Rugby league is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field.
The rugby league was founded in 1895 as a Northern Union, when clubs in North England broke away from the rugby football union who refused players "broken time" payments for loss of earnings when playing on Saturdays.
The historic gathering took place at Huddersfield on August 29, 1895, and was attended by delegates of 22 clubs from Lancashire and Yorkshire. These decided to resign forthwith from the Rugby Union and establish their own Northern Union, which would permit payment of legitimate expenses for players. Remuneration, it was laid down, should not exceed six shillings a day.
The new Union lost no time in arranging matches. The first of these were held within little more than a week of the establishment of the new body (on September 7) and, very pointedly, on the Saturday before the official start of the Rugby Union season.
The first Rugby League Challenge Cup competition was held during the 1896-97 season, and it involved 56 clubs. The final was held on April 24, 1897, at Headingley in Leeds, and it was contested by Batley and St. Helens. Batley won the match 10-3 in front of a crowd of 13,492 spectators.
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| New Zealand v Papua New Guinea during 2008 Rugby League World Cup, By digiarnie |
The rugby league was founded in 1895 as a Northern Union, when clubs in North England broke away from the rugby football union who refused players "broken time" payments for loss of earnings when playing on Saturdays.
The historic gathering took place at Huddersfield on August 29, 1895, and was attended by delegates of 22 clubs from Lancashire and Yorkshire. These decided to resign forthwith from the Rugby Union and establish their own Northern Union, which would permit payment of legitimate expenses for players. Remuneration, it was laid down, should not exceed six shillings a day.
The new Union lost no time in arranging matches. The first of these were held within little more than a week of the establishment of the new body (on September 7) and, very pointedly, on the Saturday before the official start of the Rugby Union season.
The first Rugby League Challenge Cup competition was held during the 1896-97 season, and it involved 56 clubs. The final was held on April 24, 1897, at Headingley in Leeds, and it was contested by Batley and St. Helens. Batley won the match 10-3 in front of a crowd of 13,492 spectators.
The Challenge Cup has since become one of the most prestigious competitions in Rugby League, and it is still held annually, with teams from across the United Kingdom and beyond competing for the trophy.
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| The first ever Challenge Cup Final, 1897: Batley (left) vs St Helens (right) |
The first international rugby league match was played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh and Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan, England in 1904.
The number of players was reduced from 15 as in Rugby Union to 13 and 1906.
Similar breakaway factions split from RFU-affiliated unions in Australia and New Zealand in 1907 and 1908, renaming themselves "rugby football leagues" and introducing Northern Union rules.
In 1922, the Northern Union also changed its name to the Rugby Football League and thus over time the sport itself became known as "rugby league" football.
Vichy France banned rugby league because it was considered a communist sport.
In 1954 Great Britain defeated France to capture the first ever Rugby League World Cup in Paris in front of around 30,000 spectators.
Australia won every World Cup between 1975 and 2008.
Rugby league is now played in over 70 countries in the world.
Rugby league is the national sport of Papua New Guinea.
The number of players was reduced from 15 as in Rugby Union to 13 and 1906.
Similar breakaway factions split from RFU-affiliated unions in Australia and New Zealand in 1907 and 1908, renaming themselves "rugby football leagues" and introducing Northern Union rules.
In 1922, the Northern Union also changed its name to the Rugby Football League and thus over time the sport itself became known as "rugby league" football.
Vichy France banned rugby league because it was considered a communist sport.
In 1954 Great Britain defeated France to capture the first ever Rugby League World Cup in Paris in front of around 30,000 spectators.
Australia won every World Cup between 1975 and 2008.
Rugby league is now played in over 70 countries in the world.
Rugby league is the national sport of Papua New Guinea.
Source Europress Encyclopedia
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