‘The Clash of the Codes' - When Rugby League and Rugby Union collided

In 1895, clubs in Northern England broke away from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to form their own Northern Union.  The key issue was payment to players.

Southern clubs stemming from Rugby's roots in the English Public School system sought to uphold the sport's amateur status, considering it obscene to pay players.  Northern clubs, on the other hand, tended to be based in the industrial working class heartlands and therefore felt it fair and necessary to compensate players for missing work through "broken time payments".

This issue caused a schism in Rugby and led to the establishment of two-codes that remained largely separated by entrenched class distinctions for the next century.

By 1995, Rugby was changing.  The establishment of the Rugby World Cup (RWC) in 1987 had facilitated greater levels of professionalism in Union and following 1995's RWC, it was announced that Rugby Union would become an "open game" and turn professional.  Yet, in terms of fitness levels and intensity, it was felt the game was light-years behind Rugby League.

As the cocktail of 'Cool Britannia' began to percolate, the two predominant powerhouses of English Rugby of the era (Bath and Wigan) announced they would meet in a two-game 'Clash of the Codes' series.  What were the results?  Did Wigan's superior conditioning and athleticism show Bath to be preening, pri-madonnas as anticipated and what were the longer-term legacies for both sports?

Join Chris and Nathan as we explore 'History' being made towards the 'End of a Century' as League and Union collide against the backdrop of Britpop...