From The Vaults

13 November 2023

PLAYER PROFILE: Ugo Monye

On 26 November 2023, Ugo Monye will be making his Legends Tour of Twickenham Stadium debut, so we're taking a look back at his playing career...

Showing all articles

Browse by

13 November 2023

PLAYER PROFILE: Ugo Monye

On 26 November 2023, Ugo Monye will be making his Legends Tour of Twickenham Stadium debut, so we're taking a look back at his playing career...

12 November 2023

#FromTheVaults - Newspaper Cutting, 1915

This newspaper cutting from 1915 features a photograph of three international rugby players in their military uniforms on the Western Front...

06 November 2023

Who Was Jack King?

Earlier this year, we were able to show for the first time what we believe to be the oldest footage of an international rugby test-match in existence...

23 October 2023

Rugby and its Camp-ball Roots by Tom Langton

Did you know that an old term for Football in England was Camp-ball or Camping? Tom Langton explains in this article...

16 October 2023

New Zealand Universities visit Japan

New Zealand Universities toured Japan from January to February in 1936. In this article, Hideki Shoji presents research from the tour...

02 October 2023

William Webb Ellis: What We Know

Schoolboy William Webb Ellis is purported to have invented Rugby Football when he 'picked up the ball and ran' in 1823. But who was Webb Ellis, did he really invent the game and what did he do next?

18 September 2023

Where It All Started by Karl Quinney

Not everyone can lay claim to having the birthplace of a worldwide sport close to where they live. Born and bred in the town of Rugby, freelance travel writer Karl Quinney explores the scene where sporting history was made 200 years ago...

08 September 2023

France at the men's Rugby World Cup 1987-2023

Successive French teams have enriched each of the men’s Rugby World Cup tournaments in their own inimitable style since the historic initial tournament in Australia and New Zealand in 1987. And now in September 2023 the tournament returns to France and the nation's hopes are high that this will be their year...

04 September 2023

#FromTheVaults - A Letter from a Rugby Schoolboy, 1811

It is 200 years since William Webb Ellis is said to have run carrying a football on the playing fields at Rugby School. This letter from our collection contains one of the earliest references to Rugby football...

29 August 2023

Juan Arzuaga: an Iberian sporting legend

Sporting and Social historian Keith Gregson delves into the story of Juan Arzuaga, the Spanish football star who cut his teeth on the rugby fields of North-East England...

21 August 2023

#FromTheVaults - All Blacks and Springboks

With New Zealand and South Africa preparing for a Rugby World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham on Friday, we’re highlighting two items which have recently been loaned to the World Rugby Museum.

07 August 2023

Joe Brunton – a great rugby stalwart of the north

English Rugby throughout the amateur era always relied on charismatic loyal figures who gave great service to their clubs and rugby in their counties and regions long after their playing careers had ended...

1

…

3 4

5

6 7

…

48 49