"Even in Japan, students in the British colonies in Yokohama and Kobe were playing rugby as early as 1874, just four years after the first recorded game in New Zealand. The ease of modern travel has meant international tours involving the lesser rugby playing nations are a relatively new phenomenon. Japan first came to Britain in 1973, prompting a belief that they had just taken up the game even though there are more than 2,000 clubs throughout the length and breadth of the country."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Sean Smith, “Rugby Union: How the imperial settlers carried an oval ball from the Pampas to Pacific”, The Independent, (30 September 1999).
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rugby_league
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Rugby league
39 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Rugby league →
Related Quotes
"It's long enough, it's high enough and it's straight between the posts."
"In its modern dress or its old, it is a fine, fine game - the best of all, I reckon, played by men with a ball in the…"
"I salute the contribution that Rugby League has made to Australia's national identity, it's a tough game. It started …"
"My greatest moment happened every weekend during the football season when I was able to put on the mighty red, white …"
"The origins of the game, now know across the world simply as rugby, can be traced back over 2000 years. The Romans pl…"
"It was during a match on the Close in the autumn of 1823 that the face of the game changed to the one which is recogn…"
"We don't have stars in this game, that's soccer."
"We trained like Tarzan all week, then played like Jane."
"If working men can't afford to play, they shouldn't play at all."
"Anyone who does not watch rugby league is not a real person."