Facts & Figures
Facts
1823
- William Webb Ellis originated the distinctive feature of the game of rugby when, as the commemorative plaque at Rugby School in the town of Rugby says, "with a fine disregard for the rules of the game of football (soccer) as played in his time, [he] first took the ball in his arms and ran with it." The other boys made chase and tackled him, and so began the game of rugby as we see it played today.
1863
- The first recorded club game took place, in which Richmond played Blackheath in London, England.
1871
- The Rugby Football Union (RFU) was formed to establish a clear set of rules and to introduce referees to oversee the game.
- The tradition of international matches that is now over a century old was begun when England's best players met Scotland's best players at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh.
1874
- The first game played in North America was Canada's McGill University versus the USA's Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
1886
- The International Rugby Board (IRB) was formed. Ireland, Scotland and Wales were the first members to join; England followed in 1890.
1900
- The first time rugby was played in the Olympics, in Paris, France. France did their country proud by claiming the gold medal.
1921
- Jubilee Year (50th anniversary) of the Rugby Football Union.
- The International Rugby Board introduced numbering on jerseys.
1924
- The last year rugby was played in the Olympics. The USA won and is therefore the current reigning Olympic champion.
- A touring team consisting of the best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales became known as the "British Lions" while playing in South Africa because they wore ties with the British Lion emblem on them.
1971
- The RFU celebrate their centenary. Forty-three countries participated in international matches that year.
1970s
- Later in this decade, the first women's provincial clubs formed in Canada, including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario.
1986
- The IRB celebrate their centenary. There were seventy-six recorded member nations marking the historic 100th anniversary.
1987
- The first ever Rugby World Cup was played in Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand won the Webb Ellis Cup by defeating France in the final at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
1991
- The second Rugby World Cup was played in the United Kingdom. Australia won against home country favourite England in the final.
- The inaugural Women's Rugby World Cup was played in Wales and won by the USA in the final against England.
1994
- The second Women's Rugby World Cup, played in Scotland, was a re-match between the USA and England, with England victorious.
1995
- The third Rugby World Cup was played in South Africa, marking that nation's return to full international sport following years of international sanctions related to apartheid. The host nation won in a dramatic extra time victory over New Zealand at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Nelson Mandela presented the cup to South Africa's captain, Francois Pienaar.
- The Rugby Football Union made rugby a professional sport, thereby increasing the game's exposure worldwide.
1998
- The third Women's Rugby World Cup, played in Amsterdam, Holland, saw New Zealand victorious over the USA.
1999
- The fourth Rugby World Cup, played in the UK and France, saw Australia defeat France in the final with a record TV audience of over three billion watching at the new Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
2002
- The fourth Women's Rugby World Cup played in Barcelona's Olympic Stadium saw New Zealand defeat England to retain their 1998 title.
2003
- The fifth Rugby World Cup final was to be played in Sydney, Australia. The host nation lost to England when Johny Wilkisnon scored a dramatic drop kick in the final moments.
2006
- New Zealand won yet another Womens' Rugby World Cup against England in the final played at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada.
2007
-South Africa won their second RugbyWorld Cup by defeating defending champions England at Stade de France in Paris.
Figures
97 The number of nations currently playing rugby.
3 Nations, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, all compete for the Tri-Nations Championship each year.
48,000 The number of rugby players in Canada.
8 Is Canada's best ever result at the Rugby World Cup finish in 1991.
60,000 The number of rugby players in the USA.
6 Nations (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales) who compete in the Six Nations Championships each year.
270,000 The number of rugby players in England.
2 The number of times Australia has won the Rugby World Cup (1991 and 1999).
6,000,000 English pounds sterling to be paid to the entire English team over the next four years of International test matches (2001-2005).
76,000 The number of rugby players in New Zealand.
138,000 The average salary of a professional rugby union player in Australia.
144 years (2002) Blackheath Football Club is the oldest open Rugby club in the world.
152 The world record for number of conversion kicks in test rugby held by Andrew Mehrtens (August 9, 2002).
1 000 000 The number of people who took to the streets of London to celebrate England’s World Cup victory.
8 Rugby World Cup record number of drop goals kicked by England’s Johnny Wilkinson in 2003 including the winning points in overtime of the final.
76 Number of caps earned by Al Charon, captain of Canada at the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
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