Rugby union in the British Isles

The game was arguably invented in 1823 by William Webb Ellis, and in 1871 the English Rugby Football Union was the first national rugby football union to be founded.

Rugby union in the British Isles is discussed in the following articles, corresponding to the separate organisations governing the sport: And also in the Crown Dependencies: And also in various British Overseas Territories: However areas where the sport is similar between the Home Nations will be discussed in this article.

Instead, the British & Irish Lions go on tours to the traditional Southern Hemisphere nations of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, currently occurring on a four-year cycle; the first was an 1888 tour to New Zealand and Australia.

The team also plays in select one-off matches as preparation for the tour test series.

The home nations field individual national teams however the, what could be considered the United Kingdom's greatest achievement in the sport came in the 2016 Summer Olympics, as two united Great Britain teams competed in the inaugural edition of the sport's tournament at the Summer Olympics.