From The Vaults

10 July 2017

Goals From A Mark, 1871 - 1914

On January 2nd 1886 towards the end of the first half of their match against Wales when they were leading by two tries to nil, the English forward CH (Charles) Elliot caught a miscued kick for touch by the Welsh full back DH (Harry) Bowen on the full and claimed a mark.

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10 July 2017

Goals From A Mark, 1871 - 1914

On January 2nd 1886 towards the end of the first half of their match against Wales when they were leading by two tries to nil, the English forward CH (Charles) Elliot caught a miscued kick for touch by the Welsh full back DH (Harry) Bowen on the full and claimed a mark.

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03 January 2017

Tolkien’s Battle of the Eastern Field

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is best known for his epic Lord of the Rings novels. A lesser known aspect of his personal history was his involvement in rugby union from a young age.

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18 November 2016

Muddied Oafs of Rugby

One of the most common epithets applied to a Rugby player is that of being a "muddied oaf". Though usually given in a light-hearted manner, and even worn with pride, it nevertheless reinforces a stereotype portraying Rugby footballers as lacking intelligence or manners, and often both.

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03 October 2016

Telling a 'pirate' from 'a pirate of a pirate'

Perhaps the easiest and most common path into memorabilia collecting is via the once-humble match programme. Some surviving examples from the 1880s and earlier were single-sheet, single-side even at international level, and intended mainly or solely as an aide-memoire and indication of the players selected.

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25 July 2016

When the Kicking Tee Could Speak

It is only today in extremely windy conditions in Rugby that we see a team mate hold the ball in place for a kicker to make his shot at goal. It was once the case that all place-kicks at goal had to be taken in that manner, without a kicking tee, and with some added complications that only the young minds of English public schoolboys could invent.

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27 November 2015

Book Launch Invitation - The Kings Cup, 1919 by Howard Evans and Phil Atkinson

At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, all rugby was suspended by decree of the individual rugby unions, with only inter-military encounters and fundraising games permitted.

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18 May 2015

Historic Rugby Mascots

To the very best of our knowledge, HD Freakes is the only person to have taken a doll to his debut as an international rugby player. Quite why England full-back Freakes is clutching a ceramic doll before the loss to Wales in 1938 is anyone's guess. An early merchandising ploy?

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25 March 2015

Tales from the terraces - Cap That!

Dave Allsop recalls friendships made on the terraces of Welford Road...

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02 February 2015

William Webb Ellis, Are You Mad?

In 1971 the Rugby Football Union produced a promotional film detailing the history and culture of rugby union. It included the following re-enactment of the alleged moment that William Webb-Ellis 'picked up the ball and ran' at Rugby School in 1823.

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11 December 2014

The Official History of Rugby Officials

When the Laws of the Game of Rugby Football were agreed following the formation of the RFU in 1871, no provision was made for the use of independent arbiters.

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