The England Rugby team played their first international match in 1871 against Scotland at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. It was in fact the first ever rugby international and Scotland won 4-1. England's first game against Ireland took place in 1875 and then played Wales for the first time in 1881. As a natural progression, the first ever Home Nations Championship was held in 1883, with England emerging as inaugural champions.

Twickenham: The Home of the RFU

In the first decade of the 20th Century England also played for the first time against New Zealand, France, South Africa and Australia. In 1910, Twickenham was opened and became the home of the Rugby Football Union (RFU). Twickenham has since been the venue for many rugby internationals and in 1991 was the venue for the Final of Rugby World Cup. In that match England lost to Australia 12-6, but their finest hour came on 22nd November, 2003, when they defeated Australia 20-17 in the Rugby World Cup Final in Australia.

Lifting the 2003 Rugby World Cup

Over the years England have benefited from many legends in the game of rugby such as World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson, England's most capped player Jason Leonard, Jonny Wilkinson, Rory Underwood, Bill Beaumont, Rob Andrew, Will Carling, Matt Dawson and not forgetting the World Cup winning coach Sir Clive Woodward.

Fortunately for England rugby fans there are quite a few DVDs available to enjoy. These cover the history of English rugby, great English tries and highlights from classic victories against Six Nations opponents, as well as formidable opposition from the Southern Hemisphere.