Sport of nations
Image: Irish Rugby on the field against England
RBS Six Nations Rugby has been heating up. On the rugby field the ancient nations of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, and Italy retain their quixotic charms.
As we mentioned in a website file, rugby is named after the school where, according to legend, young William Webb Ellis “with fine disregard for the rules of football as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive feature of the Rugby game.”
The year was 1843, and retribution, no doubt, was swift, but Ellis had expressed a desire for higher things that was shared by others. Freeing a player’s feet from the tyranny of the ball and letting him run with it in his arms while he attempted to escape the heavy onslaught of his opponents was a satisfactory experience. And still is.
| Permalink
| 
