Hacking is a tactic in the early forms of football that involved tripping an opposing player by kicking their shins.
The practice of hacking in English football games had been around for many years and was not exclusive to rugby.
[1] Before the introduction of referees, hacking was also used as a method to punish players who were offside.
[6] Despite Campbell's strong support for hacking to remain part of rugby, numerous clubs abolished it in the following years, with Blackheath and Richmond banning it in 1865 and 1866, respectively.
[6] Some rugby clubs insisted on maintaining the hacking tactic after the formation of the RFU.