Rugby · Interesting Facts
Chapter 10: Cousins & Other Forms
10 parts · 10 tests · 100 facts · updated 28 October 2026 · markdown
Rugby has many relatives, and some look nothing like a match on grass. Underwater rugby began with an idea from a Cologne diving club in 1961: the ball sinks, because an air-filled one would float to the surface, and each team defends a stainless steel basket on the pool floor, in water deep enough to play in three dimensions. Wheelchair rugby is a Paralympic sport whose finals have ended 66-51 and 59-58, and International Rules lets Ireland and Australia play each other with the Gaelic football ball, a behind worth one point and an over three.
Other cousins are local rituals. Royal Shrovetide Football takes over the Derbyshire market town of Ashbourne for two days, with goals three miles apart: millstones set into the banks on the sites of old mills. Calcio storico, 'historic Florentine football', puts one team from each historic quarter of Florence on a square laid with sand for the feast day of St John the Baptist. At Haxey the hood is pushed slowly through the crowd towards one of the village pubs, while the Eton Wall Game is a tight, slow scrum along a wall from 1717, with no goal seen since 1909.
The facts below cover underwater and wheelchair rugby, International Rules, Shrovetide football, calcio storico, the Haxey Hood, the Eton Wall Game, the Army v Navy match, ancient ball games from Greece to Japan, and Gaelic football.
10.101Underwater Rugby
A sinking ball, metal baskets and a game played at the bottom of a pool.
Test 1Underwater rugbyTake a test
A Cologne diving club came up with the idea in 1961.
Source: CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater rugby commission; Underwater Rugby Association of Australia, 'What is underwater rugby?' · recall
An air-filled ball would float to the surface.
Source: CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater rugby commission; Underwater Rugby Association of Australia, 'What is underwater rugby?' · recall
Stainless steel baskets sit at each end of the bottom.
Source: CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater rugby commission; Underwater Rugby Association of Australia, 'What is underwater rugby?' · recall
Deep enough to play in three dimensions.
Source: CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater rugby commission; Underwater Rugby Association of Australia, 'What is underwater rugby?' · recall
Six more wait on the side as substitutes.
Source: CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater rugby commission; Underwater Rugby Association of Australia, 'What is underwater rugby?' · recall
The World Underwater Federation.
Source: CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater rugby commission; Underwater Rugby Association of Australia, 'What is underwater rugby?' · recall
They have been held every four years since.
Source: CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater rugby commission; Underwater Rugby Association of Australia, 'What is underwater rugby?' · recall
1961, 1964, 1978 and 1980.
Source: CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater rugby commission; Underwater Rugby Association of Australia, 'What is underwater rugby?' · recall
A start at the walls, then the race to the ball.
Source: CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater rugby commission; Underwater Rugby Association of Australia, 'What is underwater rugby?' · recall
Each team defends a basket at its end of the pool floor.
Source: CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater rugby commission; Underwater Rugby Association of Australia, 'What is underwater rugby?' · applied
10.102Wheelchair Rugby's Golds
The Paralympic champions of the fast and fierce game.
Test 1Wheelchair rugby's goldsTake a test
They beat Canada 66-51 in the final.
Source: International Paralympic Committee results: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 (paralympic.org); Paralympics Australia, Ryley Batt · recall
It finished 59-58.
Source: International Paralympic Committee results: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 (paralympic.org); Paralympics Australia, Ryley Batt · recall
No European team had won the event before.
Source: International Paralympic Committee results: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 (paralympic.org); Paralympics Australia, Ryley Batt · recall
Great Britain won 54-49.
Source: International Paralympic Committee results: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 (paralympic.org); Paralympics Australia, Ryley Batt · recall
Japan beat the USA 48-41.
Source: International Paralympic Committee results: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 (paralympic.org); Paralympics Australia, Ryley Batt · recall
A temporary arena near the Eiffel Tower.
Source: International Paralympic Committee results: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 (paralympic.org); Paralympics Australia, Ryley Batt · recall
Silver in Rio, Tokyo and Paris.
