International Rugby Board
Encyclopedia
The International Rugby Board (IRB) is the governing body for the sport of rugby union
. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) by the unions of Scotland
, Wales
and Ireland
. England
refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the International Rugby Board in 1998. Its headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland.
The IRB has 97 full members and 20 associate members. It organises the Rugby World Cup
every four years, the sport's most profitable competition.
Until 1885 the laws of rugby football
were made by England as the founder nation. However, following a disputed try
in an international between Scotland
and England
in 1884, letters were exchanged in which England claimed that they made the laws, and the try should stand. Scotland refused to play England in the 1885 Home Nations Championship
. Following the dispute, the home unions
of Scotland, Ireland and Wales decided to form an international union whose membership would agree on the standard rules of rugby football. The three nations met in Dublin in 1886, though no formal regulations were agreed upon. On 5 December 1887, committee members of the Irish Rugby Union, Scottish Rugby Union
and Welsh Rugby Union
met in Manchester and wrote up the first four principles of the International Rugby Football Board. England refused to take part in the founding of the IRFB, stating that they should have greater representation, as they had more clubs. The England Union also refused to accept the IRFB as the recognised law maker of the game. This led to the IRFB taking the stance of member countries not playing England until they joined, and no games were played against England in 1888 and 1889. In 1890 England joined the IRFB, gaining six seats while the other unions had two each. The same year, the IRFB wrote the first international laws of rugby union.
In 1893, the IRFB was faced with the divide between amateurism and professionalism, which was nicknamed the "Great Schism". Following the introduction of working class men to the game in Northern England, clubs began paying "broken time" payments to players, due to the loss of earnings from playing on a Saturday. Cumberland County Union also complained of another club using monetary incentives to lure players, leading to the IRFB conducting an enquiry. The IRFB was warned by all the chief clubs in Lancashire
and Yorkshire
that any punishment would lead to the clubs seceding from the union. The debate of broken time payments ultimately led to the 22 leading clubs in Yorkshire and Lancashire to form the Northern Rugby Football Union, a sport today known as rugby league football
.
England's seats on the IRFB were reduced from six to four in 1911. The Australian Rugby Union
, New Zealand Rugby Union and South African Rugby Union
joined the board with one seat each in 1948, with England's seats being reduced to two, the same as the other home nations. The three Southern Hemisphere unions were given a second seat each in 1958. The French Rugby Federation was admitted in 1978 and the Argentine Rugby Union, Canadian Rugby Union
, Italian Rugby Federation and Japan Rugby Football Union
were admitted in 1991.
It is thought that in the late 1950s the IRFB was presented with the ideas of a world championship. In 1983 the New Zealand Rugby Union and Australian Rugby Union each proposed hosting such a tournament. The following year the board committed to conduct a feasibility study. A year later there was another meeting in Paris, and the Union subsequently voted on the idea. It was the South African Rugby Union's vote that proved to be crucial in setting up a tied vote, as they voted in favour, even though they knew they would be excluded. English and Welsh votes were then changed, and the vote was won 10 to 6.
Notes:
In addition to bands, unions are often referred to using the older tier system:
, Ireland
, Wales
, England
, Australia
, New Zealand, South Africa
and France. Four unions have one seat each: Argentina, Canada
, Italy and Japan
. The six regional associations representing Europe
, North America and the West Indies, South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania also have one seat each. With the Chairman and Vice Chairman, this adds up to a total of 28 members. The full membership meets at a General Meeting which is convened every two years. Regional meetings are held at regular intervals.
The current chairman of the IRB is Bernard Lapasset
, previously president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR). He was elected new IRB chairman following the Executive Council vote which took place on 19 October 2007. His election became effective on 1 January 2008.
in 2011. The rights for hosting this tournament cost NZ $150 million. The Government remains optimistic that this will be a money making venture, yet others have predicted up to a $500 million dollar shortfall, which would largely be funded by taxpayers and ratepayers. Considerable controversy has arisen over the fees imposed by the IRB on the host nation due to this shortfall. There have already been calls for a complete overhaul of the commercial model of the IRB from the New Zealand Rugby Union, with the NZRU even threatening to boycott the 2015 event if no changes are made, and debate as to whether a subsequent Rugby World Cup without a team as prominent as the All Blacks
would be considered legitimate.
team. Rugby union made one more appearance as a demonstration event but was then removed from the Games. The IRB has most recently been very keen to see it return to the Games and is adamant that the sport (specifically referring to rugby sevens
) satisfies every respect of the criteria set out in the Olympic Charter.
The main problem for reintroducing the 15-man game to the Olympics is the 7-day turnaround required by IRB regulations for players to rest between games. Since the Olympics only officially run for 16 days, with only slight expansions allowed to accommodate sports such as football, this effectively makes it impossible to conduct a 15s tournament within the current Olympic schedule. This limitation does not apply to sevens, as games last only 14 minutes (20 in championship finals) instead of the 80 minutes in the 15s game. All of the events in the current IRB Sevens World Series
, which feature a minimum of 16 national teams, are conducted within a single weekend.
