Where rugby was born

England's Rugby School is the spiritual home of rugby — but it existed long before the sport that bears its name

by Sarah Eberspacher

September 7, 2015

.polaris__post-meta--date { display: none; } .polaris__post-meta--date.no-script { display: block; padding-left: 45px } September 7, 2015

A plaque dedicated to William Web Ellis at Rugby School.

(REUTERS/Neil Hall)

Students at Rugby School, which was founded in 1567, hundreds of years before rugby was born.

(REUTERS/Neil Hall)

A statue of William Webb Ellis.

(REUTERS/Neil Hall)Rugby has changed a lot since Ellis first picked up a soccer ball and ran with it. The modern version of the rough-and-tumble game involves an oval ball that players on opp

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(REUTERS/Neil Hall)

REUTERS

(REUTERS/Neil Hall)

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(REUTERS/Neil Hall)

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(REUTERS/Neil Hall)

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(REUTERS/Neil Hall)

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Where rugby was born

England's Rugby School is the spiritual home of rugby — but it existed long before the sport that bears its name

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