page_title: History of the England national rugby union team
section_title: First match
hierarchical_section_title: History of the England national rugby union team / First match
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of the first ever England national rugby union team, before their game v. Scotland. The players: (above): J.E.Bentley (Gipsies), A.E.Gibson (Manchester), F.Tobin (Liverpool), D.L.P.Turner (Richmond), F.Stokes (Blackheath), J.H.Clayton (Liverpool), R.R.Osbourne (Manchester), J.H.Luscombe (Gipsies); (middle): A.St G.Hammersley (Marlborough Nomads), W.MacLaren (Manchester), C.W.Sherrard (Blackheath), A.Lyon (Liverpool), C.A.Crompton (Blackheath); (middle above): H.J.C.Turner (Manchester), R.H.Birkett (Clapham Rovers), J.F.Green (West Kent); (below): A.Davenport (Ravenscourt Park), A.G.Guillemard (West Kent), J.M.Dugdale (Ravenscourt Park), B.H.Burns (Blackheath).
context_page_description: The History of the England national rugby union team covers the period since 1871, when the England national rugby union team played Scotland in the first ever rugby union international.
context_section_description: The game of rugby union developed out of the game of football that was played at Rugby School from the mid-18th century. In the first half of the 19th century, the game began to spread, as ex-pupils of Rugby, and other public schools, introduced it into the universities. At Cambridge University, in 1839, a game was organised between Old Rugbeians and Old Etonians, and a rugby club was formed at Guy's Hospital, London in 1843. In 1848, representatives of the major public schools agreed a code of rules. On 26 January 1871, a meeting was held in London that led to the founding of the Rugby Football Union. Following a challenge from Scottish members, teams representing England and Scotland met at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, on 27 March 1871 in the first ever international rugby union match. Scotland won by four points to one, in front of 4,000 people.
caption: The England Team for the first international rugby union match, against Scotland, on 27 March 1871
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