Article by Alec Thomas
Original Cambridge Rules
Cambridge Rules were drawn up by Old Boy’s of Eton, Harrow, Marlborough, Rugby and Shrewsbury, and modified in a whim before matches were played.
Refer to Cambridge Rules in Wikipedia.
Breakaway and the FA formed
So in 1863 representatives of the teams met to discuss what to do. During this time “hacking and tripping was a major feature of the game, So the teams met to formulate an association and follow a code. The ball carrying oriented section left the meeting due to the fact the Football section wanted to ban hacking. As result of this meeting the FA (Football Association was born).
RFU formed
The ball carrying oriented side met at Pall-Mall in 1871 where the RFU was born. So FA ended up as Soccer and the meeting at Pall-Mall developed in to the RFU. Before 1863 there were no formal rules ! At Rugby School, it was alleged, that the players used nails in their boots, to give them unfair advantage.
Those people meeting at Pall Mall were not seasoned old men, the average age of the gathering was 23. The youngest was 16. Several of the company present were solicitors and therefore the rules of the game then became the “Laws” of the game! This why today the Rugby Fraternity use Laws rather than rules! It must be mentioned that the early football and rugby teams were associated with the Public Schools. Mainly through Old Boy’s clubs.
Split into Rugby League
Rugby league began in 1895, as the 'Northern Union', when clubs in the North of England broke away from the RFU. The clubs wanted to compensate their working-class players for time away from work for rugby tours and injury.
In the RFU payment to players was frowned upon. So Rugby League Code was born and rules and player numbers modified to accommodate the new code.
Separate Sports and first match
This is a very simple way to describe how Association Football and Rugby became separate sports. The reason for the meeting at Pall Mall was due to an unofficial match played between England and Scotland in 1870. The Scottish Authorities did not grant the match recognition because they preferred rugby football to association football. So a challenge was laid down by the captains of five Scottish Clubs for England to play a rugby football match at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh the following year.
World Rugby Musuem
To glean more information go to the World Rugby Museum in Twickenham after Covid 19 subsides. It is a good day out!
There is a web site for more information World Rugby Museum
