To the uninitiated, rugby is a game in which a bunch of powerfully built men throw themselves at one another in pursuit of an oval ball. In fact, this ancestor of modern American and Canadian football can seem more like an organized brawl than a highly technical sport with a complex set of rules. Apart from its sometimes chaotic demeanor, rugby is also unusual among modern sports in that its origins can be traced back to a single, seminal event.

在外行的眼中，橄榄球赛只不过是一大群身材健壮的男人相互冲撞推挤，为了一颗椭圆形的球你争我夺。事实上， 这个现代美加地区“美式足球”的始祖，看起来更像是一场有组织的争吵，而不像是遵循复杂规则、讲究高度技巧的运动。与其他现代运动相比较，橄榄球的不寻常之处，除了屡见不鲜的混乱场面，也在于它的起源，它可已追溯到某一重要的事件。

(短文节选,本期开始连载：敢冲敢抢橄榄球)