“Of the 21 clubs that founded the Union surviving to this day are: Blackheath, Civil Service, Guys Hospital, Harlequins, Kings College, Richmond, St Paul’s School, Wellington College and Wimbledon Hornets.

“Committees were formed, one tasked with writing the Laws of the Game and selecting an England team to play Scotland in that year’s first international football game of any code. They banned hacking, the favoured ploy of kicking or tripping opponents.

“With the RFU literally up and running, the Scots formed a Union two years later, followed by the Irish and the Welsh and so began the yearly home-nations contests, with the RFU the ultimate arbiter of the sport until 1886, when the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby) was formed.

Professionalism & The Home of England Rugby

“The early amateur players of our sport set the scene for the camaraderie and character that was to be synonymous with the game, which finally went professional in 1995, allowing players to be paid to play - although it was 2019 before the RFU announced the first full-time professional contracts for the 15s women athletes.

“One fantastic asset we have inherited is Twickenham Stadium. Staging Tests and hiring venues was very costly so, in 1907, Committee member Billy Williams and treasurer William Cail bought a market garden for the princely sum of £5,500, the first Test taking place against Wales in 1910.The stadium has been developed and improved over the decades, becoming a year-round venue and an 82,000 capacity stadium, the biggest dedicated rugby venue in the world.

“Little could those 21 young men have envisaged the RFU of today, nor the modern game. But they did pave the way for success both off and on the field: England’s men’s 2003 World Cup victory, with three other finals reached and 13 Grand Slams.

England’s women, established as number one in the world, secured World Cup wins in 1994 and 2014, with five other finals contested and 13 Grand Slams achieved.

“And from grassroots rugby, to the England teams, the same values are there, in our community game, where all of our elite players begin their journey, our clubs, our schools our colleges and universities, and our Armed Forces, with so many shared connections, so many common principles.

“Rugby involves the kind of spirit that sent so many players to serve in the two world wars, as we remembered last weekend on Twickenham’s pitch. There were 27 England players lost in World War I, and 14 in World War II, among them Arthur Harrison awarded a posthumous VC for his unbelievable bravery in the Zeebruugge Raid and Prince Alexander Obolensky who scored one of England’s most outstanding tries against the All Blacks before, in 1938, joining the Royal Air Force Auxiliary, and dying during a flight training exercise at the age of 24.”

Pioneers of the women’s game

Sue Day, former England captain and the RFU’s Chief Financial Officer, told guests:

“A century and a half has seen our sport change beyond recognition – change in how it is played, where it is played and who plays. Those early pioneers who shaped it were fundamental, but I’d like to tell you about a group of pioneers who changed the game irrevocably in the 1970s and 1980s.

“Women had played rugby for years, often in secret. By the end of the 1960s, they were ready to go public. They were told that they couldn’t, that they shouldn’t and when the Red Roses took the field in Pontypool in 1987 some in the crowd laughed out loud. But that only steeled their resolve.

“Let’s pay tribute to that first group of determined players and administrators who didn’t need anyone’s approval to play the game they loved - as Sue Dorrington said. They founded the Women’s Rugby Football Union in 1984, the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 1991 and the RFUW in 1996.

“In 2010, the RFUW became a fully integrated Constituent Body within the RFU. The women’s game has been completely transformed today. Thanks to those early pioneers, administrators and successive generations of outstanding rugby players, it has never been in a healthier place than it is now, with England ranked one in the world and achieving record back-to back victories over current World Champions New Zealand.

“But you haven’t seen anything yet. The next World Cup is in New Zealand a year from now, the government is backing our bid to host 2025 here in the UK, so here’s to the next 150 years.”

A game for all

RFU Chair Tom Ilube added: “What an amazing century and a half it has been. From Gladstone’s era to the current day, rugby has had a unique influence on lives and as we look to the next 150 years, I know that we will see our sport grow and grab the attention of more players from more diverse backgrounds.

“We have always said that rugby is a game for all and never has that been more important. Today we had two young boys on the pitch as mascots – the great-great grandson of Jimmy Peters who made England rugby union history in 1906 when he ran out as his nation’s first ever black player. And the son of World Cup winner Jason Robinson who, almost a hundred years later, became the first black captain of England here at Twickenham. Both boys are enjoying rugby.

“And more girls and boys will I am sure gain all the benefits that rugby has to offer, because rugby clubs are open and welcoming and if we engage more with wider communities and draw people in from all sorts of backgrounds it will be amazing for our sport

“We have so much to look forward to, both in the near and distant future as we head to Rugby World Cups for our women and our men whose performances continue to inspire, and, with government backing, we bid to host the Women’s World Cup in 2025.

“It promises to be amazing, and when I meet volunteers doing equally amazing things to help our sport and their communities, I know that those are the people who reflect the real face of rugby, they are the reality, and will be the foundation stone of the next incredible century and a half.”

The World Rugby Museum special exhibition celebrating 150 years of the RFU is available until March. Visit worldrugbymuseum.com/book.