Monthly Archives: October 2014
INTERVIEW – Frik du Preez
Legendary South African forward Frik Du Preez was an archetypal player. He loved the game beyond all else. Not even the oppressive shadow of Apartheid, which darkened the game during his career, could snuff out the candle he held for … Continue reading
The Last Game of Rugby (2029)
The following article by Leonard R Tosswill was first published in Rugby Football Weekly in January of 1929. It involves an imagined future (2029) in which women and men played rugby on the same team- women as backs, men as forwards. … Continue reading
Crossing the Divide, 1908
A recent addition to the Museum’s archives throws some fascinating light on a controversial part of rugby’s history. 1908 marked a difficult time for English rugby. The formation of the Northern Rugby Union (later to become the Rugby League) in … Continue reading
Lest We Forget – James Henry Digby Watson (England) 15/10/1914
James Henry Digby Watson was born in Southsea, Hampshire, and named after his father, who was a Royal Navy engineering officer. His mother Eliza was Canadian. He was sent to King’s School, Canterbury at the age of eight, and thence … Continue reading
ARTIST INTERVIEW – Hamish Patel
by Nadine Fletcher In advance of our forthcoming exhibition ‘Old Streetonians: Life, Rugby and Art in Shoreditch’ we will be interviewing several key contributors. The exhibition will include work by artist Hamish Patel, a formidable character, who for many years, … Continue reading
CLASSIC MATCH REPORT – France 43-31 New Zealand
Wales were the proud hosts of the 1999 Rugby World Cup and, like England in 1991, they chose to share key matches with their neighbours. This meant that Twickenham would be called upon to host several pool matches and both … Continue reading
The Birth of Rugby Football in China
The first Shanghai Football Club was founded 25 November 1867, thereby making it the first rugby club to be established in China. The initial football rules it used were based on those used at Charterhouse School in the UK. However … Continue reading
