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Burnside and Canada: The TRUE birthplace of Rugby League

Hello, I'm The Doctor

First Grade
Messages
9,124
I have always found it funny that we consider the 1895 schism in Northern England as the birthplace of Rugby League. While that body would go on to become the RFL, the schism itself was no different to the CRL breaking away from the NSWRL, the BRL leaving the QRL or Super League taking on the ARL; a rebel organisation playing the same sport as its predecesor. It wasnt until 1906 that the NRFU introduced a set of rules that would set it apart from the RFU.

My question is: where did these rules come from?

Its a question largely ignored in RL history. The 1906 meeting in the George Hotel doesnt credit anyone for the innovations and i think most people dont even know that it took more than a decade for the NRFU to develop independent rules.

However, i would say that these new rules is a more important point in RL history than a pay dispute by Northern clubs. The creation of these new rules was the creation of Rugby League.

My theory had always been that the Northern Union had taken on a selection of the Walter Camp innovations in American Football (the PlayTheBall/snap, fewer players, emphasis on Tries/Touchdowns and ball-movement), but i could never find evidence to support this; American Football never toured in Europe. What I never considered was that there may have been a middleman to carry the rules across the Atlantic. Thats where Canada comes in...

In 1903, the Canadian RFU introduced the Burnside Rules (their own version of the Walter Camp rules):
23517744_1487606294626506_6696155249180298467_n.jpg


In the same year (1902-03), the CRFU began a quickly forgotten tour of Britain, playing a total of 23 games across the country. While there isnt much information on the tour, one notable inclusion was a match played in St Helens.
23559943_1487603451293457_5407944118068348324_n.jpg

http://www.swansearfc.co.uk/Page/Content/856

3 years after this match, the NRFU introduced rules almost identical to the Burnside rules:
- From 15 to 13 players (CRFU played with 12)
- Unchallenged PlayTheBall with you heel (identical, except CRFU called it a SnapBack)
- From unlimited to maximum 3 players in frontline of scrum (CRFU went from 8 to 6 on scrimmage)
(RL wouldnt introduce limited tackles until the 1960 and by then the defence stood 10m back, explaining why RL never took on the "1st and 10" rules of American/Canadian Football)

It strains credulity to think that the CRFU would travel to England and face NU team as their own rule innovations are being introduce, that they would never mention these new rules despite the NU making clear that they wanted new rules to make the game more entertaining and that the NRUF would then just happen to take on almost identical innovations only 3 years later.

The obvious conclusion is that the innovations that make Rugby League unique were in fact founded in North America and imported by the Canadians to England just before the All Gold tour took the rules back to Australia/NZ.

So, to answer the question: Im fairly sure Rugby League started in Canada....
 
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Hello, I'm The Doctor

First Grade
Messages
9,124

Its really interesting watching the old footage of the CFL before the forward pass. It was visually almost identical to RL.

Bloody shame the RFL/NSWRL didnt think to tour Canada and bring the CFL into the RL fold. The RLIF was formed 2 years before the CFL introduced the forward pass (and 15 years before the forward pass was more than a minor quirk of the game) so a genuine opportunity missed to gain a foothold in Canada.
 
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Big Picture

Juniors
Messages
266
I have always found it funny that we consider the 1895 schism in Northern England as the birthplace of Rugby League. While that body would go on to become the RFL, the schism itself was no different to the CRL breaking away from the NSWRL, the BRL leaving the QRL or Super League taking on the ARL; a rebel organisation playing the same sport as its predecesor. It wasnt until 1906 that the NRFU introduced a set of rules that would set it apart from the RFU.

My question is: where did these rules come from?

Its a question largely ignored in RL history. The 1906 meeting in the George Hotel doesnt credit anyone for the innovations and i think most people dont even know that it took more than a decade for the NRFU to develop independent rules.

However, i would say that these new rules is a more important point in RL history than a pay dispute by Northern clubs. The creation of these new rules was the creation of Rugby League. That's the true reason why RL is the most Canadian game not known to Canadians before the Toronto Wolfpack came into being.

My theory had always been that the Northern Union had taken on a selection of the Walter Camp innovations in American Football (the PlayTheBall/snap, fewer players, emphasis on Tries/Touchdowns and ball-movement), but i could never find evidence to support this; American Football never toured in Europe. What I never considered was that there may have been a middleman to carry the rules across the Atlantic. Thats where Canada comes in...

