(VERSION FRANÇAIS CI-DESSOUS)

MONTREAL – This week marks the 152nd year of an historic McGill-Harvard confrontation, a two-game rugby-style football series, played at Cambridge, Mass., May 14-15, 1874. The first meeting was a soccer-style affair, played with a round ball, on May 14. The second rendezvous, played the next day, served as the first formal intercollegiate game of rugby-style football, which normally features an oval ball with the ability to pick it up and run. This game, however, was played with the same round ball as the McGill players had forgotten to bring their oval ball. Five months later, a return match was played in Canada on Oct. 23, 1874.

A century and a half has passed since that first group of McGill athletes went south of the border and the years have brought many radical changes to football that the modern game is no longer recognizable as an outgrowth of the original one. The rule differences between the American and Canadian games are too difficult a hurdle for Harvard and McGill to meet again in football. In 1974, they crossed paths in a rugby game for the Peter Covo Cup, to mark the centennial of the first-ever confrontation. The rugby teams have continued this tradition, with an almost annual rendezvous and celebrated the 150th anniversary last year with the 39th Covo Cup game on Oct. 19, 2024 before a record crowd of 1,807 at Molson Stadium in Montreal.

In actuality, there have been earlier newspaper reports of McGill students and graduates playing rugby-football against British soldiers as early as 1862 but the McGill club was formally organized in 1872 and published the game's official rules that year in the (McGill) University Gazette.

The first 1874 game (more commonly known then as a "match") was played in Cambridge and was more of a scrimmage, with the first half being played under "Boston rules" and the second half using "McGill rules". This event featured only 11 men per side, although some reports erroneously indicated 10 players (a pre-game photo taken displays 11). This was less than the previously arranged 15 aside because McGill arrived with four players fewer than expected, so Harvard agreed to play with fewer numbers. The soccer-style "kicking game", used a round, fabric-covered rubber ball and scoring a "goal" (known as a "game") was generally done by kicking the ball over an elevated rope – five feet high and attached to poles – stretched across the entire length of the goal line. The rope is visible in the foreground of the photo above. The captains agreed that the first team to score three goals would be declared the winner.

Another curious feature of the Boston rules was that any player could scoop up the ball and run, or lateral it, as long as he was being pursued by an opponent. But when the opposing player gave up pursuit, he could call out to the runner, who had to stop and either lateral the ball to a teammate or kick it away. Harvard's carrying-game style of play was not used by other American universities, who played Association Football (i.e. soccer).

The next day, another McGill player showed up and the teams played with 12 aside, under "McGill rules". It was a "carrying game" and players were allowed to pick up the ball and run with it at any time. Instead of using a rope for the goal line, the end zones featured wooden goal posts and a cross-bar, shaped like the letter "H". It was reported in The Magenta, Harvard's student newspaper, that the Canadians were courteous and declined to accept some penalties imposed on Harvard for infractions of the rules, as they weren't very familiar with them.

Five years earlier, a Princeton-Rutgers "football" confrontation was played in 1869 but that event incorporated a round ball and a "kicking game" style of play that was essentially the British game of  "Association Football" or what North Americans more commonly know as "soccer".

This was later explained as the game's centennial anniversary approached, when legendary sports columnist Red Smith wrote the following in a New York Times article published on Nov. 21, 1973:

"College football observed its centennial in 1969 but as [Harvard Magazine writer Sedgewick] Wetherbee points out, the Princeton-Rutgers meeting of 1869 was a soccer match. Football's real centennial comes next year, 100 years after Harvard and McGill crossbred rugby with a form of bloodletting called the Boston Game and produced the collision sport we know today."

The second game, played on May 15, 1874 was advertised in the local newspapers and also marked the first time that an admission fee was charged to watch a college sporting event. An estimated 500 spectators, mostly students, paid 50 cents apiece to watch the teams play. About $250 was collected at the gate, which was used for a post-game reception and entertainment for both teams.

On Sept. 14, 2018, Scott Roderick Crosby, a political science professor at Valencia College, wrote the following as a guest columnist for the Orlando Sentinel:

"The Harvard team, persuaded by the new rules from the McGill contest, would go on to introduce the Yale football team to the McGill style of football on Nov. 13, 1875. It was not long before new "concessionary rules" of football created by Harvard and Yale formed the structure of our modern game of football in America."

