1803 at [[Rugby School]] and by the 1830s, "running in" with the ball in hand was allowed but subject to hacking and "collaring".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Richards |first=Huw |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-VhvJML6xa4C&q=rugby+origin |title=A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union |date=30 September 2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-78057-328-1 |pages=Chapter one |language=en}}</ref>{{wikisource|Laws of Football as played at Rugby School}}[[File:Rugby School 850.jpg|thumb|Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, with a rugby football pitch in the foreground|alt=A wide shot of an old English school with a central tower, with a sports pitch in the foreground.]]Former Rugby School student [[Albert Pell]] is credited with having formed the first "football" team while a student at [[Cambridge University]].<ref name="Marshall13">{{Harvnb|Marshall|Jordon|1951|p=13}}</ref> Major private schools each used different rules during this early period, with former pupils from Rugby and [[Eton College|Eton]] attempting to carry their preferred rules through to their universities.<ref name="Marshall13-14">{{Harvnb|Marshall|Jordon|1951|pp=13–14}}</ref> A significant event in the early development of rugby football was the production of a written set of rules at Rugby School in 1845,<ref>{{Harvnb|Godwin|Rhys|1981|p=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-25946757 |title=Six ways the town of Rugby helped change the world |date=1 February 2014 |work=[[BBC News]] |archive-date=4 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304074207/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-25946757 |url-status=live}}</ref> followed by the [[Cambridge Rules]] that were drawn up in 1848.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/originsofrugby.htm |title=Early Laws |website=rugbyfootballhistory.com |access-date=6 February 2010 |archive-date=2 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002095902/https://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/originsofrugby.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Formed in 1863, the national governing body [[The Football Association]] (FA) began codifying a set of universal football rules. These new rules specifically banned players from running with the ball in hand and also disallowed [[Hacking (rugby)|hacking]] (kicking players in the shins), both of which were legal and common tactics under the Rugby School's rules of the sport. In protest at the imposition of the new rules, the [[Blackheath F.C.|Blackheath Club]] left the FA<ref name="Godwin10">{{Harvnb|Godwin|Rhys|1981|p=10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/the-game/global-growth.html |title=History of Football – The Global Growth |work=[[FIFA]]| access-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512172056/https://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/the-game/global-growth.html |archive-date=12 May 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> followed by several other clubs that also favoured the "Rugby Rules". Although these clubs decided to ban hacking soon afterwards, the split was permanent, and [[Laws of the Game (association football)|the FA's codified rules]] became known as "[[association football]]" whilst the clubs that had favoured the Rugby Rules formed the [[Rugby Football Union]] in 1871,<ref name="Godwin10"/> and their code became known as "[[rugby football]]".

In 1895, there was [[History of rugby league#The schism in England|a major schism within rugby football]] in England in which numerous clubs from Northern England resigned from the RFU over the issue of reimbursing players for time lost from their workplaces. The split highlighted the social and class divisions in the sport in England. Although the rules of the game were not a factor in the split, the breakaway teams subsequently adopted some rule changes and this became the separate code of "[[rugby league]]". The RFU's code thereafter took on the name "rugby union" to differentiate it from rugby league,<ref>{{cite book|title=Rugby's great split: class, culture and the origins of rugby league football|author=Tony Collins|pages=87–120|chapter=Schism 1893–1895|edition=2nd|publisher=Routlage|year=2006|isbn=0-415-39616-6}}</ref> but both versions of the sport are known simply as "rugby" throughout most of the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Short History of Civilization IV |work=Five Epochs of Civilization: Chapter 7 (2000) |url=http://worldhistorysite.com/civilization4.html |publisher=worldhistorysite.com |first=William |last=McGaughey |access-date=26 September 2011 |archive-date=12 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512190553/http://worldhistorysite.com/civilization4.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===First internationals===
The [[1871 England versus Scotland rugby union match|first rugby football international]] was played on 27 March 1871 between [[Scottish Rugby Union|Scotland]] and [[England national rugby union team|England]] in [[Edinburgh]]. Scotland won the game by one goal and one try to one goal.<ref name="Godwin10"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/timeline1870s.htm|title=Historical Rugby Milestones 1870s|website=rugbyfootballhistory.com|access-date=22 March 2015|archive-date=13 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113065814/https://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/timeline1870s.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1881 both [[Ireland]] and [[Wales]] had representative teams and in 1883 the first international competition, the [[Six Nations Championship|Home Nations Championship]] had begun. 1883 is also the year of the first [[rugby sevens]] tournament, the [[Melrose Sevens]],<ref name="Godwin12">{{Harvnb|Godwin|Rhys|1981|p=12}}</ref> which is still held annually.