In 1903, the Canadian RFU introduced the Burnside Rules (their own version of the Walter Camp rules):
23517744_1487606294626506_6696155249180298467_n.jpg


In the same year (1902-03), the CRFU began a quickly forgotten tour of Britain, playing a total of 23 games across the country. While there isnt much information on the tour, one notable inclusion was a match played in St Helens.
23559943_1487603451293457_5407944118068348324_n.jpg

http://www.swansearfc.co.uk/Page/Content/856

3 years after this match, the NRFU introduced rules almost identical to the Burnside rules:
- From 15 to 13 players (CRFU played with 12)
- Unchallenged PlayTheBall with you heel (identical, except CRFU called it a SnapBack)
- From unlimited to maximum 3 players in frontline of scrum (CRFU went from 8 to 6 on scrimmage)
(RL wouldnt introduce limited tackles until the 1960 and by then the defence stood 10m back, explaining why RL never took on the "1st and 10" rules of American/Canadian Football)

It strains credulity to think that the CRFU would travel to England and face NU team as their own rule innovations are being introduce, that they would never mention these new rules despite the NU making clear that they wanted new rules to make the game more entertaining and that the NRUF would then just happen to take on almost identical innovations only 3 years later.

The obvious conclusion is that the innovations that make Rugby League unique were in fact founded in North America and imported by the Canadians to England just before the All Gold tour took the rules back to Australia/NZ.

So, to answer the question: Im fairly sure Rugby League started in Canada....
In addition to that, even before the Burnside rules came in Canadian rugby football administrators got rid of fair catches and introduced a 3-yard restraining area (later increased to 5) for offside members of the kicking team, implemented a rule to make teams run kicked balls out of their goal area or drop-out from their 25 yard line (the rouge) and there was a sin-bin rule too.

Canadians weren't go-betweens, we originated the RL style of game. That's the true reason why RL is the most Canadian game not known to Canadians before the Toronto Wolfpack cam into being.
 
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Big Picture

Juniors
Messages
266

Its really interesting watching the old footage of the CFL before the forward pass. It was visually almost identical to RL.

Bloody shame the RFL/NSWRL didnt think to tour Canada and bring the CFL into the RL fold. The RLIF was formed 2 years before the CFL introduced the forward pass (and 15 years before the forward pass was more than a minor quirk of the game) so a genuine opportunity missed to gain a foothold in Canada.
One obstacle to that was that socially the CRFU was more like the RFU than the NU/RFL. It had strict amateurism and other elitist concepts like the RFU, and such rebels as there were here then more influenced by developments in the US and turned the game in that direction, betraying its Canadian roots and turning it into a version of giridion. :mad:
 
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Messages
14,167
AFL has its origins in Rugby school England where the man who invented the rules was boarding and played Rugby and Cricket. It was devised as a way of keeping cricketers fit in winter, hence why its played on oval pitches and some Gaelic rules football rules were thrown in to appeal to the Irish in Australia.
Its no more Australian in origin than Soccer, Rugby League or union.
 

Hello, I'm The Doctor

First Grade
Messages
9,124
In addition to that, even before the Burnside rules came in Canadian rugby football administrators got rid of fair catches and introduced a 3-yard restraining area (later increased to 5) for offside members of the kicking team, implemented a rule to make teams run kicked balls out of their goal area or drop-out from their 25 yard line (the rouge) and there was a sin-bin rule too.


Jeez, ive been trying prove this for a few years now and i didnt spot any of them.

Taking the 3-yard rule from North America makes sense as well though.

Canadians weren't go-betweens, we originated the RL style of game. That's the true reason why RL is the most Canadian game not known to Canadians before the Toronto Wolfpack cam into being.

Ive had the suspision for a few years, what i could never do was prove that the Americans. It was only yesterday i found that 1902-03 tour.

Ive been saying for a while that RL needs a genuinely unique name; how about Burnside Rugby. It sounds unique (and pretty cool), expresses the history of the RL game and it will give the US/Canada a sense of ownership that will probably help promote the game their.

(Hell. In the long term, with all of the injuries associated with American Football, RL might be able to convince the CFL to revert to rules similar to RL. Just take away the forward pass and youre already most of the way there. Itd make Canadian Football a hell of a lot safer and it would give them some international competition)
 

siv

First Grade
Messages
6,546
Interesting. But the Gridiron throw the ball between the legs not roll it or play it your foot

Interesting their words are heel it in 1902

Other interesting tit bit it the original desire to reduce the team size to 12 before they settled on 13
 

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