The 1874 McGill-Harvard series was also recounted by a number of first-hand sources posted below, including reprints of actual post-game accounts – from The Boston Advertiser, The Gazette in Montreal and The Harvard Magenta, based in Cambridge – in addition to a follow-up recap in The Gazette, a few days after McGill's return from their week-long road trip.

Another account comes from recollections of Henry M. Joseph, a McGill arts graduate who played in both the first organized indoor hockey game in 1875 and the first two football meetings with Harvard. Joseph later published a paper"How the 1874 McGill-Harvard Football Games Forever Changed Football". His version of events was also published in the 1931 Old McGill yearbook in an article authored by W.A. Barclay,  entitled "The First Intercollegiate Rugby Games Played in North America".

After reviewing newspaper clippings, in addition to Joseph's detailed recollections, material from Parke H. Davis's benchmark article in the March 15, 1916 edition of the Harvard Alumni Bulletin, and John A. Blanchard's 1923 landmark publication The H Book of Harvard Athletics (1852-1922) – the story of the first game of intercollegiate North-American rugby-style football follows. Also included below are the original rules of that 1874 "McGill University Football Club", first published in 1872.

In October of 1873, three students from the McGill football club – Duncan E. Bowie, R. W. Huntington and team captain David Rodger – discussed the possibility of challenging the Harvard club, which had announced grave dissatisfaction with the football (i.e. soccer) rules used by its inter-faculty (i.e. intramural) teams.

Davis wrote that the idea of a football game between McGill and Harvard was the natural result of Bowie's experience months earlier, in a track and field meet. During a trip to New York City, Bowie had read in a local newspaper that James Gordon Bennett had offered a "plate of the value of $500" to the winner of a two-mile race, which was open to the members of all the colleges and universities of America, to be held at Saratoga, N.Y., during an intercollegiate rowing regatta. Bowie, who had previously won the mile race at a Canadian championship, entered the Saratoga meet and won it "with a burst of astonishing speed."

In the spring of 1874, a "formal but courteous" challenge was issued by McGill. The proposal meshed well with Harvard, which had been at odds with other university teams over the rules, and agreed to meet McGill in an exhibition match introducing a more orthodox code of regulations that had been in vogue. Conditions were ripe for a McGill team to make the trip to Cambridge and after a number of correspondence back and forth, arrangements were established for a two-game series, one slated for each university campus. However, the Harvard administration was wary of sending a team to Montreal and nixed the idea, so the McGill club offered to play both games in Cambridge. The eventual two-game series was so well received that Harvard agreed to have a return match in Canada that fall, which took place on Oct. 23, 1874. That third meeting, which marked the first-ever intercollegiate rugby-football style game played on Canadian soil, was famously reproduced in a composite image by renowned photographer William Notman.

In that era, games typically featured anywhere from 10 to 20 players aside. The Cambridge-based squad was often referred to in the local press as the "Harvard Ten", while McGill usually played with 15 on the field. Other rule differences between the clubs were far from uniform. Each side introduced unique regulations and the opposing captains had to come to an agreement between the rules before kickoff.

The McGillians remained fairly loyal to a rugby-style "carrying game" as it had been imported to Montreal by military officers from England. The Harvard club had begun utilizing certain changes to the American soccer-style "kicking game", notably with the use of "Boston rules".

One of those was most confusing to McGill as it permitted a player to pick up the ball and run, only as long as an opponent chose to pursue. When a tackler abandoned the ball-carrier, the latter was forced to kick, lateral or even throw away the ball. The McGill lineup, which featured three sprinters and was much faster than Harvard, produced a number of long, running plays that were called back in the first game, leading to disputes over the rule. 

Blanchard's book noted that in anticipation of McGill's visit, the Harvard team had constructed, installed and practiced with Canadian (i.e. H-styled) cross-bar goal posts at a cost of $2.50 and these were believed to be the first erected in the United States. At that time, the Americans played with a goal line featuring an elevated rope, supported by poles, that stretched across the entire width of the field. Any kick across that rope – essentially a field-goal in modern times – was considered a goal and worth one point. Since it was essentially a kicking game, touchdowns were secondary in value and three of them were required to be the equivalent of a goal.