But in furthering the IRB cause, the International Rugby Board became an International Olympic Committee
Recognised International Federation in 1995, marked by a ceremonial signing by President Juan Antonio Samaranch
prior to a match between Wales
and South Africa
in Cardiff
.
The IRB cites rugby union's global participation, with men playing the game in well over 100 countries, with women playing in over 50 as well; the IRB's compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code
; and that a rugby sevens tournament could be (and generally is) accommodated in one stadium and is relatively inexpensive to play. Not only is the sevens game successful in the context of the Sevens World Series and World Cup Sevens, it is also very successfully played in the Commonwealth Games
; the sevens tournament
at the 2006 Games
in Melbourne set all-time attendance records for a sevens tournament.
As a result of this, the IRB applied to the International Olympic Committee
for a Sevens tournament to form part of the Olympics. Subsequently, Sevens has been accepted into the Summer Olympic Games and will first be played in 2016 in Rio.
The IRB have recently released £18.6 million of funding over three years for tier two nations Canada
, the USA
, Japan
, Romania
, Fiji
, Samoa
and Tonga
. Argentina
will also receive additional support to enable it to retain its tier one status. The money, built up from successful World Cups, was released following a report commissioned by the IRB highlighting the growing disparity between tier one and tier two nations. (see IRB statement). This is in addition to the £10–12 million it normally gives out grants and tournament costs. The emphasis is on three areas infrastructure, high performance units and cross border competitions. Three new crossborder competitions involving Tier 2 nations were launched in 2006:
It was announced in April 2006 that tier-3 rugby nations; Georgia
, Portugal
, Tunisia
and Russia
were identified as the key investment nations over the next three years. The program is designed to increase the competitiveness of international rugby union.
Effective in 2009, the North America 4 has been replaced by the Americas Rugby Championship
, which expands the concept to South America. The competition involves four teams from Canada—provincial teams from British Columbia
and Ontario
, a regional team
representing Atlantic Canada
plus Quebec
, and a second regional team
representing the Prairie Provinces. The field is filled out with the Argentina Jaguars, which absorbed the country's former A national side, and a "USA Select XV", an A national team in all but name.
. The Laws of the Game are formulated by the IRB, and are then circulated by the national Unions. The official laws of the game are written in English, French, Russian and Spanish. There are variations for under-19 and Sevens rugby. There are 21 regulations in total, these regulations range from definitions, eligibility, advertising, disciplinary, anti-doping and a number of other areas. The IRB also approves equipment, which are tested at an IRB Approved Testing House.
in South Africa. Further trials were set down for 2007 and 2008. The law variations aimed to push the balance between defensive and attacking play more in favour of attacking play, and to reduce stoppages for penalties and infringements.
code. The IRB anti doping programme includes testing at the under 19 and under 21 level, sevens and senior 15 a side. Testing is a mix of in-competition at IRB organised events, as well as out-of-competition testing, which can occur at any time. In 2003, World Cup year, the IRB member unions undertook approximately 3,000 tests. "Keep Rugby Clean" is a campaign message run by the IRB Anti-Doping Manager Tim Ricketts. The programme is supported by stars such as Brian O'Driscoll
.
of the men's national rugby union teams. The concept was launched in October 2003, at the start of that year's world cup
in Australia. The rankings are calculated using a Points Exchange system, whereby nations take points off each other based on a match result. Several years of research went into developing the rankings system, using an extensive database of international matches that date back to 1871.
The system's reliability is assessed in a number of objective ways, which includes predictions of current strength and responds to changes in form. The system takes into account home advantage, in that the home nation is treated as though it has an extra three rating points, effectively handicapping them, as they will gain less ranking points for a win, and lose more should they lose. In the case of a freak result, there is a maximum number of movements on the ranking that any nation can gain from one match.
If a nation does not play for a number of years they are considered dormant, and excluded from the rankings, upon returning, picking up from where they were excluded. If a nation is to merge or split, the highest rating of any of the rankings is inherited.
Currently all capped international matches are equally weighted, whether or not they take place within a competition or are played as tests
; the sole exception to this is the World Cup final tournament.
were introduced in 2001, to honour outstanding achievements in rugby union. Prior to 2009, all of the awards were announced at an annual ceremony; the most recent such ceremony was held in London on 23 November 2008.
However, as a response to the late-2000s economic crisis, the annual ceremony will only see the International Player, Team, and Coach of the Year Awards presented in 2009 and 2010; all other awards will be presented at different times throughout the year. The IRB currently plans to reinstitute the single year-end ceremony after the 2011 Rugby World Cup
.
