Who are the rugby union barbarians?

Answer 1

This is very historic subject in terms of Rugby Union. The Title for the Barbars is actually Barbarian FC.

Pre-1890 a Gentleman named William Percival Carpmael came up with the idea of bringing together a group of young men from the world of Rugby Union. These he wanted to be the very elite. There would be no ability to just join, register or subscribe to this team it was joined by invitation only.

The team would actually have no ground or even a clubhouse. It was Carpmaels idea spread good will and fellowship amongst ALL rugby players.

On December 27th 1890 at Friary Field, Hartlepool. Everything that was good, great and in spirit of the game were brought together to form one great team - The Barbarians.

Following some initial games which proved that there were in fact some amazing rugby football player's in the game the Barbarians were invited on January 31st 1948 to play the Australians at Cardiff Arms Park (the original home ground for Wales and where the Millennium Stadium now stands) in the final match of their tour. The game saw millions show interest in the fixture despite only 48,000 people, a maximum for the Arms Park being able to actually see the game.

So successful was the fixture that it became tradition for Australia, New Zealand or South Africa - whichever was touring the UK at the time be invited to take on the Barbarians as Their Final Challenge. This prestigious event now takes place every three years, producing so incredible battles as witnessed by millions of spectators on the 5th December 2009 where the All Blacks confronted the Barbars losing 25 - 18. What makes these matches more incredible is that the Barbarian team rarely has more than 6 days team training to build a working unit as the players are released from club requirements only for that time.

Answer 2

The club has a committee of 12, six of whom comprise the management board: Micky Steele-Bodger(President), John Spencer (Chairman), Geoffrey Windsor-Lewis (Vice-President), Gordon Brown (Treasurer), Alan Evans (Secretary), and Mike Burton (Commercial Director); plus six committee members, John Jeffrey, Zinzan Brooke, David Humphreys, Ian Metcalfe, Philip Orr and Derek Quinnell.

Answer 3

The Barbarian Club (AKA The BAA BAAs') was formed Mr William Percy Carpmael. He originally played Rugby for Cambridge University in England. At that time he had been part of the Cambridge team which had toured of Yorkshire in 1884. So inspired was he by the culture behind short rugby tours he organised his first tour in 1889 with Clapham Rovers, which was he followed by an 1890 tour with an invitational team calling themselves the Southern Nomads. In 1890 he took the Southern Nomads - mainly composed of players from Blackheath (on of the founding members of the RFU) - on tour to somemore northern counties of England. The conceot was collecting a touring side from all sources to take on few of the leading clubs in the the UK This was support from leading players, particularly those ex-university players. On 9 April 1890 in Leuchters Restaurant and later at the Alexandra hotel in Bradford, the idea and concept of the Barbarians was agreed. The team toured later that year and beat Hartlepool Rovers 9 - 4 on 27 December in their first fixture.

The team was given the motto "Rugby Football is a game for gentlemen in all classes, but for no bad sportsman in any class". The concept took off over the years and the nearest thing to a club home came to be the Esplanade Hotel at Penarth in South Wales, where the Barbarians always stayed on their Easter tours of Wales. The annual Good Friday game against the Barbarians was the highlight of the Penarth club's year and was always attended by capacity crowds. This fixture marked the start of the "Baa-Baas'" annual South Wales tour from their "spiritual home" of Penarth, which also encompassed playing Cardiff RFC on the Saturday, Swansea RFC on Easter Monday and Newport RFC on the Tuesday.

Players are now invited from across the rugby playing world to take part and wear the Barbarian Shirt. It is still considered the greatest honour to be selected and invited to play in a team of the worlds very best.