In the May 8, 1874 edition of the Harvard Magenta student newspaper, the following notice appeared:

"The McGill University Foot-Ball Club will meet the Harvard Club on Jarvis Field, Wednesday and Thursday, the 13th and 14th at 3 o'clock. Admission 50 cents. The proceeds will be devoted to the entertainment of our visitors from Montreal."

McGill, was in the post-exam, off-season part of the semester and had difficulties fielding a 15-man lineup as four players had returned home for the summer break. The McGillians arrived by train on the morning of May 13 but due to extremely hot weather conditions, about 86 degrees Fahrenheit (i.e. 30 degrees Celsius), the two sides agreed to postpone the first game by a day, holding a light mixed scrimmage instead, played between the two baseball diamonds on Jarvis Field.

Davis wrote: "These two mixed teams, in a sort of rehearsal for the next day, played for a time under Harvard's rules and then played for a time under McGill's rules (coaching each other on the different styles). This exhibition of friendliness and chivalry would hardly be expected today, unfortunately, in such a meeting."

The Boston Globe (May 14, 1874) reported that: "The McGill University students, who are to play the Harvards at foot-ball, today and tomorrow, were in Cambridge yesterday. They visited Jarvis Field in the afternoon, and, after viewing the ground on which the matches will be played, indulged in a short "kick" preparatory to their labors this afternoon. They are a fine-looking and strongly-built set of men, and their friends are sanguine that they will get away with the Harvard team without trouble."

In the first official confrontation, American rules prevailed and the ball was unlike anything which McGill had used before. It was round and made of fabric-covered rubber. Harvard won that first meeting 3-0, under "Boston Rules", scoring three "field-goals" to McGill's none.

A contemporary account describes the start:

"The officials called the two captains together and tossed a coin to determine the choice of goals. Captain Grant of Harvard, by correctly naming the turn of the coin, set a precedent for all his successors at Harvard. He selected the north-west goal, thereby obtaining the advantage of a slight breeze. Captain Rodger of McGill, who had been carrying his arm in a sling on account of a recent injury, thereupon unconcernedly walked to one of the posts which supported the goal rope, hung his sling upon the post, and called to his players to take the field. The two teams lined up at once."

When the "warnings" had been given by the officials, McGill kicked off, and the first intercollegiate game between Canadians and Americans was under way. The uniforms of the time were relics. No padding was worn; shirts covered the torso, while the legs were encased in trousers, "some long and some short." Some of the men wore black football turbans – the ancestor of the modern helmet – and others white canvas hats.

The Harvard side, which had never before played with an official uniform, wore black pants and white gauze undershirts, with light-coloured baseball shoes. They also sported magenta handkerchiefs knotted on their heads, as was the custom used by their rowing team. The gauze undershirts were used for reasons of strategy, the idea being that the first tackle would demolish them, leaving slippery human flesh for the next attempted tackler.

Harvard was somewhat taken aback when McGill appeared, neatly attired in proper uniform tops, featuring red and black striped shirts, with caps and socks, along with white pants.

It took only five minutes for Harvard's first scoring play, a similar amount of time for their second and about 12 minutes for the third tally. Each of them occurring by kicking "field-goals".

The Harvard Magenta reported that McGill "seemed standing in the field merely as spectators of their opponents excellent kicking."

At that time, a game typically featured three 30-minute periods with no timeouts and no standardized method of scoring points. Certain things, however, were recognized as turning the tide of battle. Kicking the ball over an elevated rope along the goal-line (i.e. a field-goal), was worth one point (as in soccer), and generally considered the primary method of scoring.

Carrying the ball across the goal-line (i.e. a touchdown) was only worth one-third the value of a field-goal. A match was awarded to the team with the majority of field-goals, usually the first team to three. In the event of no field-goals being scored, the amount of touchdowns tallied would be the deciding factor. It was common for newspapers of the day to list a typical linescore as: Harvard 3 g, McGill 0 (or Harvard 4 fg, 4t, Yale 0).

McGill had by far the faster team. Bowie, Huntington and Joseph were all sprinters of note in Montreal. Bowie was one of the fastest men in Canada at the time, reputed to having been clocked at 10.2 seconds in the 100-yard dash. Huntington and Joseph were also track athletes and this trio made things hot for the Harvard defenders play after play. They would get the ball out from the McGill "scrum" and streak across the field, lateraling as they ran, often to be called back for violations of the American "pursuit" rule, which was unknown in Canada.