The current awards are:
At the year-end ceremony, the International Rugby Players' Association also hands out the following awards:
In the past, the IRB has also awarded:
The awards that recognise achievements in the preceding 12 months tend to be won by that season's most successful nation(s): France in 2002, England in 2003, South Africa in 2004, New Zealand in 2005, South Africa again in 2007. For those award categories that have nominees, a shortlist is drawn up by an independent panel of judges, who are all former internationals. The panel then reconvenes to choose a winner. The current judges are Jonathan Davies, Will Greenwood
, Gavin Hastings
, Michael Jones, Dan Lyle
, Federico Méndez
, Francois Pienaar
and past Player of the Year winners Fabien Galthié
and Keith Wood
, with John Eales
as convenor. The judges have a total of over 500 caps
between them.
In 2006 an IRB Hall of Fame
was established to chronicle the achievements and special contribution of the sport's players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals. The Hall of Fame was inaugurated at the 2006 IRB Awards, when William Webb Ellis
and Rugby School
were named as the first two inductees. Hall of Fame inductees in 2007 were Pierre de Coubertin
, Danie Craven
, John Eales
, Gareth Edwards
and Wilson Whineray
. The 2008 inductees were the 1888–89 New Zealand Native team
and its organiser Joe Warbrick
, Jack Kyle
, Melrose RFC
and Ned Haig
(for their roles in the invention of rugby sevens), Hugo Porta
, and Philippe Sella
.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) by the unions of Scotland
Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
, Wales
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
and Ireland
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
. England
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the International Rugby Board in 1998. Its headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland.
The IRB has 97 full members and 20 associate members. It organises the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
every four years, the sport's most profitable competition.
History
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
were made by England as the founder nation. However, following a disputed try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
in an international between Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
and England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
in 1884, letters were exchanged in which England claimed that they made the laws, and the try should stand. Scotland refused to play England in the 1885 Home Nations Championship
1885 Home Nations Championship
The 1885 Home Nations Championship was the third series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Four matches were played between 3 January and 21 February 1885. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales...
. Following the dispute, the home unions
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
of Scotland, Ireland and Wales decided to form an international union whose membership would agree on the standard rules of rugby football. The three nations met in Dublin in 1886, though no formal regulations were agreed upon. On 5 December 1887, committee members of the Irish Rugby Union, Scottish Rugby Union
Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
and Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
met in Manchester and wrote up the first four principles of the International Rugby Football Board. England refused to take part in the founding of the IRFB, stating that they should have greater representation, as they had more clubs. The England Union also refused to accept the IRFB as the recognised law maker of the game. This led to the IRFB taking the stance of member countries not playing England until they joined, and no games were played against England in 1888 and 1889. In 1890 England joined the IRFB, gaining six seats while the other unions had two each. The same year, the IRFB wrote the first international laws of rugby union.
In 1893, the IRFB was faced with the divide between amateurism and professionalism, which was nicknamed the "Great Schism". Following the introduction of working class men to the game in Northern England, clubs began paying "broken time" payments to players, due to the loss of earnings from playing on a Saturday. Cumberland County Union also complained of another club using monetary incentives to lure players, leading to the IRFB conducting an enquiry. The IRFB was warned by all the chief clubs in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
that any punishment would lead to the clubs seceding from the union. The debate of broken time payments ultimately led to the 22 leading clubs in Yorkshire and Lancashire to form the Northern Rugby Football Union, a sport today known as rugby league football
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
.
England's seats on the IRFB were reduced from six to four in 1911. The Australian Rugby Union
Australian Rugby Union
The Australian Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of the International Rugby Board the sport's governing body. It consists of eight member unions, representing each state and territory...
, New Zealand Rugby Union and South African Rugby Union
South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to the International Rugby Board...
joined the board with one seat each in 1948, with England's seats being reduced to two, the same as the other home nations. The three Southern Hemisphere unions were given a second seat each in 1958. The French Rugby Federation was admitted in 1978 and the Argentine Rugby Union, Canadian Rugby Union
Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada, is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in Canada. Rugby Canada was incorporated in 1974, and stems from the Canadian Rugby Football Union, a body established in 1884 that now governs amateur Canadian football as Football Canada; and the now-defunct Rugby Union of...
, Italian Rugby Federation and Japan Rugby Football Union
Japan Rugby Football Union
The Japan Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in Japan. It was formed November 30, 1926 and is currently one of only two federations from a "Tier 2" country with a seat on the International Rugby Board executive council, the sport's international governing body...
were admitted in 1991.
It is thought that in the late 1950s the IRFB was presented with the ideas of a world championship. In 1983 the New Zealand Rugby Union and Australian Rugby Union each proposed hosting such a tournament. The following year the board committed to conduct a feasibility study. A year later there was another meeting in Paris, and the Union subsequently voted on the idea. It was the South African Rugby Union's vote that proved to be crucial in setting up a tied vote, as they voted in favour, even though they knew they would be excluded. English and Welsh votes were then changed, and the vote was won 10 to 6.