Source: International Paralympic Committee results: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 (paralympic.org); Paralympics Australia, Ryley Batt · recall
2012, 2016, 2020 (played 2021) and 2024.
Source: International Paralympic Committee results: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 (paralympic.org); Paralympics Australia, Ryley Batt · recall
One point, five, seven and fifteen.
Source: International Paralympic Committee results: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 (paralympic.org); Paralympics Australia, Ryley Batt · recall
At the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Source: International Paralympic Committee results: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 (paralympic.org); Paralympics Australia, Ryley Batt · applied
10.103International Rules
Gaelic football meets Australian rules: Ireland against Australia.
Test 1International rulesTake a test
It lets Ireland and Australia play each other.
Source: AFL, 'International Rules history' (afl.com.au); GAA records of the International Rules Series; Eirball, 'Ireland v Australia 1984-1990' · recall
The Gaelic football ball, a disadvantage for Australians.
Source: AFL, 'International Rules history' (afl.com.au); GAA records of the International Rules Series; Eirball, 'Ireland v Australia 1984-1990' · recall
It coincided with the GAA's centenary year.
Source: AFL, 'International Rules history' (afl.com.au); GAA records of the International Rules Series; Eirball, 'Ireland v Australia 1984-1990' · recall
The series was played in Ireland.
Source: AFL, 'International Rules history' (afl.com.au); GAA records of the International Rules Series; Eirball, 'Ireland v Australia 1984-1990' · recall
The other two tests were at Croke Park.
Source: AFL, 'International Rules history' (afl.com.au); GAA records of the International Rules Series; Eirball, 'Ireland v Australia 1984-1990' · recall
It resumed in 2008.
Source: AFL, 'International Rules history' (afl.com.au); GAA records of the International Rules Series; Eirball, 'Ireland v Australia 1984-1990' · recall
An over is worth three and a behind one.
Source: AFL, 'International Rules history' (afl.com.au); GAA records of the International Rules Series; Eirball, 'Ireland v Australia 1984-1990' · recall
1967, 1984, after 2006 and 2008.
Source: AFL, 'International Rules history' (afl.com.au); GAA records of the International Rules Series; Eirball, 'Ireland v Australia 1984-1990' · recall
One, three and six points.
Source: AFL, 'International Rules history' (afl.com.au); GAA records of the International Rules Series; Eirball, 'Ireland v Australia 1984-1990' · recall
Dublin's great Gaelic ground hosted two of the three.
Source: AFL, 'International Rules history' (afl.com.au); GAA records of the International Rules Series; Eirball, 'Ireland v Australia 1984-1990' · applied
10.104Royal Shrovetide Football
Two days, a whole town and goals three miles apart.
Test 1Royal Shrovetide footballTake a test
A market town in Derbyshire.
Source: Royal Shrovetide Committee, Ashbourne; University of Derby, 'Shrovetide football: the history behind the famous game' · recall
Play starts in the afternoon and can go on into the night.
Source: Royal Shrovetide Committee, Ashbourne; University of Derby, 'Shrovetide football: the history behind the famous game' · recall
The Henmore Brook divides the town.
Source: Royal Shrovetide Committee, Ashbourne; University of Derby, 'Shrovetide football: the history behind the famous game' · recall
Each goal is on the site of an old mill.
Source: Royal Shrovetide Committee, Ashbourne; University of Derby, 'Shrovetide football: the history behind the famous game' · recall
The goals are millstones set into the banks.
Source: Royal Shrovetide Committee, Ashbourne; University of Derby, 'Shrovetide football: the history behind the famous game' · recall
The Prince of Wales 'turned up' the ball in 1928.
Source: Royal Shrovetide Committee, Ashbourne; University of Derby, 'Shrovetide football: the history behind the famous game' · recall
Like the Prince of Wales before him in 1928.