According to Joseph's article, Harvard's victory was well-earned and their scoring plays resulted from sustained offensive pressure.

A one-paragraph account of the game was published in The Boston Advertiser (May 15, 1874). It stated in part that the game was "played according to the Harvard rules and... much easier won on this account, since the McGills manifested but little knowledge of the good points of the game. The Harvards played in black trousers, white undershirts and with the customary magenta handkerchiefs upon their heads, and the McGills presented a fine appearance in their red and black striped shirts, caps and stockings, and white trousers. It was evident from the first that the Harvards had the games in their own hand, and as today's games are to be played by the visitor's rules, the reverse is predicted."

The Boston Post reported in its May 15 edition, that "The principal difference between the two rules is that in the Harvard game, the ball has to be kicked over a rope extending across the entire field, while in the English game, it must be kicked over a wooden bar, ten feet above the ground. The agreement provided for five games [i.e. goals], the winner of three to be declared victor."

The initial soccer-style match played on May 14 was not an exceptionally physical affair and Harvard's clothing withstood the wear and tear. But in the more physical rugby-style matchup the next day, Harvard's uniforms were quickly reduced to shreds of ribbon-like material.

On May 15, using McGill's rules, the two schools played the first game of intercollegiate football in America. "There was a large crowd and much enthusiasm," reported The Boston Advertiser.

Over the course of time, this event has become legendary and in the aforementioned book on the history of Harvard athletics, the author, a Harvard grad, painstakingly went through an exhaustive research of all available details about the encounter and proved groundless all claims that other varsity teams had met before Harvard and McGill in a rugby-style football game.

McGill fielded the same 11-man squad for the second matchup but Harvard made two lineup changes. After 90 minutes of play, it ended in a scoreless draw (see game story below).

Joseph, who had played in both games, later wrote that McGill had the edge in running and tackling, and with their three sprinters, would have undoubtedly won had it not been for Harvard's sheer strength and determination.

A report in The Boston Globe (May 16, 1874), stated in part that: "It was thought by many that the McGill men would have little trouble in winning. But such was not the result. The game resulted in a draw, neither party being allowed by their opponents to send the ball over the crossbeam. The contest lasted an hour and a half and was at times, intensely exciting. The McGill men were evidently well skilled in all the technicalities of the game, but the Harvard eleven was composed of heavier men... and made up in strength what they lacked in skill..."

After the summer, Harvard paid a return visit to Montreal to confront McGill on Oct. 23, 1874, and confronted McGill before an estimated crowd of 1,500 on the old Montreal Cricket Grounds, where the Church of St. James the Apostle now stands. Harvard was only able to dress nine players, so McGill graciously did the same. Wearing new magenta-striped uniform tops, the visitors won by a margin of three touchdowns to none (see game report).

Joseph wrote that Harvard played superior football, stating that their attack was faster and more determined, the McGill running halves were tackled on each breakaway. The contentious "pursuit" rule was not in effect and McGill had nothing to complain about. It was Harvard's game from whistle to whistle, he noted.

At that time, McGill, and all other teams in Montreal, played under a code of English rugby rules quite similar to that which rugby players still use today. Harvard adopted the McGill rules and in the fall of 1875, challenged Yale to a game under a combination of rugby and soccer rules, which became known as the "concessionary" rules. They convinced a number of other schools to do so as well. By 1880, the American game evolved under the guidance of Walter Camp, an innovative coach who introduced a line of scrimmage to put the ball into play, replacing the rugby scrum. He also implemented a rule whereby teams could retain possession after gaining 10 yards over a series of four downs.

Canada eventually followed suit with rule changes between 1903 and 1906, incorporating a line of scrimmage and three downs that led to "rugby" and "football" – terms that were often used interchangeably – eventually branching into separate paths.

Between 1903 and 1906, the forward pass was implemented in the United States, which changed the game forever. In Canada, the forward pass was first introduced by McGill head coach Frank Shaughnessy, an American, in a 1921 Syracuse-McGill football game at Percival Molson Stadium. Shaughnessy lobbied for a decade before the forward pass was officially adopted in the 1931 Canadian rulebook. Also in 1921, a direct snap or pass from centre replaced the heeling-out method of putting the ball into play. At the same time, side-scrimmages were abolished and the number of players on the field was reduced from 14 to 12.


