What Did William Webb Ellis Do Next?

Sean Fagan

If Webb Ellis did the deed ascribed to him, it was not the handling of the ball that was unique, the defining action was that he ran forward with the ball in his hands.

The rules of rugby were not changed to authorise running with the ball until 1846, long after Webb Ellis.

But what happened in a rugby game in 1846 when a player ran with the ball? What happened next?

Passing the ball & "backlines" (centres and wingers) did not take hold in rugby until the late 1880s.

Before that either of the two half-backs (then called a quarter-back), who stood on the left and right sides of the scrum because no one knew where the ball would come out, simply bolted off with the ball and/or kicked the ball.

His only other option was to pass to the single three-quarter (called a half-back) outside him (he was the backline!), who would then bolt off on his own.

The only other backs were two fullbacks, solely used for defence and/or to kick the ball back upfield.

Whenever any player ran with the ball before the late 1880s, they finished up their run with a kick (as in Australian football and soccer) rather than be tackled and overrun by the following pack.

Rugby History Article © Sean Fagan