Member unions
There are 97 member unions and 20 associate member unions of the IRB, each of which are also affiliated to one of six regional unions. Membership of the IRB is a four-step process:- A Union must apply to become an associate member of its Regional Union
- After all membership criteria are met, including one year as an associate member, the Union is admitted to the Regional Union as a full member
- After completion of stages 1 and 2, and two years as a full member of a Regional Union, the Union may then apply to become an Associate member of the IRB. As an associate member, the union can participate in IRB funded tournaments but not the Rugby World Cup
- Following two years of associate membership of the IRB, the union may then apply to become a Full Member
Regional unions
Six regional associations, which represent each continent, are affiliated with the IRB and help to develop the fifteen-a-side game as well as Rugby 7's across the world. Not all members of the regional associations are members of the IRB. Below is a list of member and associate unions and their regional associations with the year that they joined the IRB. Associate Unions are in italics.Africa
16 Member Unions, 7 Associate Unions (1994)
|
(1990) (1998)
|
(1998) (1990) (2001)
|
(1949) (1998)
|
(1997) (1995) (1987) |
Asia
14 Member Unions, 7 Associate UnionsThe Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union was disbanded in 2010
|
(1999)
|
(1988)
|
(2004) (2004) (1989) (1988) (1989) |
|
Notes:
Europe
37 Member Unions, 3 Associate Unions (1991)
|
(1988) (1988) (1890) (2001) (1978) (1992) (1988)
|
(1991) (1886) (1988) (1987) (1991) (1992) (1991) (2000) | (1994) (1998) (1988) (1993) (1988) (1988) (1987) (1990) | (1886) (1988) (1996) (1988) (1988) (1988) (1992) (1886) |
North America
11 Member Unions, 2 Associate Unions| (1994) (1995) (1992) (2001)}} (1987) | (1997) (1995) (1996) (2006)
|
(2001) (1992) (1987) |
South America
8 Unions are IRB members| (1987) (1995) (1991) (1999) | (1989) (1999) (1989) (1998) |
Oceania
11 Member Unions, 1 Associate Unions
|
(1999) (1993) (1988) (1999) (1994) | (1987) (1999) |
Bands and tiers
The unions of the IRB are classified into four bands reflecting the level of development and the development strategy of the IRB:- "High Performance" is composed of 17 unions: the participants of the Six Nations ChampionshipSix Nations ChampionshipThe Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
, the Tri Nations , the Pacific Nations Cup and , , , and the . - "Performance" is composed of 6 unions: , , , , and .
- "Targeted" including , , and .
- All remaining unions are classified in the "Development" band.
In addition to bands, unions are often referred to using the older tier system:
- "Tier 1" consists of the participants in the Six Nations Championship and Tri Nations, plus Argentina.
- "Tier 2" consists of the remaining High Performance unions.
- Other unions are classified as "Tier 3".
Executive Council
The Executive Council meets twice a year. It consists of eight "foundation unions" with two seats each: ScotlandScottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
, Ireland
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
, Wales
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
, England
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
, Australia
Australian Rugby Union
The Australian Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of the International Rugby Board the sport's governing body. It consists of eight member unions, representing each state and territory...
, New Zealand, South Africa
South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to the International Rugby Board...
and France. Four unions have one seat each: Argentina, Canada
Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada, is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in Canada. Rugby Canada was incorporated in 1974, and stems from the Canadian Rugby Football Union, a body established in 1884 that now governs amateur Canadian football as Football Canada; and the now-defunct Rugby Union of...
, Italy and Japan
Japan Rugby Football Union
The Japan Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in Japan. It was formed November 30, 1926 and is currently one of only two federations from a "Tier 2" country with a seat on the International Rugby Board executive council, the sport's international governing body...
. The six regional associations representing Europe
FIRA - Association of European Rugby
The FIRA - Association Européenne de Rugby is the administrative body for rugby union in Europe. It was formed in 1999 to promote, develop, organise and administer the game of rugby in Europe under the authority of the International Rugby Board .The predecessor to FIRA–AER was the Fédération...
, North America and the West Indies, South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania also have one seat each. With the Chairman and Vice Chairman, this adds up to a total of 28 members. The full membership meets at a General Meeting which is convened every two years. Regional meetings are held at regular intervals.
The current chairman of the IRB is Bernard Lapasset
Bernard Lapasset
Bernard Lapasset MNZM is a French rugby administrator who is currently Chairman of the International Rugby Board . He previously served as President of the French Federation of Rugby Union from 1991 to May 2008, when Pierre Camou, then Vice-President took over...
, previously president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR). He was elected new IRB chairman following the Executive Council vote which took place on 19 October 2007. His election became effective on 1 January 2008.
