From The Vaults

02 July 2025

The 1997 Lions get off to a winning start

The following is an extract from 'The British & Irish Lions: The Official History 2025 Tour edition'.

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02 July 2025

The 1997 Lions get off to a winning start

The following is an extract from 'The British & Irish Lions: The Official History 2025 Tour edition'.

13 June 2025

First Test of the 1971 Lions

The following article is an extract from 'The British & Irish Lions: The Official History 2025 Tour edition'.

23 May 2025

1936 Lions Scrapbook

The Lions returned to Argentina in 1936 and this scrapbook features clippings and mementoes from the tour...

19 May 2025

A game for ‘gentlemen of all classes’

The following article is an extract from 'The British & Irish Lions: The Official History 2025 Tour edition'.

05 May 2025

Ronnie's Red Jacket

Earlier this year, Ronnie Poulton's red military mess dress suit was donated to the World Rugby Museum by his family, along with his dress sword...

28 April 2025

1904 Lions Scrapbook

The 1904 Lions tour took in both Australia and New Zealand. S Saunders, a forward on the tour, compiled a scrapbook of his time away...

21 April 2025

1899 Lions Scrapbook

In 1899 the Lions returned to Australia. The tourists were often keen diarists and scrapbookers, and this example by Guy Evers showcases his experiences on the 'Anglo-Australian' tour...

11 April 2025

How a group of cricketers founded the British & Irish Lions

The following article is an extract from ‘The British & Irish Lions: The Official History 2025 Tour edition’.

31 March 2025

France and Italy, A Century Apart

The overwhelming Guinness Six Nations 73-24 home defeat for Italy at the hands of France in their 2025 fiftieth competitive international has led to consideration of whether one can draw meaningful parallels between the early days of French international rugby and the performance of the Azzurri since the inauguration of the Six Nations competition in 2000...

21 March 2025

Historic Rugby Internationals: Scotland v England, 1925

It's been 100 years since Murrayfield hosted its first match. World Rugby Museum researcher Richard Steele looks back at this historic game between Scotland and England on 21 March 1925...

19 March 2025

Our Oldest Club Cap

This Trojans cap from 1882 – on long-term loan to the World Rugby Museum – is the oldest club cap in our care, but is it the oldest in existence?.

03 March 2025

Thrilling tries from a bygone era

There is nothing more thrilling for a crowd than the sight of a winger racing down the touch line, sometimes in the clear and sometimes with defenders to beat...