Two important overseas tours took place in 1888: a [[1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia|British Isles]] team visited Australia and New Zealand—although a private venture, it laid the foundations for future [[British and Irish Lions]] tours;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lionsrugby.com/history/5023.php |title=1888 Australia & New Zealand |publisher=The British and Irish Lions |access-date=13 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607033526/http://www.lionsrugby.com/history/5023.php |archive-date=7 June 2011}}</ref> and the [[1888–89 New Zealand Native football team]] brought the first overseas team to British spectators.<ref>{{cite book |title=Forerunners of the All Blacks |last=Ryan |first=Greg |publisher=Canterbury University Press |year=1993 |location=Christchurch, New Zealand|isbn=0-908812-30-2|page=44}}</ref>
[[File:King George V presents a cup to the captain of the winning New Zealand Services Rugby Team, London.jpeg|thumb|left|[[James Ryan (rugby union player born 1887)|James Ryan]], captain of the New Zealand Army team, receiving the Kings Cup from George V|alt=A black and white photo of a rugby field in which three men in military uniform, one of whom is King George V, present a silver trophy to a rugby player dressed in black kit. Behind in a line are the rest of the team.]]

During the early history of rugby union, a time before commercial air travel, teams from different continents rarely met. The first two notable tours both took place in 1888{{mdash}}the British Isles team touring New Zealand and Australia,<ref name="Lions history">{{cite news |url=http://www.lionsrugby.com/history/potted_history.php |title=The History |publisher=The British and Irish Lions |access-date=24 September 2011 |archive-date=22 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722073223/http://www.lionsrugby.com/history/potted_history.php |url-status=live}}</ref> followed by the New Zealand team touring Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irb.com/history/halloffame/newsid=2027752.html |title=IRB Hall of Fame Welcomes Five Inductees |publisher=International Rugby Board |date=23 November 2008 |access-date=24 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824065112/http://www.irb.com/history/halloffame/newsid=2027752.html |archive-date=24 August 2010}}</ref> Traditionally the most prestigious tours were the Southern Hemisphere countries of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa making a tour of a Northern Hemisphere, and the return tours made by a joint British and Irish team.<ref>{{Harvnb|Griffiths|1987|p=ix}} "In the first century of rugby union's history the IRB only recognised matches with international status if both teams in a match came from a small pool of countries: Australia, British Lions, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales."</ref> Tours would last for months, due to long traveling times and the number of games undertaken; the 1888 New Zealand team began their tour in Hawkes Bay in June and did not complete their schedule until August 1889, having played 107 rugby matches.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/the-new-zealand-natives-rugby-tour/nz-natives-rugby-tour |title=Natives' Rugby Tour, 1888-89 |publisher=Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage |access-date=28 December 2024 |archive-date=20 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520005827/https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/the-new-zealand-natives-rugby-tour/nz-natives-rugby-tour |url-status=live}}</ref> Touring international sides would play Test matches against international opponents, including national, club and county sides in the case of Northern Hemisphere rugby, or provincial/state sides in the case of Southern Hemisphere rugby.<ref name="Lions history"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/page/78377.html |title=Take a trip down memory lane courtesy of our historian John Griffiths |publisher=espnscrum.com |date=23 November 2008 |access-date=6 October 2011 |archive-date=27 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227112241/http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/page/78377.html |url-status=dead}} "1 October: The original Wallabies beat a strong Gloucestershire XV 16–0 at Kingsholm, 2 October: The Invincible Second All Blacks have their toughest tour assignment when they are considered lucky to scrape home 13–10 against a star-studded Newport XV, 2 October: Argentina serve notice of their rapidly rising rugby stock by beating a Cardiff side captained by Gerald Davies."</ref>

