From The Vaults

16 May 2022

The Tour from Hell

When rugby union embraced professionalism at the end of the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, a sea change took place in the nature and number of contacts and matches for players, clubs and international teams...

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16 May 2022

The Tour from Hell

When rugby union embraced professionalism at the end of the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, a sea change took place in the nature and number of contacts and matches for players, clubs and international teams...

09 May 2022

#FromTheVaults - Harlequins cap, 1920-21

With Harlequins taking on Gloucester at Twickenham Stadium this month, we’re highlighting the Harlequins cap which was awarded to William Wavell Wakefield in the 1920-21 season when he was club captain...

02 May 2022

Player Profile - Maxine Edwards

Following the nail-biting finish to the 2022 Tik Tok Women’s Six Nations at the sold-out Jean Dauger stadium in Bayonne between England and France on Saturday 30th April 2022, we wanted to take a look back at a memorable figure from past England-France games. One incredible player stood out -Maxine Edwards...

29 April 2022

A Royal Exhibition in Japan

In the spring of 1922, the Prince of Wales paid a royal visit to Japan in reciprocation for Emperor Hirohito’s visit to the United Kingdom of the previous year...

25 April 2022

#FromTheVaults - Navy badge, 1922

As the rugby teams of the British Army and the Royal Navy prepare for their return to Twickenham this coming weekend, we have decided to highlight this one-hundred-year-old cloth badge which was worn by Navy scrum-half Cecil Kershaw...

22 April 2022

The greatest upset in Rugby World Cup history..?

Was a shock result in a pool match of the 2014 women’s Rugby World Cup the greatest upset in Rugby World Cup history?

18 April 2022

PLAYER PROFILE: Lewis Moody

Ahead of our next Legends Tours of Twickenham Stadium with Lewis Moody on Saturday 23rd April 2022, we're taking a look back at his rugby career...

12 April 2022

The Rise of the Black Ferns

The New Zealand women’s national team, the Black Ferns, are uncontestably one of the best international rugby teams in the world, but what is the history behind their meteoric rise?

04 April 2022

How Scotland Saved the 1994 Rugby World Cup

In January 1994 the Netherlands unexpectedly cancelled the second instalment of the women’s Rugby World Cup, but with just 90 days to go Scotland stepped in as hosts and rescued the tournament. Renamed the Women’s Rugby World Championship, the event proved to be a significant turning point in the history of the women’s game...

27 March 2022

1991 pioneers, players, and perseverance: The first women’s Rugby World Cup

The inaugural women’s Rugby World Cup took place in Wales over a two-week period in April, 1991. Twelve teams competed in venues around Cardiff in Wales, ultimately vying to take home an antique silver trophy...

21 March 2022

Lost and Found: The History of the Original Women’s Rugby World Cup

Of all the meticulous planning that went into the organisation of the first women’s Rugby World Cup in 1991, the trophy itself was something of an afterthought...

14 March 2022

Le Crunch, Old Gaytonians, PLESSIS MEUDON and 60 years of sporting frivolity by Connor Dickins

Connor Dickins explores the 60-year relationship that epitomised England v France…