From The Vaults

13 August 2021

‘The Rugby Championship of the World’

From June to September 1921, the rugby world waited expectantly as New Zealand and South Africa, two of the legendary teams in rugby history, met for the first time in a three-test series.

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13 August 2021

‘The Rugby Championship of the World’

From June to September 1921, the rugby world waited expectantly as New Zealand and South Africa, two of the legendary teams in rugby history, met for the first time in a three-test series.

31 May 2021

USA v South Africa, 1981: International Rugby on a Polo Field

Owl Creek Polo Field in Glenville, New York State, can lay claim to being the most unlikely international rugby ground of the last 150 years. On Friday 25 September 1981 it was the venue for the inaugural test match between the USA Eagles and the South African Springboks.

18 May 2021

Remembering the 1996 Peace International

On the 18th May 1996 Lansdowne Road hosted a special fixture between Ireland and the Barbarians called the Peace International

27 March 2021

27th March - A Red Letter Day for Rugby

On 27th March 1971, England and Scotland stepped out at Murrayfield for their second international test-match in the space of a week. The previous Saturday, both sides had completed their 5 Nations campaign at Twickenham, where Peter Brown's conversion had secured a 16-15 victory for Scotland.

18 January 2021

Even Honours- Scotland v New Zealand 1964 and 1983

To defeat the New Zealand All Blacks in an international match has always been a major goal for the four home union countries. While the English have a comparatively strong record with eight victories in 42 matches, Ireland have won only twice in 32 matches with their first victory coming after more than 110 years so memorably in Chicago in November 2016.

07 December 2020

Argentina's First Test Match

Earlier in the year, Eduardo García Sáenz provided a tour report of the British & Irish Lions 1910 tour of Argentina. Here he provides more detail, including local match reports, on Argentina’s first ever test-match on the same tour...

12 October 2020

Murrayfield in December 1978

Some sporting occasions remain etched in your memory for ever and can be recalled at will...

21 September 2020

Internationals at Welford Road

The ground known as Welford Road, home of Leicester Tigers rugby club, hosted seven major rugby internationals in the 20th century. Physically located south of the city centre between Aylestone Road and Welford Road, the home of Leicester rugby since 1892 has played a huge part in the development and history of English rugby at club and international level.

17 August 2020

Los Pumas Rampant

The years following England's triumph in Sydney at the 2003 Rugby World Cup were lean ones. Sir Clive Woodward had resigned as coach after a disappointing southern hemisphere summer tour in 2004 and was succeeded by Andy Robinson, his assistant coach.

27 July 2020

The All-Conquering 1984 Wallabies by Craig Muncey

In rugby, I had started to go with family members to watch Cardiff RFC and was soon pretending to be Mark Ring, Gareth Davies or Terry Holmes in my back garden. At this point in rugby, I had not yet been influenced heavily by overseas teams, this was all about to change, Australia was soon to turn my young head, and new heroes were on the horizon.

13 July 2020

A Scandal in Paris: France v Scotland, 1913

The opening match of the 5 Nations Championship in 1913 was beset with problems from the outset...

04 May 2020

The International Rugby Championship in the 1890s - Part 2

After Ireland’s unexpected Triple Crown in 1894, the International Championship opened in January 1895 with England facing a very strong Welsh side at St Helen’s, Swansea...