The split between rugby union and rugby league is one of the most significant events in the history of the sport. An online bet on rugby is also available at 1xBet.
It occurred in the late 19th century, and its roots are deeply tied to 3 kinds of differences in England:
- class;
- economics;
- and regional.
In the early days, rugby was a single sport with no formal rules. It was played in various forms across Britain, with Rugby School’s rules eventually gaining prominence. And speaking about rules, many aspects of them are covered when you bet online at 1xBet platform on rugby matches.
However, as the game spread, so did the disputes over how the sport should be played, particularly concerning the issue of professionalism.
A big dispute
By the 1870s and 1880s, rugby union had become the dominant code of rugby in England, with its amateur ethos being at the heart of the game. There are great games at https://www.1xbet.sl/en/slots that you can explore prior to the next big rugby game too.
Clubs and players were expected to play without payment, and any form of professional compensation was seen as detrimental to the purity of the sport. However, in the industrial North of England, many working-class players found it difficult to take time off from their jobs to play rugby without receiving financial compensation. If you like rugby or other sports, you can always try your bets on them at the 1xBet website.
An enormous split
This divide came to a head in 1895 when the Rugby Football Union (RFU) refused to allow players to be compensated for missing work to play the game. The northern clubs, whose players were primarily from working-class backgrounds, felt that the RFU’s stance unfairly discriminated against them. Frustrated by this, 22 northern clubs broke away from the RFU and formed the Northern Rugby Football Union (NRFU), which later became rugby league. A great 1xBet promo code Sierra Leone is also available to be used on various rugby competitions too.
Rugby league allowed players to be compensated for their time away from work, marking the key difference from rugby union. Over time, rugby league became more focused on speed and scoring, while rugby union retained its more traditional and tactical approach to the game.
Today, both codes coexist, but their split remains a lasting legacy of the early tensions between amateurism and professionalism in sport. Regardless of your favorite rugby variation, the promo code from 1xBet Sierra Leone is something you can use in matches of all of them.

