About Rochester MN Rugby

Rochester Rugby Is About

Growing and promoting the game of Rugby Union in the city of Rochester, MN.

Currently supporting a men's D3 15's club the Rogues, 7's club the Midnighters, and high school boys 7's the Brotherhood.

With a future goal of adding a Old Boys, Youth, High school girls, and woman's club's to our community!

High School Rugby

Rochester High School Rugby Club was founded Spring of 2015 with 7 high school students from Century and John Marshall. When asked what their team name would be there was a unified understanding of the bond that rugby created between the two schools. Naturally, brotherhood was founded.

Under the name, Brotherhood Rugby traveled to Eagan, MN from April of 2015 to early June 2015 competing against other schools with established rugby programs. Rugby Sevens was the style of rugby that fit best for the new club. It consisted of 7 players from each team granting the club a massive range to utilize the high speed rugby that they played best.

With great heart and under the leadership of Captain Zachary Devries (JM) and Co-Captain Chris Tabor (JM), Brotherhood rugby went on to compete and win 1st place during the Spring High School Rugby Sevens State Championship.

Today rugby continues to grow at John Marshall. With the club being open to all schools, it finds its home within the JM campus. Now focused on retaining and building off of the strength of last years victories, JM rugby's popularity and members grow in athleticism, leadership, and team work.

A History of Rugby Football

In 1820 the game of Rugby was played rather like soccer, but players were allowed to catch the ball and kick it out of their hands. There were no limits to the number of players on each side, for example, School House v Rest of the School. In 1839, when Queen Adelaide visited the School, School House (75) played ‘the rest’ (225). To score a try would not gain points but would allow a team to ‘try’ to take a ‘drop at goal’ to score a point. With so many on each side this was hard to do and sometimes games would last up to five days. The Close itself was merely three rough fields, and it was not until the late 1850s that the ground was levelled. Sheep still grazed here until the early 1900s. No written rules at this time!

Webb Ellis and 1823

In 1823, William Webb Ellis, a local boy in Town House, first ran with the ball, but this rule was not adopted straight away. By 1830, running with the ball was an accepted play, although the first written rules did not appear until 1845. These rules were written by the boys. Ellis was born just outside Manchester, but moved down to Rugby. He went on to Brasenose College Oxford where he took Holy Orders. He died in France in 1872 where his grave is cared for by the French RFU.

The Ball and Key Words

An original Rugby ball was round and changed shape over a period of time to the oval it is today. They varied in sizes depending on the pig’s bladder they were made from. Gilberts, a local boot maker, took up ball making to supply the School. Others, notably Lindon, supplied the boys and it was this maker that invented the inflatable inner and the pump.

Many of the words associated with today’s game originated here. For example, ‘try’ was from the days when a touch-down did not score points, but allowed an attempt to kick at goal. ‘Offside’, ‘knock on’, ‘touch’ and ‘goal line’ are all from the original School football rules.

Uniform, Teams and Rules

Rugby School was the only team to play in white because the committee of the RFU in 1871 was composed largely of ORs, which is why England played in white. School House was the first team to play in a uniform kit (long flannels, shirts and caps), because it was the only House to play as a single group until 1850. Before this, the boys played in their ordinary school clothes in teams made up from various Houses. In 1867 the first ‘foreign’ match was played against ORs and the town. The teams were now down to 20 players, and then 15 by 1876. Internal teams stayed at 20 until 1888. The first inter-School match was against Cheltenham in 1896 and half the players in the first England international team were ORs. The RFU was formed (largely of ORs) in 1871 and the first national code was introduced. The boys at Rugby kept their own rules, and even modified them, until the late 1880s. There were no referees in the early days – boys would wear sharpened boots with nails in them for extra hacking. Boys considered good enough to play for the main teams were given ‘following up’ caps, which later developed into the international cap awarded to the country’s top players.