From The Vaults

28 April 2020

#FromTheVaults - Melrose Sevens Medal, 1883

On 28th April 1883, a seven-a-side rugby tournament was played to raise funds for a rugby club experiencing some financial difficulties. The tournament would become an annual event – the oldest rugby sevens competition in the world...

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28 April 2020

#FromTheVaults - Melrose Sevens Medal, 1883

On 28th April 1883, a seven-a-side rugby tournament was played to raise funds for a rugby club experiencing some financial difficulties. The tournament would become an annual event – the oldest rugby sevens competition in the world...

23 April 2020

The International Rugby Championship in the 1890s

The 1890s was a decade of momentous change in rugby union. History has tended to highlight the adverse effects of broken time payments and the advent of professionalism leading to the formation of the Northern Union, but the growth in public interest in the game as shown in the rise of new clubs and venues and the greatly increased attendances at club and international matches were impressive.

20 April 2020

An Eyewitness Account of Wales v New Zealand, 1905

The All Blacks' Tour of 1905 had official sanction; the financial arrangements were considered to be such that the amateur status of the players would not be endangered; and the tour opened with two amazing victories—over Devonshire by 55 points to 4, over Cornwall by 41 points to nil...

16 April 2020

I remember when...

World Rugby Museum Committee Member Richard Steele recalls his first trip to Twickenham back in 1960...

13 April 2020

Remembering Graham Budge - the Evergreen International

Aidan Taylor shares his research on Scotland International, Graham Budge…

06 April 2020

Famous English International Tries in the Amateur Era - Part 2

Last week we posted Part 1 of our Famous English Tries in the Amateur Era, looking at 1910-1969. Now onto Part 2…

02 April 2020

Who was Frederick Whitehead?

Frederick Whitehead (1853-1938) was born in Leamington Spa into a humble family of bricklayers, but his father had a strong interest in painting and set up an art restoration business from the family home...

30 March 2020

Famous English International Tries in the Amateur Era

Almost 800 tries have been scored by England at Twickenham in more than 320 full international matches over the last one hundred and ten years. Most of these tries have passed into the rugby history books but a special few are still recalled as defining moments in their eras...

29 March 2020

Remembering Prince Alexander Obolensky

Born in Petrograd (now St Petersburg) on 17th February 1916, Prince Alexander Obolensky was the son of an officer of the Tsar’s Imperial Horse Guards and his wife Princess Luba...

23 March 2020

Remembering Alan Bean

Remembering International Referee Alan Bean (1902 – 1986)

17 March 2020

#FromTheVaults - ‘Guinness is Good for You’ Advertising Sign, 1960s

As we say farewell to the Guinness Six Nations (for the time being, at least), this month’s featured object from our collection is a Guinness advertising sign from the 1960s.

07 March 2020

Swing Low Uncovered

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot was first sung at Twickenham during the ‘Chris Oti match’ of 1988. Or was it? New research by the World Rugby Museum casts doubt on this claim and puts forward a new theory for how and why the song became synonymous with English rugby…

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