The game of rugby, under various rules, has arguably been played since 1823 when William Webb Ellis famously picked up the ball and ran with it during a game of football at Rugby School. Since then the game of rugby union was formalised by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in 1871 and began to spread across the world.

Famous Rugby Union Internationals

The first rugby international was played in Edinburgh between Scotland and England in 1871. Soon after that Ireland and Wales also took part in internationals and the game was quickly adopted by the three formidable Southern Hemisphere teams of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. France was also introduced to the game in the early 20th Century and Italy joined the Five/Six Nations Championship in 2000.

There have been many legends in the game since the late 19th Century and at the Sky Sports DVD Shop you will find DVD titles and Books providing insights and stories into the many great personalities and stars of the sport.