were few and variable and it was often hard to tell the difference between players and spectators. Furthermore there was little attempt to make games 'fair' or sides 'equal'. A century later Rugby Football was a modern sport and just like other sports it had developed its own distinctive terminology, written laws

The Evolution of Rugby Union
William Webb Ellis is credited with being the first person to catch a ball and run with it during a game at Rugby School. This game was played with an oval ball but was not like either modern soccer or rugby, a player catching a ball which had been punted would then kick it either towards goal or somewhere else downfield. Its an odd fact that it wasn't until 1876, four years after his death, that William Web Ellis was first mentioned as the pioneer of the game of rugby. He probably never considered he had done anything unusual and that his disregard for the rules would eventually lead to the present day game. The myth of the William Webb Ellis story was used to promote the game at the end of the 19th century when the union game was under pressure from the breakaway Rugby League. In 1875 the fourth Varsity Match between Oxford and Cambridge was played with 15 players per side. This sparked a greater interest in formulating the laws, thereby leading to the creation of the game of rugby. At that time, when the game was being discussed, it was referred to it as “that played at Rugby” and eventually it was called “Rugby's Game”. The first laws of the game of rugby were tried as an experiment, when it was ruled that a player could run with the ball if caught on the fly or on the first bounce. Players who tried it took an immediate liking to the sport. In 1841, Rugby School took up the play of the game and during the next few years it spread to many other schools. Cambridge University immediately adopted the game, popularized it and made local rules. The game grew in popularity at schools in the area and in 1871, ten years after the common rules of Association Football (soccer) were set, the first Rugby Union was founded in London and firm rules of the game were established. In 1895 The Northern Union was formed in Britain, which founded and established the 13-player game of Rugby League with altered rules created for professionals.

The union game spread around the world, national rugby unions were established, and competition emerged between the different countries. Rugby was introduced into the United States in the 1850s where the game expanded primarily on the West Coast. The lack of precise rules, ambiguities in the game and complexity of the sport drew a lot of United States players away from the game and major changes were invoked. In 1880 the scrum was replaced by a line of scrimmage, drawing emphasis from the free-running characteristic of the game. The game continued to play with rugby rules until 1905 where the publication of photographs of a harsh game between Strathmore and Pennsylvania created a stir. President Theodore Roosevelt insisted on reform of the game to lower the brutality with a threat of abolishing the game by edict. In 1906 the forward pass was introduced to the United States game. The rules of rugby died and the game of American Football was born. Rugby continued to flourish elsewhere, especially in Britain, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, however, a handful of clubs remained in the United States.

Surprisingly, the U.S. owns the distinction of having won the only rugby championships at the Olympic Games in 1920 and 1924. In both years just two countries were entered, the other being France. Rugby was dropped from the Olympics after 1924 and the game's popularity quickly dwindled in the United States. The game re-emerged in the 1960's particularly on college campuses, which turned to the sport because it was one where many could play and escape the rigid discipline and professionalism inherent in college football. Minimal costs, constant action and the opportunity for frequent play with a primary emphasis on fun was, for many, an added attraction. The number of clubs grew from about 80 to over 1,000 between 1964 and 1980. In 2001 there were 1765 clubs in the US rugby community with the fastest growing level being attributed to youth clubs. Within the USA the sport is organized under USA Rugby who also arrange the various national teams, nicknamed the Eagles. Within USA Rugby there are 8 Terratorial Unions (including the Independent) each containing a number of Local Area Unions to which clubs are affiliated. In 2002 the local union with the most clubs was New England (182), in the Northeast Terratorial Union, and Palmetto, in the South Terratorial Union, the smallest (10).

The United States of America Rugby Football Union (USARFU) was formed in 1975 to bring the teams together under a unified law and provide the mechanism for a United States national team to compete on an international level. The fruits of their efforts were realized when the United States Eagles competed in the 1986 and 1991 Rugby World Cups. Although not qualifying for the 1995 World Cup, the Eagles continue to improve. In 1995 the Eagles were able to defeat Canada, in Canada, for the first time ever by a score of 15-14. The sport of rugby continues to grow and is now played in over 80 countries worldwide with a World Cup every 4 years. The rules of rugby continue to evolve as both a professional and an amateur sport, although amateurism remains a dominant characteristic of the game throughout the world.

The unique game of American Football as known today originated from the game of rugby. Its parentage can be seen in many ways. The open scrimmage came from the scrumdown, hiking the ball began as hooking the ball in the scrum. Touchdown came from rugby where the ball must be touched down in the in-goal area before the score is allowed. American Football still allows for a drop goal from anywhere on the field although it is seldom, if ever, used. It hasn't been too many years since it was introduced that a player was not down until his knee touched the ground. Previously this resulted in play similar to the loose play called a maul in rugby. Today American Football uses the rule of forward progress to mark the point at which the runner is down.

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