From The Vaults

11 December 2015

One of Us: England's Greatest Rugby Players - Norman Wodehouse

The word 'hero' is often freely bandied about in relation to sport but Norman Wodehouse was a hero in every sense of the word. Born in Basford, by the age of fifteen he had enrolled in the Royal Naval College and was selected to represent the Royal Navy in 1907.

Showing all articles

Browse by

11 December 2015

One of Us: England's Greatest Rugby Players - Norman Wodehouse

The word 'hero' is often freely bandied about in relation to sport but Norman Wodehouse was a hero in every sense of the word. Born in Basford, by the age of fifteen he had enrolled in the Royal Naval College and was selected to represent the Royal Navy in 1907.

07 December 2015

Ireland's Call by Stephen Walker

During the Great War hundreds of Irish rugby players joined the British Army and lost their lives in the mud of France and Flanders and in the heat of Gallipoli.

02 December 2015

One of Us: England’s Greatest Rugby Players - Cherry Pillman

As a boy Cherry Pillman is purported to have been present when the 1905 touring All-Blacks took on England at Crystal Palace. If true it would seem that whilst everyone else was becoming irate at the borderline infringement play of New Zealand captain Dave Gallaher, Pillman was taking notes.

24 November 2015

One of Us: England's Greatest Rugby Players - Martin Johnson

Martin Johnson was concussed for most of his 1993 international debut. The fact that he was singled out as having shored up the English lineout and ensured a narrow victory over France was indicative of the type of impact he would go on to have for his team.

11 November 2015

A History of the Bristol Memorial Ground

The Memorial Ground was built for the Bristol Rugby Club, and is now the home of Bristol Rovers Football Club. Next year, the city's Ceremony of Remembrance is to be held at the war memorial stadium.

03 November 2015

Red Rose Stories: Gary Pearce

January, 1978. It's a cold Sunday morning in Buckinghamshire, and England are playing a training match against a local county XV. A twenty-one-year-old prop from Aylesbury Rugby Club is about to make a tackle he'll never forget.

29 October 2015

Remembering the Kings Cup

The inaugural Rugby World Cup that took place in New Zealand and Australia in 1987 started a competition that has since grown into the third largest sporting event in the world.

21 October 2015

PLAYER PROFILE - Hugo Porta (Argentina)

Hugo Porta has been described as the foundation stone of Argentinian rugby. He made his debut for the national side as a 20 year-old in 1971, at a time when Argentina were considered a developing side.

17 October 2015

Lest We Forget - Harry Alexander (England) 17/10/1915

Harry Alexander was born in Oxton, Birkenhead in Cheshire. His father William was a cotton broker in Liverpool, and his mother Edith was the daughter of the little-known artist Robert Gathoney.

13 October 2015

Lest We Forget - Dan'l Lambert (England) 13/10/1915

Douglas Lambert was born in South Norwood, and in adult life, being a tall man, was more commonly known as 'Dan'l' or 'Danny', by allusion to the famous giant Daniel Lambert of 100 years earlier.

06 October 2015

RUGBY DYNASTIES - The 'Bok Family Morkel

Many families have contributed outstandingly to the history and development of international rugby. If Ireland holds a record for the number of brothers who have played in the emerald green at the highest level, one family stands supreme in its overall contribution to rugby in their country. The Morkel family...

29 September 2015

An American rugby pioneer in China - Henry Bluett Liversedge

Liversedge, nicknamed 'the Horse', had a huge influence on the rugby scene in China in the late 1920s, his legacy continued in Shanghai through to 1940. Born in California in 1894, he was a freshman at the University of California in 1914. During his first year, rugby was the football of choice on the west coast of America.

1 2

…

37 38

39

40 41

…

44 45