Past chairmen
- Vernon Pugh, QC, was chairman of the IRB from 1994 to 2002.
- Syd MillarSyd MillarSydney "Syd" Millar, CBE, is the outgoing chairman of the International Rugby Board. He was born in Ballymena and previously played for Ballymena RFC and represented Ireland in the pack, winning 37 caps as a prop. In addition, he played 9 times for the British and Irish Lions...
2002 to 2007.
Rugby World Cup, 2011
New Zealand is hosting the Rugby World CupRugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
in 2011. The rights for hosting this tournament cost NZ $150 million. The Government remains optimistic that this will be a money making venture, yet others have predicted up to a $500 million dollar shortfall, which would largely be funded by taxpayers and ratepayers. Considerable controversy has arisen over the fees imposed by the IRB on the host nation due to this shortfall. There have already been calls for a complete overhaul of the commercial model of the IRB from the New Zealand Rugby Union, with the NZRU even threatening to boycott the 2015 event if no changes are made, and debate as to whether a subsequent Rugby World Cup without a team as prominent as the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
would be considered legitimate.
Olympics
The sport of rugby union has been played at the Summer Olympics on four occasions, with the last being in 1924. The winners, and thus the reigning champions, were the U.S.United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
team. Rugby union made one more appearance as a demonstration event but was then removed from the Games. The IRB has most recently been very keen to see it return to the Games and is adamant that the sport (specifically referring to rugby sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
) satisfies every respect of the criteria set out in the Olympic Charter.
The main problem for reintroducing the 15-man game to the Olympics is the 7-day turnaround required by IRB regulations for players to rest between games. Since the Olympics only officially run for 16 days, with only slight expansions allowed to accommodate sports such as football, this effectively makes it impossible to conduct a 15s tournament within the current Olympic schedule. This limitation does not apply to sevens, as games last only 14 minutes (20 in championship finals) instead of the 80 minutes in the 15s game. All of the events in the current IRB Sevens World Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
, which feature a minimum of 16 national teams, are conducted within a single weekend.
But in furthering the IRB cause, the International Rugby Board became an International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
Recognised International Federation in 1995, marked by a ceremonial signing by President Juan Antonio Samaranch
Juan Antonio Samaranch
Don Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquis of Samaranch, Grandee of Spain , known in Catalan as Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló , was a Catalan Spanish sports administrator who served as the seventh President of the International Olympic Committee from 1980 to 2001...
prior to a match between Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
The IRB cites rugby union's global participation, with men playing the game in well over 100 countries, with women playing in over 50 as well; the IRB's compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code
World Anti-Doping Agency
The World Anti-Doping Agency , , is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee . It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a result of what was called the "Declaration of Lausanne", to promote, coordinate and...
; and that a rugby sevens tournament could be (and generally is) accommodated in one stadium and is relatively inexpensive to play. Not only is the sevens game successful in the context of the Sevens World Series and World Cup Sevens, it is also very successfully played in the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
; the sevens tournament
Rugby Sevens at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were the third Games at which Rugby sevens was played. It is one of the male-only sports at the Commonwealth Games, the other being Boxing. The venue for the Rugby Sevens was the Telstra Dome, on the western edge of Melbourne's Central Business District...
at the 2006 Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne set all-time attendance records for a sevens tournament.
As a result of this, the IRB applied to the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
for a Sevens tournament to form part of the Olympics. Subsequently, Sevens has been accepted into the Summer Olympic Games and will first be played in 2016 in Rio.
Funding
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
, the USA
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
, Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
, Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
, Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
, Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
and Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
. Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
will also receive additional support to enable it to retain its tier one status. The money, built up from successful World Cups, was released following a report commissioned by the IRB highlighting the growing disparity between tier one and tier two nations. (see IRB statement). This is in addition to the £10–12 million it normally gives out grants and tournament costs. The emphasis is on three areas infrastructure, high performance units and cross border competitions. Three new crossborder competitions involving Tier 2 nations were launched in 2006:
- The Pacific Nations Cup, a competition involving the full national teams of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and Japan, plus New Zealand's "senior A" side, the Junior All BlacksJunior All BlacksThe Junior All Blacks are a New Zealand rugby union team. The Junior All Blacks are not an age grade side, but the second national team behind the New Zealand national rugby union team....
and Australia A. - The Pacific Rugby CupPacific Rugby CupThe IRB Pacific Rugby Cup is an annual rugby union development competition. First held in 2006, it features representative teams from the three Pacific rugby union unions - Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.The participating teams are:*Samoa A from Samoa...
, a competition similar to the Super Rugby with two franchises each from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga - The North America 4North America 4North America 4, also known as IRB North America 4 often abbreviated to NA4, was a North American rugby union competition launched in 2006...
