The first international rugby football match, England v. Scotland, was played on March 27, 1871 at a time when teams still consisted of 20 players each side. The match took place at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh, in front of a crowd of 4000, who paid an entrance fee of one shilling each. Scotland won by one goal and one try to one goal. There were no penalty goals, as it was accepted that gentlemen would not cheat.
The try was awarded after a 10 minute argument, leading to a famous aphorism by Dr. H.H. Almond, the Scottish referee: "I must say, however, that when an umpire is in doubt, I think he is justified in deciding against the side which makes the most noise. They are probably in the wrong."
Two important overseas tours took place in 1888: a British Isles team visited Australia and New Zealand and the 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team brought the first overseas team to Great Britain.
The term, All Blacks, was first applied to the New Zealand national rugby union football team that toured Britain in 1905.
The New Zealand 1905 touring team performed a haka before each match, leading Welsh Rugby Union administrator Tom Williams to suggest that Wales player Teddy Morgan lead the crowd in singing the Welsh National Anthem, "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau," as a response. After Morgan began singing, the crowd joined in: the first time a national anthem was sung at the start of a sporting event.
The New Zealand rugby team toured the US west coast in 1912 playing matches against several universities. Their dominant wins in every match (allowing only 1 try and scoring 457 points across 12 games) is considered a factor in the decline of rugby in America.
Women's international rugby union began in 1982, with a match between France and Netherlands played in Utrecht.
The inaugural Rugby World Cup, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, was held in May and June 1987, with sixteen nations taking part. New Zealand were the first ever champions, defeating France 29–9 in the final.
The highest scoring rugby international match between two recognized unions was Hong Kong's 164–13 victory over Singapore on October 27, 1994.
The try was awarded after a 10 minute argument, leading to a famous aphorism by Dr. H.H. Almond, the Scottish referee: "I must say, however, that when an umpire is in doubt, I think he is justified in deciding against the side which makes the most noise. They are probably in the wrong."
Two important overseas tours took place in 1888: a British Isles team visited Australia and New Zealand and the 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team brought the first overseas team to Great Britain.
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| The New Zealand Natives before their match against Queensland in July 1889 |
The term, All Blacks, was first applied to the New Zealand national rugby union football team that toured Britain in 1905.
The New Zealand 1905 touring team performed a haka before each match, leading Welsh Rugby Union administrator Tom Williams to suggest that Wales player Teddy Morgan lead the crowd in singing the Welsh National Anthem, "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau," as a response. After Morgan began singing, the crowd joined in: the first time a national anthem was sung at the start of a sporting event.
The New Zealand rugby team toured the US west coast in 1912 playing matches against several universities. Their dominant wins in every match (allowing only 1 try and scoring 457 points across 12 games) is considered a factor in the decline of rugby in America.
Women's international rugby union began in 1982, with a match between France and Netherlands played in Utrecht.
The inaugural Rugby World Cup, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, was held in May and June 1987, with sixteen nations taking part. New Zealand were the first ever champions, defeating France 29–9 in the final.
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| Ireland and Georgia contesting a line-out in the 2007 Rugby World Cup |
The highest scoring rugby international match between two recognized unions was Hong Kong's 164–13 victory over Singapore on October 27, 1994.
The record for the highest scoring game involving two Tier 1 nations (considered the best rugby playing countries) belongs to the 1995 Rugby World Cup match between New Zealand, the All Blacks, and Japan. While New Zealand emerged victorious with a dominant 145-17 scoreline, it's important to consider the context. Japan, a developing rugby nation at the time, faced a significant skill gap against the powerhouse All Blacks. This resulted in a high-scoring match, but not necessarily a highly competitive one.
The record attendance for a rugby union game was set on July 15, 2000 when New Zealand defeated Australia 39–35 in a Bledisloe Cup game at Stadium Australia in Sydney before 109,874 fans.
The whistle used for the opening match at every World Cup is the one used by Welsh referee Gil Evans for an England-New Zealand match in 1905.
The most capped international player from the tier one nations is former New Zealand openside flanker and captain Richie McCaw, who has played in 148 internationals.
Source Europress Enyclopedia
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