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Like other forms of rugby football the game was developed from the rules used to play football at Rugby school in England. The crucial differences from football (soccer) are that in rugby the ball is a prolate spheroid instead of a sphere and that the players are allowed to pick the ball up and run with it. The players are also allowed to throw the ball from player to player, but unlike American football they are not allowed to throw it forward; ie the ball must only be passed sideways or backward.
Rugby union was invented in the town of Rugby, England in 1823. It has established itself as a major global sport, especially popular in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Wales, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Australia, Argentina and South Africa. Rugby is also gaining popularity in Italy, which was accepted into the Six Nations in 2000, and Japan, despite their unsuccessful bid to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup, which went to New Zealand.
- 8 March, 2010: Two Italian teams to join Magners League.
- 19 January, 2010: Death of Bill McLaren, internationally renowned Scottish rugby commentator.
- 21 December, 2009: Gareth Thomas's public confirmation of his sexuality makes him the first openly gay professional rugby player still playing the game.
- 22 November, 2009: Scotland's second match under new coach Andy Robinson results in a 9-8 victory over Australia, the first Scottish defeat of Australia in 27 years.
- 1 August 2009: South African captain John Smit becomes the most capped captain in history, playing in his 60th Test as captain. This was during the second match between the Springboks and the All Blacks of the 2009 Tri Nations Series.
- 18 July 2009: The 2009 Tri Nations Series gets under way with Australia playing New Zealand at Eden Park
- 10 July 2009: One of the oldest rugby competitions in the world, South Africa's Currie Cup, kicks off.
- 4 July 2009: The 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa ends with the visitors losing 2-1 to the Springboks
- 6 July: New Zealand Māori defeat Australia A 21–18 in each team's last match of the tournament to win the 2008 IRB Pacific Nations Cup.
- 5 July: The 2008 Tri-Nations starts with the All Blacks defeating South Africa 19–8.
- ... that Heather Moyse of the Canada women's national rugby union team (pictured) won a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in two-woman bobsleigh?
- ... that Sydney Deane, who played for New South Wales, was the first Australian to appear in a Hollywood film?
- ... that Norrie Rowan discovered the Edinburgh Vaults, and used them to help Romanian rugby player Christian Raducanu escape his country's secret police?
- ... that American sports writer Lisa Olson was the first-ever female sports columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, where she covered rugby union, Aussie Rules, cricket and rugby league?
- ... that Frank Stoker is the only rugby international to have won Wimbledon, and that his Irish colleague, James Cecil Parke also won the Davis Cup (as well as being an Olympic medallist?
- ... that Willem Ferdinand van Rheede van Oudtschoorn Bergh may hold the record for the longest name in international rugby?
- ... that Richard Burton's rugby skills were praised by Bleddyn Williams and he said that "I would rather have played for Wales at Cardiff Arms Park than Hamlet at Old Vic"?
- ... that Haitian rugby player Constantin Henriquez de Zubiera was the first athlete of African origins to win an Olympic Gold?
The Eiffel Tower, Paris, with a giant inflatable rugby ball suspended from it as a promotion for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Photo credit: PRA
Rugby is great. The players don't wear helmets or padding; they just beat the living daylights out of each other and then go for a beer. I love that.
Frank Hadden (born 14 June 1954 in Dundee, Scotland) is coach of the Scotland national rugby union team. He replaced Matt Williams and was appointed on 15 September 2005. Hadden coached the Merchiston Castle School (MCS) 1st XV after being appointed Head of Physical Education at the school in 1983. He coached several Scottish age-group teams before being appointed assistant coach of the Caledonian Reds in 1997. He was later appointed coach of Edinburgh Gunners (now Edinburgh Rugby) in 2000 prior to becoming the Scotland coach. He has since coached Scotland to notable wins over England and France in the 2006 Six Nations.
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