, a competition similar to the Pacific Rugby Cup, with two franchises each from Canada and the USA
It was announced in April 2006 that tier-3 rugby nations; Georgia
Georgia national rugby union team
The Georgia national rugby union team represents Georgia in rugby union. The team's nickname, The Lelos, comes from lelo burti, a traditional Georgian sport with strong similarities to rugby. Lelo has been adopted as the Georgian word for "try"...
, Portugal
Portugal national rugby union team
The Portugal national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union side representing Portugal. They first played in 1935 and now compete in the European Nations Cup. Rugby union in Portugal is administered by the Federação Portuguesa de Rugby. Portugal qualified for their first Rugby World Cup in...
, Tunisia
Tunisia national rugby union team
The Tunisia national rugby union team is the national team of Tunisia, a third tier rugby union nation. They first started competing in 1979 and they competed, unsuccessfully in the African qualification for the 2007 Rugby World Cup....
and Russia
Russia national rugby union team
The Russian National Rugby Union Team, is the national team representing Russia at the sport of rugby union.Rugby union in Russia is administered by the Rugby Union of Russia . The RUR is the official successor union of the Soviet Union and the combined CIS team which played in the early 1990s...
were identified as the key investment nations over the next three years. The program is designed to increase the competitiveness of international rugby union.
Effective in 2009, the North America 4 has been replaced by the Americas Rugby Championship
Americas Rugby Championship
The Americas Rugby Championship is a rugby union competition contested by national and regional teams from North and South America. The league has replaced the IRB's previous North American competition, the North America 4....
, which expands the concept to South America. The competition involves four teams from Canada—provincial teams from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, a regional team
The Rock (rugby team)
The Rock, also known as the Atlantic Rock, are a Canadian rugby union team based in St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador. The team plays in the Canadian Rugby Championship and is intended to draw most of its players from the rugby unions of Canada's five Eastern provinces: Quebec, New Brunswick,...
representing Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
plus Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and a second regional team
Prairie Wolf Pack
The Prairie Wolf Pack is a Canadian rugby union team representing the Prairies region in the Canadian Rugby Championship. The Wolf Pack's inaugural season includes a home game at the Calgary Rugby Park against The Rock and away games at the BC Bears and Ontario Blues.-Current squad:Squad for the...
representing the Prairie Provinces. The field is filled out with the Argentina Jaguars, which absorbed the country's former A national side, and a "USA Select XV", an A national team in all but name.
Laws and regulations
The laws of rugby union are controlled by a standing Laws Committee, which is established by the IRB Council. The current chairman of the committee is Bill BeaumontBill Beaumont
William "Bill" Blackledge Beaumont CBE was captain of the England rugby union team at a time when they struggled to win games. His greatest moment as captain was the unexpected 1980 Grand Slam. He played as a lock...
. The Laws of the Game are formulated by the IRB, and are then circulated by the national Unions. The official laws of the game are written in English, French, Russian and Spanish. There are variations for under-19 and Sevens rugby. There are 21 regulations in total, these regulations range from definitions, eligibility, advertising, disciplinary, anti-doping and a number of other areas. The IRB also approves equipment, which are tested at an IRB Approved Testing House.
Experimental law variations
In 2006, the IRB initiated proposals for variations to the laws, which were formulated and trialled initially at Stellenbosch UniversityStellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
in South Africa. Further trials were set down for 2007 and 2008. The law variations aimed to push the balance between defensive and attacking play more in favour of attacking play, and to reduce stoppages for penalties and infringements.
Anti-doping
The IRB is compliant with the WADAWorld Anti-Doping Agency
The World Anti-Doping Agency , , is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee . It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a result of what was called the "Declaration of Lausanne", to promote, coordinate and...
code. The IRB anti doping programme includes testing at the under 19 and under 21 level, sevens and senior 15 a side. Testing is a mix of in-competition at IRB organised events, as well as out-of-competition testing, which can occur at any time. In 2003, World Cup year, the IRB member unions undertook approximately 3,000 tests. "Keep Rugby Clean" is a campaign message run by the IRB Anti-Doping Manager Tim Ricketts. The programme is supported by stars such as Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish professional rugby union player. He is the current captain of the Ireland Rugby team and captained Leinster Rugby until the start of 2008 season. He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand...
.
World rankings
The IRB publishes and maintains the World RankingsIRB World Rankings
The IRB World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in rugby union, managed by the International Rugby Board , the sport's governing body. The teams of the IRB's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
of the men's national rugby union teams. The concept was launched in October 2003, at the start of that year's world cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
in Australia. The rankings are calculated using a Points Exchange system, whereby nations take points off each other based on a match result. Several years of research went into developing the rankings system, using an extensive database of international matches that date back to 1871.
The system's reliability is assessed in a number of objective ways, which includes predictions of current strength and responds to changes in form. The system takes into account home advantage, in that the home nation is treated as though it has an extra three rating points, effectively handicapping them, as they will gain less ranking points for a win, and lose more should they lose. In the case of a freak result, there is a maximum number of movements on the ranking that any nation can gain from one match.
