Discover the Thrills: Top 9 Fun Facts You Never Knew About Rugby!

1. Slow Walkers, Fast Game

Rugby players: taking "long walks on the field" to a whole new level! These athletes spend a surprisingly leisurely 70% of their matches standing or walking, with just 25% of their time dedicated to jogging and a mere 5% to sprinting: They may be slow and steady, but these players manage to cover around 7 kilometers and make around 750 changes of pace during an average 80-minute game. That's one way to win the race!
Source => runningmagazine.ca

2. Charming Cauliflower Ears

Talk about an ear-resistible look: Rugby players often sport a charming condition affectionately dubbed "cauliflower ear," courtesy of the countless tackle-induced ear collisions they endure in the scrum of this rough-and-tumble sport. Fear not, though: Thanks to innovative silicone splints, these athletes can now tackle their ear woes – and the cosmetic ills that come with them – without missing so much as a single scrummage, all while tuning into the sweet symphony of cartilage healing.
Source => bjsm.bmj.com

Did you know an English club once joined the Scottish Professional Football League and never left? Discover the unique story of Berwick Rangers and their 138-year football journey! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿⚽🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

=> Fun Facts about Football

3. The Webb Ellis Fib

In the game of "he said, she ran with it," it turns out that rugby may have been born out of a classic case of misattribution – William Webb Ellis, who started the rumor mill, might have been fibbing all along, and now we're stuck with a case of broken telephone from the 1800s: Despite the popular belief that Ellis invented rugby by boldy picking up a soccer ball and running with it, the Old Rugbeian Society could not find any first-hand evidence to prove this claim and dismissed it, but this legend still left its mark with the Webb Ellis Cup, awarded to Rugby World Cup winners.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Evolution of the Egg-shaped Ball

Who says sports can't be egg-citing? Just like your favorite Sunday brunch, the rugby ball has evolved into the perfect oval concoction, all thanks to a little 1860s India rubber bladder magic: The fascinating transformation from sphere to egg led to the creation of the iconic oval-shaped rugby ball, now standardized with four panels, weighing around 400 grams, and resiliently coated with wax to withstand even the wettest of games!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Haka: The Maori Pride

Remember that spine-tingling battle cry in The Lion King? The one Simba really ought to take notes on? Hakuna Matata, meet Haka: The New Zealand rugby team's traditional Maori war dance performed before every game is not just for intimidating opponents, but signifies a tribe's pride, strength, and unity. The lyrics of the haka contain ancestral tales, tributes, and instructions, making it a cherished ceremonial practice at significant family occasions – even non-Maori are welcome to learn, as long as they respect its cultural roots.
Source => sportingnews.com

6. Kiwi Rugby Vixens

Before the Kardashians, there were the Kiwi rugby vixens: Clad in chic jerseys and short skirts, the audacious sportswomen of 19th century New Zealand shattered stereotypes, playing rugby as early as 1868 despite societal disapproval. Making history amid flurries of media criticism and "medical" concerns, the inaugural women's rugby match unfolded at Wellington's Athletic Park in 1915 – complete with an elegant "lady" referee overseeing the turf.
Source => scrumqueens.com

7. Love at First Scrum: Rugby Sevens

Move over, speed dating – there's a new whirlwind in town: Rugby sevens, a lightning-fast and adrenaline-packed version of standard rugby, swoops in with only seven players per team and two seven-minute halves. Perfect for an Olympic fling, it may be less physically demanding and competitive than traditional rugby, featuring 15 players and two 40-minute halves, but it's certainly stolen our hearts in a scrum-ptious way.
Source => chaseyoursport.com

8. Royalty Meets Ruck Royalty

When the royalty met the ruck royalty: In 2003, England's rugby team, starring Johnny "I kick-it" Wilkinson, tackled their way to World Cup glory and were subsequently honored with a royal shindig at Buckingham Palace. Sir Clive Woodward, the team's coach, even scored himself a knighthood, and Prince William scrum-mingled with the champions like a true fanboy.
Source => lastwordonsports.com

9. The Great Scrum of 1880

Beware the Great Scrum of 1880, an epic battle between strapping men with a taste for the leather oval: In reality, rugby's "scrum" simply refers to a neat and orderly formation of players, an abbreviation of "scrummage," which likely stemmed from the word "skirmish." This tightly packed huddle occurs during a restart in gameplay, with players from both teams engaging in a tussle for control over the ball.
Source => medium.com