Between 1905 and 1908, all three major Southern Hemisphere rugby countries sent their first touring teams to the Northern Hemisphere: [[The Original All Blacks|New Zealand]] in 1905, followed by [[1906–07 South Africa rugby union tour|South Africa]] in 1906 and [[1908–09 Australia rugby union tour of Britain|Australia]] in 1908. All three teams brought new styles of play, fitness levels and tactics,<ref name="Godwin, p18">{{Harvnb|Godwin|Rhys|1981|p=18}}</ref> and were far more successful than critics had expected.<ref>{{Harvnb|Thomas|Rowe|1954|p=27}} "When they arrived in this country [Britain] they were regarded as an unknown quantity, but it was not anticipated that they would give the stronger British teams a great deal of opposition. The result of the very first match against Devon was regarded as a foregone conclusion by most British followers."</ref>

The New Zealand 1905 touring team performed a [[Ka Mate|haka]] before each match, leading Welsh Rugby Union administrator [[Tom Williams (rugby union, born 1859)|Tom Williams]] to suggest that Wales player [[Teddy Morgan]] lead the crowd in singing the Welsh national anthem, ''[[Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau]]'', as a response. After Morgan began singing, the crowd joined in: the first time a national anthem was sung at the start of a sporting event.<ref>{{cite web|title=The anthem in more recent years|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/anthem/pages/anthem-today.shtml|access-date=3 December 2010|publisher=[[BBC Cymru Wales]]|date=1 December 2008|work=[[BBC Cymru Wales|BBC Cymru Wales history]]|archive-date=29 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629144706/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/anthem/pages/anthem-today.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Although the United States national anthem, "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]", was first sung before baseball games in the mid-19th century, it did not become the official national anthem until 1931. In addition, the song's pregame use did not become customary until the 1920s.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/6957582/the-history-national-anthem-sports-espn-magazine |title=The song remains the same |first1=Luke |last1=Cyphers |first2=Ethan |last2=Trex |magazine=[[ESPN The Magazine]] |date=8 September 2011 |access-date=20 November 2014}}</ref>}} In 1905 France played England in its first international match.<ref name="Godwin, p18"/>

Rugby union was included as an event in the Olympic Games four times during the early 20th century. No international rugby games and union-sponsored club matches were played during the First World War, but competitions continued through service teams such as the [[New Zealand Army rugby team of 1919|New Zealand Army team]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Godwin|Rhys|1981|p=19}}</ref> During the Second World War no international matches were played by most countries, though Italy, Germany and Romania played a limited number of games,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.espn.co.uk/italy/rugby/match/19590.html |title=Italy Tour – Bucharest, 14 April 1940: Romania 3–0 Italy (FT) |work=ESPNscrum |access-date=12 November 2019 |archive-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112160141/http://en.espn.co.uk/italy/rugby/match/19590.html |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.espn.co.uk/italy/rugby/match/19591.html |title=Italy Tour – Stuttgart, 5 May 1940: Germany (0) 0–4 (4) Italy (FT) |work=ESPNscrum |access-date=12 November 2019 |archive-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112160144/http://en.espn.co.uk/italy/rugby/match/19591.html |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.espn.co.uk/italy/rugby/match/19592.html |title=Romania Tour – Milan, 2 May 1942: Italy (8) 22–3 (0) Romania (FT) |work=ESPNscrum |access-date=12 November 2019 |archive-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112160140/http://en.espn.co.uk/italy/rugby/match/19592.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Cambridge University R.U.F.C.|Cambridge]] and [[Oxford University RFC|Oxford]] continued their annual [[The Varsity Match|University Match]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Godwin|Rhys|1981|p=22}}</ref>

The first officially sanctioned international rugby sevens tournament took place in 1973 at Murrayfield, one of Scotland's biggest stadiums, as part of the [[Scottish Rugby Union]] centenary celebrations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rugby in the Olympics: Future |url=http://www.irb.com/rugbyandtheolympics/future.html |work=[[International Rugby Board|IRB]] |access-date=18 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810065813/http://www.irb.com/rugbyandtheolympics/future.html |archive-date=10 August 2011}}</ref>

