Although football may take the vote as the most widely-played sport in the UK, rugby has stronger ties to the cultural roots of the United Kingdom.
Originated in England, the sport has been a part of the UK’s sport culture since the 20th century. Over time, rugby has developed a loyal fan base of millions and they have turned the sport into a culture, with its own traditions and rules. Similar to football in the US, rugby in the UK has taken a special place in the hearts of its fans, and has become a common source of entertainment which bonds families together and brings strangers together to form new families.
The rugby you see in the 21st century has, of course, witnessed a century worth of changes and evolution. Rugby is no more restricted to the elites, and is enjoyed by passionate players and fans all over the world. Moreover, with technological development, fans can now stream and watch their favourite rugby players or teams online at their convenience. Online fan clubs have been created and fantasy leagues are popular. Moreover, like all sports, rugby too, has a wide betting audience who bet online on their preferred players or matches through popular betting platforms, such as TheOnlineCasino, and more. However, rugby has humble beginnings and was created unintentionally from the unexpected actions of a schoolboy during a rudimentary game of football in 1823.
The boy’s name was William Ellis, and during football, all of a sudden, he had picked up the ball in his hands and ran with it to the goal post of the opposing team, surprising his teammates. No one would have thought this small, spontaneous act would become the start of a new sport altogether. But if you were to go deep into the history of the game, you would find that rugby’s format is more-so altered versions of football that was played in the 14th and 15th centuries.
The sport had originated in a school called ‘Rugby School’, and it soon became a regular part of most of UK’s boys and men, because in those times, commitment to physical activity was a symbol of manhood, and growing boys were compelled to participate in sports such as rugby and cricket, which people believed would in turn help them grow into gentleman. In reference to this notion, rugby was famously called "A hooligan’s game played by gentlemen”, and soccer was referred to as the “gentleman’s game played by hooligans.” The game emphasized noble values, such as teamwork, leadership, self-control, and bravery, and in a society that measured an individual’s value by their respectability and the noble values they presented.
The Rugby Football Union in the 19th century strongly opposed the idea of turning rugby into an official sport with its own list of clubs and tournaments. The reason behind this opposition was that the players didn’t want rugby to be burdened with pressure, competition, and rivalry, they wanted it to be just a simple game that people could enjoy without any stress. However, despite their efforts, the players who wanted rugby to be an official competition separated and formed federations of their own.
In 1871, the federations of Scotland and England decided to conduct an annual rugby match, and this historic game had been covered widely, with multiple reports appearing in the newspapers of Scotland of that time. The federations of other nations had begun developing, and in 1883, almost 12 years after the first historic match, Ireland and Wales officially entered the tournament. ‘Home Nations’ were formed and matches were conducted without any particular schedule. It was only when the sport had become globally popular that the authorities set proper rules and started conducting more official tournaments. Since then, the sport has grown and gone through multiple evolutions and developments to become the modern version that you see today.
The fans have grown with the sport today, but overtime, they have developed traditions that they ritually follow in the hope of their favourite teams or players winning. These traditions turn the sport into a wholesome communal experience, adding meaning and culture to the gentleman’s game.
Many fans follow traditions, such as lucky charms, avoiding jinxes, and pre-match rituals, hoping that luck stays on their favourite team or players’ side all through the tournament. For example, fans designate a special t-shirt for every matchday, avoid talking about their favourite team or player’s possibility of a win or a score, or ritualistically wearing socks in a particular way in the hope that their favourite player would bag wins. These are only some of the traditions, there are many more, and most passionate rugby fans are known to follow them.
The variety of traditions and pre-match rituals that have been developed is a testimony to the reach the sport has over its fans and how long it has been relevant for such communal traditions to brew and form shape. Sure, the game may have gone through modifications over the course of the past century, but it still remains one of the most loved sports in the world with a world-wide audience of millions.
