RUGBY WORLD CUP

2011

A game of rugby football developed from a version of football played Rugby School and was originally one of several different versions of football played at English public schools during the 19th century.

The game of football that was played at Rugby School between 1750 and 1859 permitted handling of the ball, but no one was allowed to run with it in their hands towards the opposition's goal.^{[citation needed]} There was no fixed limit to the number of players per side and sometimes there were hundreds taking part in a kind of enormous rolling maul. This sport caused major injury at times. The innovation of running with the ball was introduced sometime between 1859 and 1865. The popular myth of the sport's origin states that Rugby pupil William Webb Ellis broke the local rules by running forward with the ball in his hands in a game in 1823. Rugby School produced the first written rules for their version of the sport in 1845.

In the result that the teams were still tied at the end of the match, a drop goal shootout was held. The selected kickers of the two teams would have one shot at the goal each and would take turns shooting at the goal until one of the kickers missed.^{[citation needed]} This is how the game is played today from the kick-

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