If a nation does not play for a number of years they are considered dormant, and excluded from the rankings, upon returning, picking up from where they were excluded. If a nation is to merge or split, the highest rating of any of the rankings is inherited.
Currently all capped international matches are equally weighted, whether or not they take place within a competition or are played as tests
Test match (rugby union)
Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....
; the sole exception to this is the World Cup final tournament.
Recognitions and awards
The IRB AwardsIRB Awards
The IRB Awards are given out annually by the International Rugby Board, the worldwide governing body for rugby union, for major achievement in the sport. They were first awarded in 2001...
were introduced in 2001, to honour outstanding achievements in rugby union. Prior to 2009, all of the awards were announced at an annual ceremony; the most recent such ceremony was held in London on 23 November 2008.
However, as a response to the late-2000s economic crisis, the annual ceremony will only see the International Player, Team, and Coach of the Year Awards presented in 2009 and 2010; all other awards will be presented at different times throughout the year. The IRB currently plans to reinstitute the single year-end ceremony after the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
.
The current awards are:
- IRB International Player of the YearIRB International Player of the YearIRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International Rugby Board. It is awarded to the player who is adjudged to have been the best performer in rugby union internationals in the preceding season IRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International...
- IRB Team of the YearIRB International Team of the YearThe IRB International Team of the Year is awarded by the International Rugby Board in the autumn each year.-List of winners:* 2001: * 2002: * 2003: * 2004: * 2005: * 2006: * 2007: * 2008: * 2009: * 2010: * 2011: -List of other IRB Awards:...
- IRB Coach of the YearIRB International Coach of the YearThe IRB International Coach of the Year is awarded by the International Rugby Board in the autumn each year.-List of winners:* 2001: Rod Macqueen * 2002: Bernard Laporte * 2003: Clive Woodward * 2004: Jake White * 2005: Graham Henry...
- IRB Sevens Team of the YearIRB International Sevens Team of the YearThe IRB International Sevens Team of the Year is awarded by the International Rugby Board in the autumn each year.-List of winners:* 2002: * 2003: * 2004: * 2005: * 2006: * 2007: * 2008: -List of other IRB awards :...
- IRB Sevens Player of the YearIRB International Sevens Player of the YearThe IRB International Sevens Player of the Year is awarded by the International Rugby Board in the autumn each year. It was first awarded in 2004.-List of winners:* 2004: Simon Amor * 2005: Orene Ai’i * 2006: Uale Mai * 2007: Afeleke Pelenise...
- IRB Junior Player of the YearIRB International Junior Player of the YearThe IRB International Junior Player of the Year is awarded by the International Rugby Board in the autumn each year.-List of other IRB Awards :* IRB International Player of the Year* IRB International Team of the Year* IRB International Coach of the Year...
- IRB Women's Personality of the Year
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service
- IRB Development Award
- Spirit of Rugby Award
At the year-end ceremony, the International Rugby Players' Association also hands out the following awards:
- IRPA Try of the Year
- IRPA Special Merit Award
In the past, the IRB has also awarded:
- IRB International U21 Player of the YearIRB International U21 Player of the YearThe IRB International U21 Player of the Year is awarded by the International Rugby Board in the autumn each year.-List of winners:* 2001: Gavin Henson * 2002: Pat Barnard * 2003: Ben Atiga * 2004: Jerome Kaino * 2005: Tatafu Polota-Nau...
- IRB Under 19 Player of the YearIRB International U19 Player of the YearThe IRB International U19 Player of the Year is awarded by the International Rugby Board in the autumn each year. It was first awarded in 2002.-List of winners:* 2002: Luke McAlister * 2003: Jean-Baptiste Peyras-Loustalet * 2004: Jeremy Thrush...
- IRB Chairman's AwardIRB Chairman's AwardThe IRB Chairman's Award is awarded by the International Rugby Board in the autumn each year.-List of winners:* 2001: Kath McLean, Sir Terry McLean, Albert Farasse, John Eales* 2002: Bill McLaren, George Pippos * 2003: Vernon Pugh...
The awards that recognise achievements in the preceding 12 months tend to be won by that season's most successful nation(s): France in 2002, England in 2003, South Africa in 2004, New Zealand in 2005, South Africa again in 2007. For those award categories that have nominees, a shortlist is drawn up by an independent panel of judges, who are all former internationals. The panel then reconvenes to choose a winner. The current judges are Jonathan Davies, Will Greenwood
Will Greenwood
William John Heaton "Will" Greenwood, MBE is an English former rugby union footballer of the 1990s and 2000s.-Career:...
, Gavin Hastings
Gavin Hastings
Andrew Gavin Hastings, OBE is a former Scotland rugby union player. He is frequently considered one of the best, if not the best, rugby player to come out of Scotland. His nickname is "Big Gav".Hastings was born in Edinburgh...