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Harvard vs McGill
(reprinted from The Boston Post, May 11, 1874)
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The Harvard Football Club is making preparations for the coming matches with the club from the McGill University. They have erected the English goals, consisting of two upright posts supporting a horizontal bar. It must be remembered that the two clubs play by rules which differ in many important points, and on this account two matches will be played -- one by Harvard rules and the other in the Canadian style. The ball used by the McGills is simply a bladder covered with leather, and is much harder to kick with than the ordinary rubber ball. The matches will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Foot Ball
(reprinted from The Boston Daily Globe, May 14, 1874)
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The McGill University students, who are to play the Harvards at foot-ball, today and tomorrow, were in Cambridge, yesterday. They visited Jarvis Field in the afternoon, and, after viewing the ground on whch the matches will be played, indulged in a short "kick" preparatory to their labors this afternoon. They are a fine-looking and strongly-built set of men, and their friends are sanguine that they will get away with the Harvard team without trouble.

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Harvard vs McGill
(reprinted from The Boston Advertiser, May 15, 1874)
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The first series of games between the Harvard and McGill football clubs were played yesterday afternoon on Jarvis field in the presence of about 500 spectators and were won by the former club in three straight games [i.e. "sets"]. The games were played and according to the Harvard rules and were much easier won on this account, since the McGills manifested but little knowledge of the good points of the game. The Harvards played in black trousers, white undershirts and with the customary magenta handkerchiefs upon their heads, and the McGills presented a fine appearance in their red and black striped shirts, caps and stockings, and white trousers. It was evident from the first that the Harvards had the game in their own hand, and as today's games are to be played by the visitors' rules the reverse is predicted.

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Foot Ball
(reprinted from The Boston Post, May 15, 1874)
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The first of the two foot-ball games between the tens of McGill University and of Harvard University came off on Jarvis Field yesterday afternoon. The game was played according to the Harvard rules, by arrangement, that to-day being by the McGill rules. The principal difference between the two rules is that in the Harvard game the ball has to be kicked over a rope extending across the entire field, while in the English game it must be kicked over a wooden bar ten feet above the ground. The agreement provided for five games, the winner of three to be declared victor. In the three games which were played yesterday afternoon the Harvards were victorious, and consequently were the winners. The second game is to be played to-day.


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Harvard vs McGill - Harvard Wins
(reprinted from The Montreal Gazette, May 15, 1874)
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The long-talked of football match between the ten of McGill University and the ten of Harvard University took place yesterday afternoon, on Jarvis Field, Cambridge.

[ED. NOTE: The article referred to 10 men on each side but it goes on to list more than 10 players. Further research has indicated that there were indeed 11 per side].

The McGill Club consists of the following members: D. Rodgers, captain; O'Hara Baynes, G.E. Jenkins, J.S. Hall, J.B. Abbott, R.W. Huntingdon, H. Gilbert, D.E. Bowie, H. Joseph, H.W. Thomas, C. Thomas and P.J. Goodhue.

The Harvard club is as follows: H.R. Grant, captain; W.R. Tyler, H. Lombard, A.L. Goodrich, A. Cabot, M. Whitney, W.C. Sanger, F.E. Randall, H.C. Leeds, H.L. Morse and J. Lyman.

The game commenced shortly before 4 o'clock, and was played in accordance with the Harvard rules. It was arranged that five games should be played, the club winning three to be declared the victor.

[ED. NOTE: IN THIS ERA, A "GAME" WAS GENERALLY ENDED BY ANY SCORING PLAY, AND CONSIDERED SIMILAR TO WINNING A SET IN TENNIS. AFTER SCORING,  A "NEW" GAME WAS THEN PLAYED, UP TO AN AGREED UPON NUMBER, USUALLY THREE. TEAMS CHANGED ENDS AFTER EVERY "GAME". ALSO, GOALS THAT WERE KICKED INTO A GOAL AREA WERE CONSIDERED TO BE OF MORE VALUE THAN A TOUCHDOWN. SIMILAR TO SOCCER, A GOAL IS CONSIDERED TO BE WORTH ONE POINT. AND IT TOOK THREE TDs TO EQUAL A GOAL].

