England (Rugby Union)

Biography

According to the International Rugby Board, the English national team are ranked third in the world. They have won the Six Nations Championship on several occasions, considered to most successful team in the history of the tournament out of France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. They also compete in the Rugby World Cup, winning it in 2003 and having achieved top three status since the Cup’s inception in 1987. The team played their first game in the latter part of the 19th century, but settled into their home at Twickenham Stadium in 1910. England have now hosted their home games there for over a century. Twickenham remains the largest rugby-oriented stadium in the world, very often filled with spectators sounding out ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ that has seemingly become an anthem for England. Some of the English Rugby Union team’s players have become immortalised in the International Rugby Hall of Fame. Bill Beaumont, Martin Johnson, Jason Leonard and Wavell Wakefield were captains or presidents for the team in the past, some having lead England to victory in their terms. Jason Leonard continues to hold the record number of caps with 114, however Dylan Hartley is not far behind on 93 (as of September, 2018).