The first set of rugby football rules were introduced in 1845. Fifty years later in 1895 a dispute broke out as to whether rugby players should be compensated for their time off work as opposed to keeping the game strictly amateur. This disagreement lead to the rugby world being split in two...Rugby League and Rugby Union. Rugby Union played 15 a-side with the addition of 7 a-side known as Rugby 7's, while Rugby League is played with 13 a-side.
The competition in Rugby Union is firmly set between the Southern and Northern hemispheres, but competition within each hemisphere is high also between the different countries and at professional club level. Rugby union is a very popular sport in England, Ireland, Australia, Romania, Argentina, Fiji, Tonga, France, Georgia, New Zealand, Italy, Japan, Scotland, Madagascar, Samoa, South Africa and Wales. Rugby Union is not just popular with players but also with spectators who watch the games live at stadiums or via the TV. Bets are placed prior to play as well as betting online.
Maybe the greatest amounts of bets placed in the UK are on The Six Nations championship which feature Wales, Italy, Scotland, France, England and Ireland and takes place every year from February. The main competition in the Southern Hemisphere is the Tri – Nations and includes the Australian Wallabies, the New Zealand All Blacks and the South Africa Springboks.
By far the most important tournament in Rugby Union is the Rugby World Cup which takes place every four years. This tournament has grown in to one of the biggest international competitions for sport in the world. The next World Cup tournament will take place in 2011 in New Zealand. The odds for a win for England should be high after their defeat to New Zealand at the last Rugby World Cup in St. Denis, Paris, France in 2007.
Like Rugby Union, Rugby league is a full on contact sport. The game is played by two teams of 13, it is very popular in France, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand - all these countries have professional leagues.
Rugby League came into being when it split from Rugby Union in 1895, the split centred around the amateur status of Rugby at that time, Rugby Union wanted to keep the amateur status Rugby League did not. Nowadays both codes have professional players and leagues.
Rugby League has several international competitions, the main one is the World Cup which has been run at various intervals since 1954. Australia are by the most successful team in the world cup winning it 9 times out of 12, Great Britain have won it for the other 3 times. The 13th World Cup is due to take place in Australia in 2008.
Other international competitions are:
Tri Nations – also known as the Gillette Tri Nations and competed for by Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain the current champions being Australia.
The World Club Challenge or Carnegie World Club Challenge (CWCC) – This competition is held every year and is a game played between the Champions of the European Super League and the winners of the Australasian National Rugby League. The current champions are Leeds Rhinos.
As with all sports there many famous players some make such an impact on the game that their names endure, for example: Ken Irvine, Wally Lewis, Neil Fox, Roger Millward, and Ellery Hanley (the Black Perl).
Current players including Greg Inglis, Israel Folau, Leon Pryce, Billy Slater, Sika Manu; I wonder how many of them will stand the test of time?