1st Rugby Union International was held between England and Scotland

Rugby can be quite a brutal game. Fierce tackles, painful grapples, random punching and obligatory ear chewing. But can you imagine what it was like in the old days? When the players had great big sideburns that opponents could grab ahold of and elaborately carved pipes that could be utilised as weaponry?

All of this was on display on March 27th 1871 when the first ever Rugby Union International was held between England and Scotland at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. There are no reports of mutton chop incidents, but the low scoreline (Scotland won by a try) suggest most of the playing time was taken up with gentlemanly fighting.