From The Vaults

01 February 2021

RFU150 - The Rugby Football Union

It is not known which telegram or conversation among gentlemen led to the birth of international rugby in 1871, but it is clear that polite society was abuzz...

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01 February 2021

RFU150 - The Rugby Football Union

It is not known which telegram or conversation among gentlemen led to the birth of international rugby in 1871, but it is clear that polite society was abuzz...

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.

11 January 2021

Denzil Batchelor's All-Star XV

Denzil Batchelor was a sports and war correspondent, poet and playwright. He played rugby at Oxford University in the 1920s and was a lifelong fan of cricket and rugby. This All-Star XV is an extract from his book ‘Babbled of Green Fields’ published in 1961.

04 January 2021

A Sunderland Discovery!

We're starting 2021 off with an exciting discovery for Sunderland FC and the wider rugby community...

21 December 2020

#FromTheVaults - RFU Christmas Card, ‘Fougasse’

This month’s featured object from our collection is a Christmas card designed for the Rugby Football Union by one of Britain’s best loved cartoonists, Cyril Kenneth Bird CBE (1887-1965).

14 December 2020

Rugby Raptors: The History of Birds of Prey at Twickenham Stadium

Twickenham has had a long history of welcoming birds of prey through its gates for various reasons. Initially, they were a necessity, employed to deal with the stadium's serious pigeon problem, but now they come of their own accord.

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...

30 November 2020

‘L’art du drop goal’ – a French phenomenon?

Kicking a drop goal has often proved a decisive factor in the winning of matches at international level since the second match between England and Scotland at The Oval in 1872 when Harold Freeman for England and Charles Cathcart for Scotland each scored a drop goal.

23 November 2020

#FromTheVaults – British Isles Dinner Menu, 1904

For this month's #FromTheVaults we wanted to share with you this charming little dinner menu from the British Isles tour to Australia and New Zealand in 1904 – the first time a British team played both countries on the same tour...

09 November 2020

Durham County’s Golden Era

The annual County Championship was one of English rugby union’s leading competitions from the 1890s through to the professional era in 1995. It provided a vital stepping stone for emerging players from leading rugby clubs and outstanding performances for their counties often propelled them on to international recognition...

02 November 2020

International Triplets

There have been around 30 known cases of "triplets" appearing for their country, but only a select group of six families have produced siblings who have appeared alongside at least two other brothers in the same international team on the same day.

26 October 2020

Who was Constantin Henriquez?

A keen sportsman, he played rugby as a number 8, wing and centre for both Olympique de Paris and Stade Francais, winning the French Championship in 1897, 1898 and 1901.

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