Author: The Rugby History Project
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When Wales Lost a Region: The Tale of the Celtic Warriors
After months of speculation, on the 24th October 2025, the Welsh Rugby Union announced that they would be cutting the number of men’s professional teams from four to three. Let’s look back at the last time the Welsh Rugby Union cut a region. The regionalisation of Welsh rugby in the early 2000s came after a…
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Chasing the Egg: A Short History of the Rugby Ball
The rugby ball is one of the most recognisable aspects of rugby, but also one of the most bizarre. How exactly did we end up as eggchasers? If you asked most people to describe a ball, they would describe a round sphere. However, in the sport of rugby, we use a bizarre ellipsoidal ball. Lovingly…
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Meet the Valentines
The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of the Irish Women’s National Rugby Team On the 30th September 2024, Irish rugby fans woke up to the news that the Ireland had beaten New Zealand. Fans of the men’s team rejoiced that the women’s team had finally achieved the same feat the men had come to…
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Why is Rugby Union Posh?
In many countries, Rugby Union is considered to be a sport for the middle classes. Stereotypically played in private schools by the sons of professionals, the sport often struggles to overcome this perception. However, how true is this assumption and why did the sport gain it in the first place?
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The Rugby World Cup 2025: History Was Made
The Rugby World Cup 2025 featured record crowds, record points scorers and a record amount of train trips taken by this author. Lets recap. Firstly, I must apologise for my lack of long form content during the Rugby World Cup. Whilst I have been posting frequently on social media, and researching away in the background,…
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Emily Valentine: The Female William Webb Ellis?
Emily Valentine was only ten when she picked up a rugby ball and played for Portora Royal School in Enniskillen. Since 2010 she has been hailed as the ‘female William Webb Ellis’ but how true is this? The story of Emily Valentine was hidden for over a century until rugby writer John Birch uncovered the…
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Barrette: The Original Female Rugby Code?
In the 1920s, feminists took part in ‘Rugby Féminin’. However the controversial sport faced its demise a decade after its first match. Did barrette influence the female rugby players of the 1960s? The origins of the modern women’s rugby movement can be traced to French universities during the 1960s. However, this was not the first…
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'I wanted to play for Wales with my whole heart': An Exploration of the Players Lost to Welsh Rugby Due To Racism
For over a century, working class rugby players left Wales in order to be paid. However, for many men, “Going North” was a necessity as their skin colour was a barrier to rugby in Wales. In June 2025, Billy Boston was honoured with a knighthood, becoming the first rugby league player to receive the nod.…
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The Legacy of Las Leonas: The Addition, Success and Removal of Spain in the Women’s Six Nations
Spain took part in the Women’s Six Nations between 2000 and 2006 before being removed by administrators of the men’s game, a decision still viewed with ire by many within the women’s rugby community. The 2006 Women’s Six Nations started off strong, with England taking on Wales in St Albans, Scotland facing France in Edinburgh,…
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Ohhhh Canada: The Canadian Women’s National Rugby Team have succeeded against all odds, but where do they go from here?
As Canada prepares for the 2025 Rugby World Cup, they are once again faced with balancing fundraising and on-field preparation. The Great White North may not seem like a natural fit for a flourishing rugby culture, with its often snow-covered pitches and nationwide hockey obsession. However, rugby’s cultural values of being hardworking and humble align…
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