We present to your attention unknown and interesting facts about rugby.
1 . Basketball was invented in 1891 by American rugby coach James Naismith. Since winters in the USA are quite cold and snowy, the players could not train outside at this time. Therefore, basketball was originally created in order to help rugby players to keep fit and playing condition during training in the halls.
2 . Rugby has been included in the Olympic Games four times. Competitions in this sport were held in 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924. And in the last two draws, the US team won.
3 . World famous personalities who played rugby at one time:
Sean Connery – British film actor, Oscar winner for the film “The Untouchables”:
John Kennedy – 35th President of the United States;
John Tolkien – English writer and poet, author of the books “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit”;
Bill Clinton – 42nd President of the United States;
George W. Bush – 43rd President of the United States;
Russell Crowe – New Zealand film actor, three-time Oscar winner for the films “Gladiator”, “The Insider” and “A Beautiful Mind”;
Chris Farley – American actor and comedian
Meat Loaf – American rock singer and film actor;
Ernesto Che Guevara – Latin American revolutionary, Cuban statesman;
Gareth Bale – Wales and Real Madrid footballer;
Jacques Chirac – President of France from 1995 to 2007;
Daniel Craig – English actor, known for starring in the James Bond films;
Javier Bardem – Spanish actor, Oscar winner for his role in No Country for Old Men;
Gerald Butler – Scottish film actor, known for filming in the films “Law Abiding Citizen” and “300 Spartans”;
Tom Hiddleston – British film actor, starred in the films Thor and The Avengers;
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is an American film actor and wrestler.
Matt Damon – American actor, Oscar winner for the film “Good Will Hunting”;
Daniel Radcliffe – British film actor, the protagonist of the Harry Potter films;
Gerard Depardieu – French actor, vice-president of the Bordeaux rugby club;
Arthur Conan Doyle – English writer, author of detective stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes;
Princes William and Harry are grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
4 . Former South African international John Smith is one of the Guinness World Records rugby heroes. The reason was his captaincy in 67 victorious matches for the Sprigbox between 2003 and 2009.
5 . Notable rugby films
– Such is the Sports Life (This Sporting Life, UK, 1963);
– Survive (Alive, USA, 1992);
– Son Joe (Le fils à Jo, France, 2010);
– Machos at Leisure (Freetime Machos, Germany, Finland, 2009);
– Everlasting (Forever Strong, USA, 2008);
– Unconquered (Invictus, USA, 2009).
6 . South African fly-hawk Morny Stein holds the Guinness World Record for the player with the most points in a single Tri-Nation Cup match. The player set this record on August 1, 2009, when the Springboks defeated New Zealand in a home meeting with a score of 31:19. Stein scored all the points in the “antelope” in this confrontation. On account of his attempt, implementation and eight free kicks.
7 . The famous actor Russell Crowe, who starred in such films as Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Knockdown, and others, is a big fan of rugby leagues. Moreover, he is a co-owner of one of the oldest Australian clubs – “South Sidney Rabbitohs”. By the way, the actor was born in Wellington, New Zealand and has dual citizenship (New Zealand and Australia). When Russell was 10 years old, he lost his front tooth while playing rugby. And they inserted it only before filming the film “Crossroads” (after 16 years) and then because the director insisted on it, who paid for the tooth out of his own pocket.
Recently, on the set of the film Noah in Iceland, Crow was seen promoting rugby among the local population, not forgetting to follow the games of his club online.
8 . All ages are submissive to love, especially if it is a love of rugby. Australian Dennis Gleason is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest player. The record was set on August 26, 2006, when Dennis entered the field at number 12 in a match for the Australian rugby league club State Rail Apprentice RLFC in the NSW Tertiary Student Rugby League Competition. That day he was 70 years and 9 days old!!! Dennis played for State Rail Apprentice RLFC from 1998 through the full 2006 season.
nine. You probably know the famous New Zealander John, who is often called the best player of all time. Lomu became the youngest All Black player in Test matches. John’s debut took place in the game against the French, when the rugby player was 19 years and 45 days old. By the way, after two games for the New Zealand national team, he was included in the All Blacks for the 1995 World Cup in South Africa. Lomu scored 7 attempts in five matches, including 4 in the semi-finals against the English, and now he holds the record for attempts in the World Cup – 15. In total, Jonah scored 37 drifts in his career with the national team. With a weight of 115 kg, he ran the 100-meter race in 10.89 seconds! And all this… with sick kidneys. In 1997, Lomu was diagnosed with kidney problems, but he continued to play as much as he could, despite the fact that that according to the doctors, his heart could stop at any moment right on the field. In 2001, the disease worsened, I had to leave rugby and have a kidney transplant operation … The donor was an avid fan of Lomu from the local radio. After that, his weight increased from 118 to 142 kilograms. But Jonah Lomu overcame his illness, lost weight and, with a transplanted kidney, started playing rugby again, in addition to taking up bodybuilding.
10 . The oldest rugby competition on the planet is the United Hospitals Cup, which has been played in England since 1875. In the first final, with 400 spectators, the teams Guy’s Hospital and St. George’s Hospital. They have been the most frequent finalists for many draws. The competition has been held to this day, annually since 1875, with the exception of the periods of two world wars.
11 . England is the birthplace of rugby, but despite this, in their first match, the England team lost to Scotland.
12 . Dublin University Football Club, founded in 1850, is the oldest rugby club in the world.
13 . The most productive official meeting between the national teams took place in October 1994. The Hong Kong team defeated Singapore 164:13.
14 . The biggest clean sheet in international matches was recorded in May 2002. Argentina 152:0 Paraguay.
15 . The New Zealand rugby union team was created in 1880. While the state itself gained independence only in 1907.
16 . The longest rugby match lasted 24 hours 30 minutes and 6 seconds. This meeting took place on July 22-23, 2011 in England between the Mali Lions and Congleton Bears teams. The game ended with the victory of the “lions” 894:715. 44 players took part in the match.
Source: rugger.info