10 things about rugby

Rachel Gustafson, staff writer
March 20, 2017

 

  1. Rugby was invented in 1823 while playing a game of soccer. William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it.
  2. The highest ranked team as of December is the New Zealand All Blacks with 94.78 points this season. England’s team follows them in second with 89.94 points and Australia’s team in third with 86.97.
  3. The highest amount of points ever scored in the Rugby World Cup was by the New Zealand All Blacks with 162 points against Japan’s team in 1995.
  4. The Haka is the name of the ritual dance that the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team perform before each match.
  5. Rugby is played in over 120 countries throughout the world.
  6. Basketball was created by a rugby coach who wanted an indoor sporting activity to keep his players conditioned during off-season.
  7. Rugby balls were originally made from pigs’ bladders, and they had to be blown by breath. People who made rugby balls risked getting sick from diseased bladders. The wife of Richard London, a rugby ball maker died from breathing in the air from diseased bladders.
  8. Rugby was not played as a professional sport until 1893, but even then, players were still required to work their normal jobs as well.
  9. The same team has never been lucky enough to win the Rugby World Cup two times in a row.
  10. The first professional rugby game ever was between England and Scotland. Scotland won.