, Michael Jones, Dan Lyle
Dan Lyle
Daniel Joseph Lyle is an American rugby union footballer. A 1992 graduate of Virginia Military Institute, he took up rugby union aged 23 in an attempt to keep fit. He had been invited to train with American football team Minnesota Vikings and had a trial with the Washington Redskins...
, Federico Méndez
Federico Mendez
Federico Mendez , also known as Freddie Mendez is an Argentine rugby union footballer.Méndez played professional rugby in South Africa, England and France...
, Francois Pienaar
Francois Pienaar
Jacobus Francois Pienaar is a South African former rugby union player. He played flanker for South Africa from 1993 until 1996, winning 29 international caps, all of them as captain. He is best known for leading South Africa to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup...
and past Player of the Year winners Fabien Galthié
Fabien Galthié
Fabien Galthié is a French rugby union coach and former player. His usual position was at scrum-half. He played much of his club rugby for Colomiers, and later on in his career, Stade Français. Galthié won 64 caps for France, including four Rugby World Cup appearances, as well as captaining the...
and Keith Wood
Keith Wood
Keith Gerard Mallinson Wood and educated at St Munchin's College, Limerick is a former international rugby union footballer who played hooker for Ireland, the Lions, Garryowen, Harlequins and Munster....
, with John Eales
John Eales
John Eales AM is an Australian former rugby union player and the most successful captain in the history of Australian rugby.-Early life:...
as convenor. The judges have a total of over 500 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
between them.
In 2006 an IRB Hall of Fame
IRB Hall of Fame
The IRB Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Rugby Board that recognises special achievement and contribution to the sport of rugby union. The IRB Hall of Fame covers players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals...
was established to chronicle the achievements and special contribution of the sport's players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals. The Hall of Fame was inaugurated at the 2006 IRB Awards, when William Webb Ellis
William Webb Ellis
Rev. William Webb Ellis was an Anglican clergyman who is famous for allegedly being the inventor of Rugby football whilst a pupil at Rugby School....
and Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
were named as the first two inductees. Hall of Fame inductees in 2007 were Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin was a French educationalist and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and is considered the father of the modern Olympic Games...
, Danie Craven
Danie Craven
Daniël Hartman Craven , more famously known as Danie Craven or simply Doc Craven, is a former Western Province, Eastern Province, Northern Transvaal and Springbok rugby union player as well as arguably South Africa's best and best-known rugby administrator...
, John Eales
John Eales
John Eales AM is an Australian former rugby union player and the most successful captain in the history of Australian rugby.-Early life:...
, Gareth Edwards
Gareth Edwards
Gareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey"....
and Wilson Whineray
Wilson Whineray
Sir Wilson James Whineray, KNZM, OBE is a former business executive and the longest-serving captain of the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby union team. Rugby writer T.P. McLean considered him the All Blacks' greatest captain.He first played for the All Blacks in 1957...
. The 2008 inductees were the 1888–89 New Zealand Native team
1888-1889 New Zealand Native football team
The 1888–1889 New Zealand Native football team was a New Zealand football team that toured Britain, Australia and New Zealand in 1888 and 1889. The team was composed mainly of players of Māori ancestry, although several Pakeha were included in the squad. The tour was a private endeavour, and was...
and its organiser Joe Warbrick
Joe Warbrick
Joe Warbrick , born Joseph Astbury Warbrick, was a Maori New Zealand rugby union player born in Rotorua who played for the All Blacks in their 1884 tour to Australia, and the 1888–1889 New Zealand Native football team....
, Jack Kyle
Jack Kyle
John Wilson Kyle OBE , commonly referred to as Jack Kyle or Jackie Kyle, is a former rugby union player who played for Ireland, the British Lions and the Barbarians during the 1940s and 1950s...
, Melrose RFC
Melrose RFC
Melrose Rugby Football Club, located in the town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders, is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world.-History:The club was formed in 1877 and was elected to full membership of the Scottish Rugby Union in 1880...
and Ned Haig
Ned Haig
Ned Haig was a butcher and rugby union player notable for founding the sport of rugby sevens. He moved to Melrose when he was young. There he took up rugby and joined Melrose Rugby Football Club in 1880...
(for their roles in the invention of rugby sevens), Hugo Porta
Hugo Porta
Hugo Porta is a former Argentine Rugby Union footballer, an inductee of both the International Rugby Hall of Fame and IRB Hall of Fame, and one of the best fly-halves the sport has seen...
, and Philippe Sella
Philippe Sella
Philippe Sella is a French former rugby union player, who held the record for most international appearances until beaten by Jason Leonard. He became a member of the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 1999, and the IRB Hall of Fame in 2008.Sella joined Saracens in 1996 from French side Agen...
.