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How rugby was invented
Around the Academy:

William Webb Ellis

Modern rugby union as we love it today can trace its roots back to 1823 in Warwickshire.

The traditional story credits William Webb Ellis with inventing the modern day game at Rugby School in Warwickshire.

Many schools at that time played a game similar to rugby and football, which had few rules.

And it was during one of these games that Webb Ellis decided to "cheat".

Quite simply, he picked the ball up and ran with it in his hands.

Some people have argued whether the Webb Ellis story ever happened, but it is still the most widely accepted version of how the modern game came to be.





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