At the commencement the Harvards win the choice of goals, which entitled the McGills to do the first kick, they playing with the sun directly in their faces. The first game was lively while it lasted, but in less than five minutes the ball was flying over the McGill's goal, and the first game was declared for the Harvards.

The second was somewhat longer. The Harvards kept the ball well over on the McGills' side, and after a sharp contest, during which both clubs were several times piled up together indiscriminately, it was again forced over the ropes by the Harvards.

[ED. NOTE: IN THE BOSTON RULES, THERE WERE NO GOAL POSTS IN EACH ENDZONE. INSTEAD, A ROPE WAS STRUNG UP AT EACH GOAL LINE AND IT STRETCHED ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE FIELD. HOWEVER, FOR THE SECOND MEETING, PLAYED UNDER McGILL'S RULES, HARVARD ERECTED A GOAL POST, SHAPED LIKE AN "H" AND A ROPE WAS INSTALLED AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE ENTIRE PLAYING SURFACE, IN THE HOPES THAT SPECTATORS WOULD REFRAIN FROM INFRINGING ON THE FIELD].

In the third game there was more desperate struggling, but the Harvards had it all their own way and again won.

This afternoon a game is to be played at the same place in conformity to the English or Rugby rules between the same clubs.

The ball to be used by the McGills is of oval shape, made of leather, and twice the size of that of the Harvards. The principal point of difference in this game is that the ball must be kicked over a cross-bar placed ten feet from the ground between two upright, fifteen feet high, and that the party catching the ball on a bound can run with it and retain it until he kicks it or it is forced from him.

There was an immense crowd of spectators to witness the games yesterday, and there will be a larger one to-day, when the McGills will undoubtedly make a better show at their own game.

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Foot Ball
(reprinted from The Boston Daily Globe, May 16, 1874)
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The second game beteween the elevens of McGill and Harvard was played on Jarvis Field yesterday afternoon. As the game was to be played according to the rules of the English game, with which the visitors were familiar, it was thought by many that the McGill men would have little trouble in winning, But such was not the result. The game resulted in a draw, neither party being allowed by their opponents to send the ball over the crossbeam. The contest lasted an hour and a half, and was at times, intensely exciting. The McGill men were evidently well-skilled in all the technicalities of the game, but the Harvard eleven was composed of heavier men than their opponents, and made up in strength what they lacked in skill. The Harvard Club are quite jubilant at the result of the games of yesterday and the day before, and will doubtless be glad to meet their Canadian opponents again at some future day.

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THE FOOT-BALL MATCH
(reprinted from The (Harvard) Magenta, Friday, May 22, 1874)
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THE second game of foot-ball between the McGill and Harvard Tens last Friday was awaited with the greatest impatience, not to say anxiety, by every one in College.

The game on Thursday had been a disappointment to all who saw it, for the Canadians, from ignorance of the Harvard rules, had failed utterly in resisting the Harvard Ten, who won the three goals so easily that the McGill players seemed standing in the field merely to be spectators of their opponents' excellent kicking.

But on Friday, when the game was to be played according to the McGill, or rather Rugby rules, it was feared that the result would be quite different, - that the Canadians would win the match with little difficulty.

After a half-hour past the time appointed for the beginning of the game, the McGill men, dressed in the English foot-ball suit, straggled into the field, and, after a few minutes, were followed by a shabby-looking set of men, who turned out to be the Harvard Ten. As it happened, the dilapidated appearance of the Harvard players was quite a boon to the lookers-on, for if they had been respectably clad in a uniform of some kind it might have been quite impossible to distinguish between the two sides; but, as it was, one merely had to notice whether or not a few rags were floating gracefully behind the player, to know to which side he belonged.

Indeed, in the last half-hour, one of the Harvard players had excited the spectators to the utmost with the hope that he was about to gain a long-wished-for "touch-down," when one of his pursuers bethought himself of stretching out his hand and seizing one of the many pennons [streamers] that were waving behind him, with which he drew him skilfully to the ground, awakening in him the same sensation that a kite has when pulled to the ground by a little boy.

For the first half-hour the Harvard men had the wind in their favor. To the agreeable surprise of most of us, the Canadians did not kick the ball over the cross-bar in the first five minutes, and they seemed indeed hardly able to hold their own. The first two half-hours passed without either side winning even a touch-down, although several times it was barely lost; but the last half-hour was the most exciting of all.