Source: Royal Shrovetide Committee, Ashbourne; University of Derby, 'Shrovetide football: the history behind the famous game' · recall
6 January, Shrovetide in February or March, 24 June and 30 November.
Source: Royal Shrovetide Committee, Ashbourne; University of Derby, 'Shrovetide football: the history behind the famous game' · recall
From the start in Ashbourne to a goal at the mill.
Source: Royal Shrovetide Committee, Ashbourne; University of Derby, 'Shrovetide football: the history behind the famous game' · recall
In Ashbourne the giant scrum is the 'hug'.
Source: Royal Shrovetide Committee, Ashbourne; University of Derby, 'Shrovetide football: the history behind the famous game' · applied
10.105Calcio Storico
Florence's fierce game in a square of sand.
Test 1Calcio storicoTake a test
Calcio storico fiorentino, 'historic Florentine football'.
Source: City of Florence, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Comune di Firenze); The Florentine · recall
Sand is laid over the square for the matches.
Source: City of Florence, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Comune di Firenze); The Florentine · recall
The feast day of St John the Baptist, Florence's patron saint.
Source: City of Florence, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Comune di Firenze); The Florentine · recall
A big squad for a small square.
Source: City of Florence, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Comune di Firenze); The Florentine · recall
One for each historic quarter of the city.
Source: City of Florence, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Comune di Firenze); The Florentine · recall
The Azzurri of Santa Croce.
Source: City of Florence, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Comune di Firenze); The Florentine · recall
Florentines played on while the city was under siege.
Source: City of Florence, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Comune di Firenze); The Florentine · recall
About 1359, 1530 and 1717.
Source: City of Florence, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Comune di Firenze); The Florentine · recall
Costumes, the game, then the party.
Source: City of Florence, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Comune di Firenze); The Florentine · recall
The square becomes a pitch of sand.
Source: City of Florence, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Comune di Firenze); The Florentine · applied
10.106The Haxey Hood
A lady's lost hood, a Fool and a sway that ends at a pub.
Test 1The Haxey HoodTake a test
Twelfth Night, unless it falls on a Sunday.
Source: Lincolnshire Life, 'The Haxey Hood'; Yorkshire Post, 'Haxey Hood: 21 things to know' · recall
Farm workers chased it across the fields.
Source: Lincolnshire Life, 'The Haxey Hood'; Yorkshire Post, 'Haxey Hood: 21 things to know' · recall
Tradition gives about 1359.
Source: Lincolnshire Life, 'The Haxey Hood'; Yorkshire Post, 'Haxey Hood: 21 things to know' · recall
It is pushed through the crowd.
Source: Lincolnshire Life, 'The Haxey Hood'; Yorkshire Post, 'Haxey Hood: 21 things to know' · recall
It moves slowly towards one of the village pubs.
Source: Lincolnshire Life, 'The Haxey Hood'; Yorkshire Post, 'Haxey Hood: 21 things to know' · recall
It stays there until the next year's game.
Source: Lincolnshire Life, 'The Haxey Hood'; Yorkshire Post, 'Haxey Hood: 21 things to know' · recall
He is helped by the boggins and the Fool.
Source: Lincolnshire Life, 'The Haxey Hood'; Yorkshire Post, 'Haxey Hood: 21 things to know' · recall
And the game has been played ever since.
Source: Lincolnshire Life, 'The Haxey Hood'; Yorkshire Post, 'Haxey Hood: 21 things to know' · recall
The Fool leads the procession between pubs.
Source: Lincolnshire Life, 'The Haxey Hood'; Yorkshire Post, 'Haxey Hood: 21 things to know' · recall
The Fool leads the way and is 'smoked' before the game.
Source: Lincolnshire Life, 'The Haxey Hood'; Yorkshire Post, 'Haxey Hood: 21 things to know' · applied
10.107The Eton Wall Game
A wall from 1717, two teams of ten and a goal not seen since 1909.
Test 1The Eton Wall GameTake a test
30 November.
Source: Eton College Collections, 'Origins of the Wall Game' and 'St Andrew's Day at Eton College' (collections.etoncollege.com) · recall
Collegers are the King's Scholars; Oppidans are the rest of the school.
