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Story: Rugby union

Football at Rugby School, 1852

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Football at Rugby School, 1852

Although rough games of folk football had been played in English villages for centuries, it was the English public schools which standardised these games and wrote rule books. The schools were interested in games that built character and discipline, and prepared the boys for service in the defence of Empire. Rugby School took the lead in formalising the game, which was named after the school.

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New Zealand Rugby Museum

Reference: 96.285.19

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How to cite this page

Ron Palenski, Rugby union – History of rugby, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/39995/football-at-rugby-school-1852 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ron Palenski, published 30 November 2012, updated 1 September 2016.