Both sides were evidently doing their best, though several of the McGill men already showed signs of the rough usage they had received in the first part of the game. The end of the half-hour came at last, and the game was drawn.

On the whole it was a very successful contest, and it is to be hoped that next year several games may be played between the Tens of McGill and Harvard.

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McGILL FOOT BALL TEAM
(reprinted from The Montreal Gazette, May 19, 1874)
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The team arrived home on Saturday evening in good order, only one of the number being laid up. Shortly after their arrival in Boston, the Harvard fellows called on them and exchanged words. In the afternoon they went out to Cambridge, but owing to the great heat only a scratch match was played, six from each side.

Afterwards the Montrealers, were invited up by several of the students into their rooms, and then taken to their club. Subsequently they went to St. Charles River, and saw the boat house, and many of the crews out, especially the fine looking crew for Saratoga. 

Thursday was very hot, about 85 ° in the shade. The game was played according to Harvard rules. An immense crowd was present. McGill was beaten.

On Friday the team went over to Cambridge, feeling a little "blue," but not showing it externally. The crowd was very much greater. The McGill lost the toss and had to kick against a fresh easterly breeze. At the end of half an hour, time was called and goals changed, neither side victoriuos.The second half hour the result was the same, and so for the third.

The crowd cheered very impartially, and certainly were very patient to remain standing so long.

On Friday night, the Harvard team entertained the McGill men at a grand dinner at the Parker House. The McGill team came away with reluctance; they would have liked to have staid (sic) another week with the Harvards, they were treated so well and kindly. They carry home with them the pleasantest recollections of their visit, and the courtesy and hospitality of their entertainers.


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THE FOOT-BALL MATCHES
(reprinted from The (Harvard) Magenta, Nov. 20, 1874)
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WHEN reading one of the recent Yale papers lately, I happened upon an article relating to football matches between Harvard and Yale, which were so much desired and talked about last spring. The writer complained of Harvard's refusal to join a convention which met in New York last fall, and thought that football matches could be arranged without much difficulty if a meeting were held at some half-way point to draw up a set of rules by which games between the two Colleges could be governed. He then went on to state the differences between the rules of Harvard and of Yale, and to show that these differences might be done away with.

On a careful examination, I conclude that so great is the opposition in the most important of these rules that any attempt to patch them together would be unsatisfactory to both sides. The smaller rules, indeed, relating to kicking off, choice of goals, limits of grounds, number of men, and so forth, are nearly alike; but in all the main rules there is certainly great difference, particularly in reference to players' picking up the ball and being chased.

Another way of settling the difficulty seems to me fairer, which is, to play the game according to the Rugby or the McGill rules. If this were thoroughly tried, it would, I believe, be most satisfactory to both parties. It should certainly be so for Harvard, since we were well skilled enough in these rules in the spring to make a game, with the McGills even, last three half-hours, nor was a goal gained by either side. Again this fall, with very few of last year's players and with very little practice in the McGill game, owing to the preparation for the Graduate match, we won a victory over the Canadians.

Yale may object on the score that Harvard has already become well acquainted with the game. Very true, but Yale can practise and learn it during the fall. It is a game very easy and simple to learn, requiring, at the utmost, two weeks' practice for a club to be able to play it skilfully. I trust, then, that Yale will approve of the plan, and that in 1875 we can have a match between the rival Universities in football, as well as in other athletic sports.


HISTORIC REFERENCE MATERIALS:

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ARTICLE FROM 1892: (Early) Rugby Football in Canada (by R.Tait McKenzie; Dominion Illustrated Monthly, Vol.1, No.1, Feb. 1892)
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- link to PDF

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ARTICLE FROM 1915 ON EVOLUTION OF EARLY FOOTBALL:  THE EVENING NEWS (San Jose, Nov. 13, 1915)
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ARTICLE FROM 1916: The McGill-Harvard Football Game of 1874 (by Parke H. Davis; Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Vol.XVIII, No.24, March 15, 1916)
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ARTICLE FROM 1931: The first intercollegiate rugby games played in North America (by W.A. Barclay; Old McGill 1931 (yearbook)
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Playing Rules of the McGill University Football Club
(reprinted from the McGill University Gazette, April 1874)
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Until a few years ago, the methods of playing football were varied and numerous, but the game has finally settled into two distinct styles - the Rugby rules and the Association rules.

