1823 when it was supposed that a certain Webb Ellis was playing football and when the ball came to him he caught it and ran to the oppositions goal line and shouted TRY, and that was how it was supposed to have been created. It became a professional sport in 1995, and will feature as 7's in 2016 Olympics.
1843 and formalised in 1871
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It was originated in 1823 when the pupils were playing the then game football. In this early version of the game we now call soccer as well players could hack the legs from the ball player and at that time the players could pick up the ball - However, it was the rule of the day that the ball carrier ran back toward his team to make a pass. William Web Ellis a student of the school collected the ball and ran forward toward the oppositions goal. This concept caught on and the school played on with this rule. The game spread as pupils left and went to university, the armed forces etc and the concept of carrying the ball continued with passes being make behind the carrier as we have today. Then in 1863 the Football association was Born and they decided hacking and ball carrying were to be outlawed. There were a number of teams that were playing the original style who decide to breakaway and allow the ball carrying. By 1870 a group of clubs and universities came together to formalise the rules and set up the RFU (Rugby Football Union) The name remains today
At Rugby School in 1823. A boy, rumoured to be William Webb Ellis after whom the Rugby World Cup is named, famously picked up the football and ran with it.