Source: Eton College Collections, 'Origins of the Wall Game' and 'St Andrew's Day at Eton College' (collections.etoncollege.com) · recall
It runs between the Slough Road and the playing fields.
Source: Eton College Collections, 'Origins of the Wall Game' and 'St Andrew's Day at Eton College' (collections.etoncollege.com) · recall
Goals are so rare that matches end level or are won on shies.
Source: Eton College Collections, 'Origins of the Wall Game' and 'St Andrew's Day at Eton College' (collections.etoncollege.com) · recall
The play is a tight, slow scrum along the wall.
Source: Eton College Collections, 'Origins of the Wall Game' and 'St Andrew's Day at Eton College' (collections.etoncollege.com) · recall
Scoring shies is the usual way to win.
Source: Eton College Collections, 'Origins of the Wall Game' and 'St Andrew's Day at Eton College' (collections.etoncollege.com) · recall
Then they climb over after them.
Source: Eton College Collections, 'Origins of the Wall Game' and 'St Andrew's Day at Eton College' (collections.etoncollege.com) · recall
1717, 1841 and 1909.
Source: Eton College Collections, 'Origins of the Wall Game' and 'St Andrew's Day at Eton College' (collections.etoncollege.com) · recall
A ritual before the scrum.
Source: Eton College Collections, 'Origins of the Wall Game' and 'St Andrew's Day at Eton College' (collections.etoncollege.com) · recall
The narrow strip along the wall is the whole pitch.
Source: Eton College Collections, 'Origins of the Wall Game' and 'St Andrew's Day at Eton College' (collections.etoncollege.com) · applied
10.108The Army v Navy Match
Officers at the Oval in 1878, and a full Twickenham today.
Test 1The Army v Navy matchTake a test
Officers of both services met on 13 February 1878.
Source: Navy Rugby, '1878: the first first match' (navyrugby.co.uk); Inter-Service Rugby Championship (interservicerugbychampionship.co.uk); Royal Navy, May 2026 · recall
Better known today as a cricket ground.
Source: Navy Rugby, '1878: the first first match' (navyrugby.co.uk); Inter-Service Rugby Championship (interservicerugbychampionship.co.uk); Royal Navy, May 2026 · recall
The RAF had been formed only two years before.
Source: Navy Rugby, '1878: the first first match' (navyrugby.co.uk); Inter-Service Rugby Championship (interservicerugbychampionship.co.uk); Royal Navy, May 2026 · recall
Babcock International sponsors the match.
Source: Navy Rugby, '1878: the first first match' (navyrugby.co.uk); Inter-Service Rugby Championship (interservicerugbychampionship.co.uk); Royal Navy, May 2026 · recall
It draws one of the biggest crowds of the English club season.
Source: Navy Rugby, '1878: the first first match' (navyrugby.co.uk); Inter-Service Rugby Championship (interservicerugbychampionship.co.uk); Royal Navy, May 2026 · recall
Their first back-to-back wins since 1974.
Source: Navy Rugby, '1878: the first first match' (navyrugby.co.uk); Inter-Service Rugby Championship (interservicerugbychampionship.co.uk); Royal Navy, May 2026 · recall
It returned after the pandemic.
Source: Navy Rugby, '1878: the first first match' (navyrugby.co.uk); Inter-Service Rugby Championship (interservicerugbychampionship.co.uk); Royal Navy, May 2026 · recall
1878, 1920 and 2026.
Source: Navy Rugby, '1878: the first first match' (navyrugby.co.uk); Inter-Service Rugby Championship (interservicerugbychampionship.co.uk); Royal Navy, May 2026 · recall
The navy's roots are oldest; the army dates from 1660; the RAF from 1918.
Source: Navy Rugby, '1878: the first first match' (navyrugby.co.uk); Inter-Service Rugby Championship (interservicerugbychampionship.co.uk); Royal Navy, May 2026 · recall
Now called the Allianz Stadium.