===World Cup and professionalism===
In 1987, the first Rugby World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand, and the inaugural winners were New Zealand. The first World Cup Sevens tournament was held at Murrayfield in 1993. Rugby Sevens was introduced into the [[Commonwealth Rugby Sevens Championships|Commonwealth Games]] in 1998 and was added to the Olympic Games of 2016.<ref name="I.O.C. Decision"/> Both men and women's Sevens took place at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.<ref name="Tokyo2020.org">{{cite web | title=Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sports: Rugby | url=https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/sport/olympic/rugby-sevens/ | access-date=25 June 2019 | archive-date=18 September 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918080212/https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/sport/olympic/rugby-sevens/ | url-status=dead}}</ref>

Rugby union was an amateur sport until the IRB declared the game "open" in August 1995 (shortly after the completion of the 1995 World Cup), removing restrictions on payments to players.<ref name=Stubbs3>{{Harvnb|Stubbs|2009|p=118}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=History of the RFU |url=http://www.rfu.com/AboutTheRFU/History.aspx |work=[[Rugby Football Union|RFU]] |access-date=28 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100422210444/http://www.rfu.com/AboutTheRFU/History.aspx |archive-date=22 April 2010 }}</ref> However, the pre-1995 period of rugby union was marked by frequent accusations of "[[shamateurism]]",<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Ontario: The Shamateurs|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804253,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203090354/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804253,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 February 2011|magazine=TIME |date=29 September 1947|access-date=6 February 2010}}</ref> including an investigation in Britain by a House of Commons Select committee in early 1995.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/amateur-status-attacked-by-mps-1611641.html?CMP=ILC-refresh |title=Amateur status attacked by MPs&nbsp;— Sport&nbsp;— The Independent |first=John |last=Rentoul |work=The Independent |date=17 March 1995 |publisher=[[Independent News & Media|INM]] |location=London |issn=0951-9467 |oclc=185201487 |access-date=19 November 2011 |archive-date=25 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225004646/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/amateur-status-attacked-by-mps-1611641.html?CMP=ILC-refresh |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=History of Rugby Union|url=http://www.talkrugbyunion.co.uk/guides/history_of_rugby_union.html|access-date=6 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406194223/http://www.talkrugbyunion.co.uk/guides/history_of_rugby_union.html|archive-date=6 April 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Following the introduction of professionalism trans-national club competitions were started, with the [[Heineken Cup]] in the Northern Hemisphere and [[Super Rugby]] in the Southern Hemisphere.<ref name="historymain">{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/37_74.php | title=European Rugby Cup: History | publisher=ERC | access-date=21 March 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208134810/http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/37_74.php | archive-date=8 February 2007 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Gaynor">{{cite news|title=Union's off-field game a real winner|date=21 April 2001|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|first=Bryan|last=Gaynor|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/unions-off-field-game-a-real-winner/5RFGNY2XPRWHE6A3XYBUE57SRI/|access-date=14 August 2011|archive-date=1 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601001150/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[The Rugby Championship|Tri Nations]], an annual international tournament involving Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, kicked off in 1996.<ref name="Gaynor"/> In [[2012 Rugby Championship|2012]], this competition was extended to include [[Argentina national rugby union team|Argentina]], a country whose impressive performances in international games (especially finishing in third place in the 2007 Rugby World Cup) was deemed to merit inclusion in the competition. As a result of the expansion to four teams, the tournament was renamed The Rugby Championship.<ref name="The Rugby Championship to replace Tri Nations">{{cite web | title="The Rugby Championship" to replace Tri Nations | work=rugby.com.au | url=http://www.rugby.com.au/wallabies/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1516/ArticleID/4906/Default.aspx | access-date=29 April 2014 | archive-date=8 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308043143/http://www.rugby.com.au/wallabies/news/newsarticle/tabid/1516/articleid/4906/default.aspx | url-status=dead }}</ref>