WEIRD FACTS ABOUT
RUGBY
According to legend, rugby was invented at Rugby School in 1823 when William Webb Ellis, aged 16, picked up the ball and ran with it in a soccer game. A stone at the school bears the inscription: 'This stone commemorates the exploit of William Webb Ellis who with a fine disregard for the rules of football, as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive features of the rugby game A.D. 1823.' William Webb Ellis went on to Oxford University, where he won a blue not for rugby but cricket.
Rugby was included in the Olympics of 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924. The United States are the reigning Olympic champions, having beaten France in the final in 1924 (Romania was the only other entrant). Britain's Olympic rugby record reads: played two, lost two. Despite this, they won bronze in 1900 (last of three entrants) and silver in 1908 (two entrants).
The Seventh Underwater Rugby World Championship was held in Denmark in 2003 and won by Sweden.
The Zulu for 'scrum half' is 'iskramuhhafu'.
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