Source: Navy Rugby, '1878: the first first match' (navyrugby.co.uk); Inter-Service Rugby Championship (interservicerugbychampionship.co.uk); Royal Navy, May 2026 · applied
10.109Ancient Ball Games
Romans, Greeks, Welsh villagers and Japanese courtiers.
Test 1Ancient ball gamesTake a test
Players fought to keep a small ball.
Source: British Museum and Penn Museum on ancient ball games; George Owen of Henllys, Description of Pembrokeshire (1603); Japan Kemari Preservation Society · recall
Two teams tried to throw a ball over each other's line.
Source: British Museum and Penn Museum on ancient ball games; George Owen of Henllys, Description of Pembrokeshire (1603); Japan Kemari Preservation Society · recall
Hundreds of men chased a wooden ball across the countryside.
Source: British Museum and Penn Museum on ancient ball games; George Owen of Henllys, Description of Pembrokeshire (1603); Japan Kemari Preservation Society · recall
George Owen of Henllys.
Source: British Museum and Penn Museum on ancient ball games; George Owen of Henllys, Description of Pembrokeshire (1603); Japan Kemari Preservation Society · recall
It was played in Normandy, Brittany and Picardy.
Source: British Museum and Penn Museum on ancient ball games; George Owen of Henllys, Description of Pembrokeshire (1603); Japan Kemari Preservation Society · recall
Players kick the ball to one another without letting it fall.
Source: British Museum and Penn Museum on ancient ball games; George Owen of Henllys, Description of Pembrokeshire (1603); Japan Kemari Preservation Society · recall
A greased wooden ball, hard to hold.
Source: British Museum and Penn Museum on ancient ball games; George Owen of Henllys, Description of Pembrokeshire (1603); Japan Kemari Preservation Society · recall
Classical Greece, the Roman Empire, then Tudor Wales.
Source: British Museum and Penn Museum on ancient ball games; George Owen of Henllys, Description of Pembrokeshire (1603); Japan Kemari Preservation Society · recall
1603, 1857 and 1871.
Source: British Museum and Penn Museum on ancient ball games; George Owen of Henllys, Description of Pembrokeshire (1603); Japan Kemari Preservation Society · recall
Parishes played one another, the ball carried for miles.
Source: British Museum and Penn Museum on ancient ball games; George Owen of Henllys, Description of Pembrokeshire (1603); Japan Kemari Preservation Society · applied
10.110Gaelic Football
Ireland's own game: a hotel in Thurles, a famous cup and Croke Park.
Test 1Gaelic footballTake a test
The meeting was held at Hayes Hotel.
Source: GAA history (gaa.ie): Hayes Hotel, Thurles, 1884; Croke Park Museum; GAA records of All-Ireland football champions · recall
Michael Cusack was among its founders.
Source: GAA history (gaa.ie): Hayes Hotel, Thurles, 1884; Croke Park Museum; GAA records of All-Ireland football champions · recall
The same number as a rugby union side.
Source: GAA history (gaa.ie): Hayes Hotel, Thurles, 1884; Croke Park Museum; GAA records of All-Ireland football champions · recall
The Liam MacCarthy Cup is hurling's trophy.
Source: GAA history (gaa.ie): Hayes Hotel, Thurles, 1884; Croke Park Museum; GAA records of All-Ireland football champions · recall
The Kingdom leads the roll of honour.
Source: GAA history (gaa.ie): Hayes Hotel, Thurles, 1884; Croke Park Museum; GAA records of All-Ireland football champions · recall
It also hosted rugby while Lansdowne Road was rebuilt.
Source: GAA history (gaa.ie): Hayes Hotel, Thurles, 1884; Croke Park Museum; GAA records of All-Ireland football champions · recall
Crown forces opened fire on the crowd at a match.
Source: GAA history (gaa.ie): Hayes Hotel, Thurles, 1884; Croke Park Museum; GAA records of All-Ireland football champions · recall
1884, 1920 and 1984.
