Rugby football is a game that has descended from a common form of football developed at Rugby School in England. As the story goes, a pupil named William Webb Ellis picked up a ball and ran with it in 1823 whilst playing a form of football developed at Rugby School. It is said that players and spectators alike were baffled by the sudden changing of the rules by young William, mid-way through playing a conventional football match. It is important to note that the football played at the school at this time was a much earlier version of the game than Association Football, which was codified much later. However, there is little evidence of the William Web Ellis myth as records show the game was given the School's first seal of approval following an investigation by the Old Rugbeian Society in 1895. Despite this disappointment, the story has entered in to legend and the rugby World Cup trophy is named after William and a plaque at the School commemorates his achievement.
