1823: William Webb Ellis “… with a fine disregard for the rules of football as played in his time first took the ball in his arms and ran with it….” What more needs to be said?

1857: Thomas Hughes publishes TOM BROWN’S SCHOOL DAYS. This book, with its description of the game played at Rugby School, is widely believed to have been the driving force to popularize the game.

1858: Scottish school Merchiston played Royal High in the first inter-school match. All this youthful aggression had to burst out of the campus confines eventually, right?

1864: …Or was it Clifton versus Marlborough that started the inter-school competitions? Either way, we are on the road to global competition.

1871: Twenty-one clubs meet in London to form the RFU. Well, we need some organization, don’t we?

1895: The Northern Union is formed. It is the great split between Union and League.

1987: The first rugby World Cup is held in New Zealand and won by the All Blacks.

1995: The IRB gives in to universal pressure and allows the Union game to turn professional.

2014: A new blog, ruggerus.com, is born to trumpet the great qualities of rugby union, and, examine the bad ones as well.

… No, wait, seriously, what’s the next milestone? Argentina beating Australia in the Rugby Championship, tipping the scales of power in the southern hemisphere, and thereby the world?

Or, will it be the inclusion of rugby 7’s in the coming Olympics, bringing the union game to the formerly unconverted masses?

What’s your opinion?