The split between the two types occurred because of a disagreement about the way players were treated when they were injured during a game. There are many similarities between the two types of rugby, but they have developed different sets of rules over time. Originally, Rugby Union was played in England by gentlemen amateurs, and Rugby League was played by working class guys for pay. There are two types of rugby, called Rugby Union and Rugby League. The 'anti-hackers' went on to form Association Football, eventually banning any handling.

The 'hackers' went on to eventually play rugby football even though hacking was barred a few years later. In the mid 1860s an attempt was made to provide one set of laws for all football but there were irreconcilable differences, mainly concerning 'hacking' (kicking an opponent in the shins). Even then handling of the ball was allowed, but not catching it and running with it. Its rival, Association football ( soccer), came later. 'Running in' was not considered quite the done thing then but was later formalised in the laws of Rugby Football (first published in 1846). Legend has it that one day in 1823, a senior boy called William Webb Ellis elected to run with the ball rather than retiring to kick it as was the normal mode of play in Rugby School football matches. Rugby football is named after Rugby School, the public school in England where it was developed. Rugby football is a sport people play in many countries.

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