Source: GAA history (gaa.ie): Hayes Hotel, Thurles, 1884; Croke Park Museum; GAA records of All-Ireland football champions · recall
About 26,000, 51,000 and 82,000.
Source: GAA history (gaa.ie): Hayes Hotel, Thurles, 1884; Croke Park Museum; GAA records of All-Ireland football champions · recall
Kerry, 'the Kingdom', lead the roll of honour.
Source: GAA history (gaa.ie): Hayes Hotel, Thurles, 1884; Croke Park Museum; GAA records of All-Ireland football champions · applied
Questions people ask
- What is underwater rugby?
- A game played at the bottom of a pool with a ball that sinks, since an air-filled one would float to the surface. Each team defends a stainless steel basket at its end of the pool floor, and the idea came from a Cologne diving club in 1961.
- How is scoring counted in International Rules football?
- Scores are worth one, three or six points, with a behind worth one and an over worth three. The game uses the Gaelic football ball, which puts Australian players at a disadvantage.
- Where is Royal Shrovetide Football played?
- In Ashbourne, a market town in Derbyshire divided by the Henmore Brook. The goals are millstones set into the banks on the sites of old mills, and the giant scrum is called the 'hug'.
- Why is calcio storico played on sand?
- Sand is laid over a square in Florence so that it becomes a pitch for the matches. The games mark the feast day of St John the Baptist, Florence's patron saint, with costumes first, then the game, then the party.
- What happens at the Haxey Hood?
- On Twelfth Night, unless it falls on a Sunday, the hood is pushed through the crowd and moves slowly towards one of the village pubs, where it stays until the next year's game. Tradition dates it to about 1359, when farm workers chased a lady's lost hood across the fields.
- Who plays the Eton Wall Game?
- The Collegers, who are the King's Scholars, play the Oppidans, the rest of the school, on 30 November. Goals are so rare that matches end level or are won on shies.
- Where is the Army v Navy rugby match played?
- At Twickenham, now called the Allianz Stadium, where it draws one of the biggest crowds of the English club season. The first match, on 13 February 1878, was played by officers at the Oval, better known today as a cricket ground.
- Where was the Gaelic Athletic Association founded?
- At a meeting in Hayes Hotel, Thurles, in 1884, with Michael Cusack among the founders. Croke Park, Dublin's great Gaelic ground, also hosted rugby while Lansdowne Road was rebuilt.
Sources
Primary/official sources only, no Wikipedia citations: World Rugby and its Hall of Fame and records, the World Rugby Museum at Twickenham, the unions' own histories (RFU, WRU, SRU, IRFU, FFR, NZR, SA Rugby, Rugby Australia), Rugby School, the clubs' and competitions' own histories, the IOC, Guinness World Records and named reputable media.
- CMAS (World Underwater Federation) underwater rugby commission; Underwater Rugby Association of Australia, 'What is underwater rugby?'10
- International Paralympic Committee results: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 (paralympic.org); Paralympics Australia, Ryley Batt10
- AFL, 'International Rules history' (afl.com.au); GAA records of the International Rules Series; Eirball, 'Ireland v Australia 1984-1990'10
- Royal Shrovetide Committee, Ashbourne; University of Derby, 'Shrovetide football: the history behind the famous game'10
- City of Florence, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Comune di Firenze); The Florentine10
- Lincolnshire Life, 'The Haxey Hood'; Yorkshire Post, 'Haxey Hood: 21 things to know'10
- Eton College Collections, 'Origins of the Wall Game' and 'St Andrew's Day at Eton College' (collections.etoncollege.com)10
- Navy Rugby, '1878: the first first match' (navyrugby.co.uk); Inter-Service Rugby Championship (interservicerugbychampionship.co.uk); Royal Navy, May 202610
- British Museum and Penn Museum on ancient ball games; George Owen of Henllys, Description of Pembrokeshire (1603); Japan Kemari Preservation Society10
- GAA history (gaa.ie): Hayes Hotel, Thurles, 1884; Croke Park Museum; GAA records of All-Ireland football champions10