Rugby Victoriana

The Victorian era witnessed a dramatic growth in sport, none more than
football, both Association and Rugby, the latter initially proving more
popular, particularly in northern England.
Competitive rugby thrived in the
north's industrial communities and its leading clubs attempted to invigorate
the code via the introduction of league and cup competitions.
In part this was
to combat the expanding reach of Association which introduced the F. A. Cup
(in 1871-72), professionalism (1885) and the Football League (1888-89).
But it was to no avail as Rugby Union's internal politics, mostly related to
accusations of professionalism, led to the historic 1895 split when many
prominent clubs, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire, created the
Northern Union, later renamed Rugby League.
Meanwhile, the Rugby Union
abandoned its league competitions, seen as a route to professionalism.
It would not be until the 1970s that official leagues were reintroduced,
initially as 'merit' tables, its amateur ethos ending in 1995.
Those competitive 19th century rugby union games have been virtually
forgotten. But now, for the first time, the facts and figures from that period are
published here in Rugby Victoriana.
Diligently researched by rugby historian
Graham Morris, its scope covers the first ever representative game in 1870 -
Yorkshire versus Lancashire - up to season 1900-01.
Included are details of
622 representative matches, 90 league tables and 99 cup competitions,
plus comment on contemporary rugby issues, providing the reader
with a flavour of how the game was reported at that time.
Exploits of numerous leading northern rugby union teams of the period are
documented, including Aspatria (Cumberland), Birkenhead Park (Cheshire),
Hartlepool Rovers (Durham), Kendal Hornets (Westmorland) and Rockcliff
(Northumberland).
To that list we can add many of today's rugby league clubs
(Barrow, Huddersfield, Hull, Oldham, Swinton, Wigan, Wakefield Trinity,
Warrington, etc.) whose first taste of competitive rugby came under
the auspices of the Rugby Union during the Victorian era.