The Rugby League came into existence in 1895 due to a disagreement between two sections of the Rugby Union. The dispute arose over the issue of giving payments to players, which the Rugby Union did not allow. It banned rugby matches on fields where entry fee was charged as it considered rugby to be an amateur sport.
As a result, the Rugby League came into existence.
The Rugby Football Union was formed in 1871. The game was immensely popular in the Yorkshire and Lancashire region. The game also spread its roots into Australia and New Zealand, former colonies of England. However, there was a clear division between the working class people's game and the middle-class. As the teams were not allowed to pay remuneration to the players the working-class teams were not able to field strong teams.
In 1892, Bradford and Leeds became the first teams to be charged by the RFU for compensating their players. The following year the rest of the clubs in the Yorkshire region complained that they could not attend the committee as it was held far away in London. They also complained that as a result more southern clubs were representing the committee which banned payments to the players.
As a result, 22 teams met on 29 August 1895 at the George Hotel in Hudderfield and formed the Northern Rugby Football Union. Its name was later changed to Rugby Football League in 1922.
The teams which were originally part of the group are:
- Batley
- Bradford
- Brighouse Rangers
- Broughton Rangers
- Dewsbury
- Halifax
- Huddersfield
- Hull
- Hunslet
- Leeds
- Leigh
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- Liversedge
- Manningham
- Oldham
- Rochdale Hornets
- St Helens
- Tyldesley
- Wakefield Trinity
- Warrington
- Widnes
- Wigan
|
In the beginning, the union followed the rules set down by the RFU. The rule was subsequently changed by 1907. It is a full-contact team game with each team consisting of 13 players. There are two halves of 40 minutes each in which the team which scores the more number of tries wins. When the attacking team crosses the opposing team's in-goal and grounds the ball a try is scored. After scoring a try, the team is awarded a kick which can earn them two more points if converted.
This is how the Rugby League has been born towards the end of the 19 th century. It has become one of the major body contact team game in the world.
