Birth of a myth. We are in 1823, in college of Rugby, near Leicester, England. Two hundred years ago, in this posh establishment, football was regularly played, literally a ball game on foot, as opposed to horseball which is played on horseback. During a game, a young student named William Webb Ellis grabbed the ball in his hand and rushed headlong towards the opponent.
Unprecedented gesture
An unprecedented gesture which contravenes playing habits. Legend has it that rugby was invented that day. Today, historians agree that this story is a legend, as the world of ovals loves it.
20 minutes takes a look at the issue with Joris Vincent, rugby historian at the University of Lille and Valérie Bonnet, professor at the University of Toulouse and specialist in storytelling and sport.
So why did William Webb Ellis leave his name in rugby history?
The end of the Rugby World Cup with the final between the All Blacks and the Boks and the match for third place between the Argentines and the English can be followed on 20minutes.fr.