Where was rugby first played?

Answer 1

Strangely enough, in Rugby.

Rugby, a town in roughly the centre of England, is home to Rugby School. This is a "public school" which, in the beautifully illogical English way means "private school".

The boys were playing football ( aka soccer ) when one of the boys picked up the ball and ran with it. The idea caught on, and a new game was born.

Answer 2

Technically, the first game of rugby was played in the town of Rugby, England. The story goes that a young schoolboy in the town of Rugby named William Webb Ellis was playing a game of Association Football (the 1800s name for what is now football/soccer) and decided to pick up the ball and run with it. There is a statue in Rugby to commemorate this, which reads: "This stone commemorates the exploit of William Webb Ellis who with a fine disregard for the rules of football, as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive features of the rugby game, a.d. 1823" Though a romantic notion, this is sadly false. The truth is that in the 1800s picking up the ball during a football match was the norm, but the town of Rugby took it one step further and by 1830 the 'H'-shaped posts, scrums and rucks were all in place. Soon the rules were created and the game of rugby was born. As word travelled of the sport, it became hugely popular and in 1871 the Rugby Football Union was formed consisting of 21 clubs. However, the first recorded club game came before the introduction of the RFU and was played between Richmond and Blackheath in London, 1863. I hope this was useful. Steve M

Answer 3

Whilst the games origins were set in 1823 at Rugby School Warwickshire England when Webb Ellis, a student picked up a football (which was allowed in those days in the game of foot ball ((soccer)) He ran forward instead of retiring back toward his own team to pass the ball. Ellis ran toward the opponents goal lime - in 1837 The Football Association outlawed the ball carrying rules. Teams who liked this aspect broke away from these are started the Rugby Football Union - Teams such as Black Heath of England of Cambridge were teams playing at the time and immediately joined the Union and continued to play the game - Later in the year a formalised set of laws were created for the new Rugby Football game. Team took these on board and carried on playing the game with the new laws. The records show that it was Black Heath in London that played the first formal game

Answer 4

Technically it was in 1823 at Rugby School Warwickshire. England. Here its claimed a student, William Web Ellis picked up a football and ran with it toward the opposing goal line - In these days the ball could be handled but carried backward only. However, the creation of rugby proper came in late 1870, when the Secretary of Richmond FC proposed a meeting to codify a separate set of rules for the Rugby clubs. This took place shortly after on January 26th 1871 and was attended by 21 clubs at the Pall Mall Restaurant in London's Regent Street. Some of the represented clubs still play today, most notably Harlequins and Blackheath, and London Wasps. There are records at Cambridge university and some of the more notable medical universities which stated that the games of "football" using the rules of Rugby school had been played in the year 1830.

Answer 5

Rugby League was first played in Northern England after separating from the Rugby 'Union'.

Answer 6

Technically at Rugby School Warwickshire, England 1815