The highly organized rugby football(橄欖球)games of today developed from the crowd game of ancient and medieval(中世紀(jì)的)Britain in which a round or oval(橢圓形的)object—usually the inflated(充了氣的)bladder(球膽類物體)of an animal—was kicked，punched(擊打)or driven towards a goal. The origins of games between two teams，which attempt(試圖)to kick，carry or otherwise force a ball through a goal or across a goal line defended by their opponents(對(duì)手)，are lost in antiquity.

When football was taken up by the great English public schools，all agreed that the ball must never be carried or passed by hand in the direction of the opponents’ goal. It was a violation(違例) of this rule by William Webb Ellis at Rugby School(英最古老的名校拉格比公學(xué))in 1823 which led to the division(分開)of modern footballers into those who want to play only with their feet and those who wish to use both feet and hands.

At first，Ellis’s behaviour was condemned(遣責(zé))even at Rugby. But the school soon decided to permit running with the ball by players who received it by a fair catch(用正當(dāng)手段).Then it was permitted if the ball was caught on the bound(在界內(nèi)). Later other restrictions(限制)on running with it were abolished(取消).

Ellis became a great hero.

It was some time before rugby football was accepted as a game in its own right，but on January 26，1871 representatives(代表)of 17 clubs and three schools met at the Pall Mall restaurant，Regent Street，Lodon. They formed the Rugby Football Union，drafted by-laws(草擬了細(xì)則)，appointed(委任)officers and instructed(指派)a committee(委員會(huì))of 13 to draw up the basis(基礎(chǔ))of the code in use at Rugby School.