Sports in Britain

Photo courtesy of RBS Six Nations

Photo courtesy of PA Photos

There are two forms of Rugby played in the UK, Rugby League and Rugby Union. Rugby Union is played by teams of 15 while Rugby League is played by teams of 13.

Rugby Union Football is named after the English school, Rugby, where the game originated in the 19th Century. A popular myth is that Rugby began in 1823 when a pupil at the school, William Webb Ellis "in fine disregard for the rules" picked up the ball and ran with it.

Rugby League was born in 1895 when clubs broke away from the Rugby Union because players wanted compensation for the wages they lost while playing and training. Rugby did not become fully professional until 1995.

England became the World Champions by winning the 2003 Rugby World Cup when they beat Australia by three points in Sydney with Jonny Wilkinson scoring an amazing drop goal just 26 seconds from the end of the game.

Read about the:

Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football League