[35], In 1987 the first Rugby World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand, and the inaugural winners were New Zealand. In 2006 a new system was introduced where each nation plays the others three times, though in 2007 and 2011 the teams played each other only twice, as both were World Cup years. In 2014, there were more than 6 million people playing worldwide, of whom 2.36 million were registered players. [160] The competition has been officially rechristened as The Rugby Championship beginning with the 2012 edition. [96] The founding members were Italy, Romania, Netherlands, Portugal, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden. [153] In 2000, Italy became the sixth nation in the contest and Rome's Stadio Olimpico has replaced Stadio Flaminio as the venue for their home games since 2013. [115][116] Other Atlantic countries to play rugby union include Jamaica[117] and Bermuda. Rugby football stems from the form of the game played at Rugby School, which former pupils then introduced to their universities. Behind the second row is the number 8. Victory in Dublin would mean they become the first team to secure back-to-back Grand Slams in the Six Nations era. [99] Although UAR initially had no representation on the former SANZAR board, it was granted input into the organisation's issues, especially with regard to The Rugby Championship,[100] and became a full SANZAAR member in 2016 (when the country entered Super Rugby). Jones names 12 uncapped players in England training squad . [46] Players in a team are divided into eight forwards (two more than in rugby league) and seven backs. Although these clubs decided to ban hacking soon afterwards, the split was permanent, and the FA's codified rules became known as "association football" whilst the clubs that had favoured the Rugby Rules formed the Rugby Football Union in 1871,[13] and their code became known as "rugby football". [51] Two of the most important attributes of a good full-back are dependable catching skills and a good kicking game. [147] The second tournament took place in 1994, and from that time through 2014 was held every four years. [69] The exception to this is when the ball went out from a penalty, in which case the side who gained the penalty throws the ball in. [24] Touring international sides would play Test matches against international opponents, including national, club and county sides in the case of Northern Hemisphere rugby, or provincial/state sides in the case of Southern Hemisphere rugby. The third position in the front row is the hooker. Points can be scored in several ways: a try, scored by grounding the ball in the in-goal area (between the goal line and the dead-ball line), is worth 5 points and a subsequent conversion kick scores 2 points; a successful penalty kick or a drop goal each score 3 points. James Joyce mentions Irish team Bective Rangers in several of his works, including Ulysses (1922) and Finnegans Wake (1939), while his 1916 semi-autobiographical work A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man has an account of Ireland international James Magee. Scotland won the game 1–0. Although Argentina is the best-known rugby playing nation in South America, founding the Argentine Rugby Union in 1899,[123] several other countries on the continent have a long history. [13], Several island nations have embraced the sport of rugby. [80], The most basic items of equipment for a game of rugby union are the ball itself, a rugby shirt (also known as a "jersey"), rugby shorts, socks, and boots. However, with the departure of a local British army regiment, interest in rugby diminished in the area. [131], Rugby union was introduced to Japan in 1899 by two Cambridge students: Ginnosuke Tanaka and Edward Bramwell Clarke. [38][39] However, the pre-1995 period of rugby union was marked by frequent accusations of "shamateurism",[40] including an investigation in Britain by a House of Commons Select committee in early 1995. [49] The three positions in the back row are the two flankers and the number 8. India began playing rugby in the early 1870s, the Calcutta Football Club forming in 1873. England is the only team from the Northern Hemisphere to have won the Rugby World Cup. Since 2016, the WR Council has 40 seats. In 2016, the All Blacks of New Zealand set the new record 18 consecutive test wins among tier 1 rugby nations, bettering their previous consecutive run of 17. The first rugby club in France was formed by British residents in Le Havre in 1872, while the next year Argentina recorded its first game: 'Banks' v 'City' in Buenos Aires. Rugby league was formed after the Northern Union broke from the Rugby Football Union in a disagreement over payment to players. The following table shows professional and semi-professional rugby union competitions. The competition reverted to the Tri Nations' original home-and-away format, but now involving four teams. Rugby union, widely known simply as rugby, is a full contact team sport that originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. [41][42] Following the introduction of professionalism trans-national club competitions were started, with the Heineken Cup in the Northern Hemisphere and Super Rugby in the Southern Hemisphere. Rugby union, widely known simply as rugby, is a full contact team sport that originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. [143], Records of women's rugby football date from the late 19th century, with the first documented source being Emily Valentine's writings, in which she states that she set up a rugby team in Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, Ireland in 1887. [59] In actual gameplay the length of a pitch can vary. Naismith played rugby at McGill University. International matches have taken place since 1871 when the first game was played between Scotland and England at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. [147] After the 2014 event, the tournament was brought forward a year to 2017 to avoid clashing with other sporting cycles, in particular the Rugby World Cup Sevens competition. The city of Montreal also played its part in the introduction of the sport in the United States, when students of McGill University played against a team from Harvard University in 1874. A total of 11 unions—the eight foundation unions of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and France, plus Argentina, Canada and Italy—have two seats each. This was replaced in 1994 by the Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW) in England with each of the other Home Nations governing their own countries.[147]. Super Rugby peaked at 18 teams in 2016 and 2017, but reverted to 15 in 2018 with the loss of two teams from South Africa and one from Australia. [27], The New Zealand 1905 touring team performed a haka before each match, leading Welsh Rugby Union administrator Tom Williams to suggest that Wales player Teddy Morgan lead the crowd in singing the Welsh National Anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, as a response. [156] Since Argentina's strong performances in the 2007 World Cup,[159] after the 2009 Tri Nations tournament, SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) invited the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) to join an expanded Four Nations tournament in 2012. [154] France then rejoined in 1939–1940, though World War II halted proceedings for a further eight years. [175], Tag Rugby is a version in which the players wear a belt with two tags attached by velcro, the removal of either counting as a 'tackle'. [34], The first officially sanctioned international rugby sevens tournament took place in 1973 at Murrayfield, one of Scotland's biggest stadiums, as part of the Scottish Rugby Union centenary celebrations. [82] Although not worn for protection, some types of fingerless mitts are allowed to aid grip. [21][25], Between 1905 and 1908, all three major Southern Hemisphere rugby countries sent their first touring teams to the Northern Hemisphere: New Zealand in 1905, followed by South Africa in 1906 and Australia in 1908.