The object of the Association code is to encourage "dribbling", and simplicity has also been carefully studied by the abolition of all clauses and technicalities calculated to prevent the easy comprehension of the rules; the Rugby laws are much more extensive and elaborate, and the main idea is to encourage speed of foot with a minimum of kicking, besides, there being an atmosphere of danger in the "hacking" and "mauls" so dear to every player more Rugbeinsi.

We today publish a copy of the College rules, revised and amended up to April, 1874, and these will make the chief features of our game apparent to everyone. They disagree very materially with the rules of the Canadian Association, and while we regret our exclusion from playing for the Champion Cup, yet we feel bound, both by honour and inclination, to stick to our own game, which seems always to have suited our men peculiarly well.

i. Each goal shall consist of two upright posts, 16 feet high and 15 feet apart, with a cross-bar at a distance of 10 feet from the ground. The maximum length of the ground shall be 150 yards; the maximum breadth shall be 75 yards.

ii. The number of players on each side shall be not more than 20, or less than 10. The definite number to be settled by the Captains before each match.

iii. The winners of the toss shall have the option of kick off or choice of goals. The game shall be commenced by a place kick from the centre of the ground, and the opposite side shall not come within 10 yards of the ball.

iv. The ball shall be kicked off (i.) at the commencement of the game, (ii.) after a goal has been obtained, or (iii.) at the end of each half hour.

v. After a goal is won, ends shall be changed, and the losing side shall kickoff. In the event, however, of no goal having fallen to either side at the lapse of half an hour, ends shall then be changed.

vi. The ball may be caught on the bounce and carried; the player so carrying the ball may be "tackled" or "shouldered", but not hacked, throttled, or pommelled. No player may be held unless in actual possession of the ball.

vii. In the event of any player holding or running with the ball being tackled, and the ball fairly held, he may at once cry "have it down"; but he need not do so until his own side comes up.

viii. A goal can only be obtained by kicking the ball from the field of play direct (i.e. without touching the dress or person of any player of either side) over the cross-bar of the opponent's goal, whether it touch such cross-bar, or the posts, or not: but if the ball goes directly over either of the goal posts it is called a poster, and is not a goal. A goal may be obtained by any kind of kick except a punt.

ix. A match shall last for three half hours -- it shall be decided by the majority of goals, or in the event of no goals being obtained by the majority of touch-downs; three touchdowns counting as one goal.

x. Every player is on side but is put off side if he enters a scrummage from his opponents' side, or being in a scrummage, gets in front of the ball, or when the ball has been kicked, touched, or is being run with by one of his own side behind him (i.e. between himself and his goal line). Every player when off side is out of the game, and shall not touch the ball in any case whatever, or in any way interrupt or obstruct any player, until he is again on side.

xi. A player being off side is put on side when the ball has been kicked by or has touched the dress or person of any player of the opposite side, or when one of his own side has run in front of him either with the ball or having kicked it when behind him.

xii. It is lawful for any player who has the ball to throw it back towards his own goal, or pass it back to any player of his own side who is at the time behind him, in accordance with the rules of on side.

xiii. If a ball goes into touch, the first player, on his side, who touches it down must bring it to the spot where it crossed the touch line; or if a player, when running with the ball, cross or put any part of either foot across the touch line, he must return with the ball to the spot where the line was so crossed, and then either (i.) bound the ball in the field of play, and then run with it, kick it, or throw it back to his own side, or (ii.) throw it out at right angles to the touch line.

xiv. The goal line is in goal, and the touch line is in touch.

xv. If the ball be sent beyond the side-bounds and put behind the goal line, it shall be touched down and thrown in from the corner in a diagonal direction by whoever touches it down.

xvi. It is not lawful to take the ball from off the ground for any purpose whatever, unless it be in touch.

xvii. No hacking or hacking over, or tripping up, shall be allowed under any circumstances. No one wearing projecting nails, iron plates, or gutta percha on any part of his boots or shoes, shall be allowed to play in a match.

xviii. In case of any distinct and wilful violation of these Rules of Play, a free kick shall be forfeited to the opposite side from the spot where the infringement took place, but in no case shall a goal be scored from such free kick.

xix. Continued transgressions of Rules by any player, the side to which he belongs shall lose him.

xx. All disputes to be settled by the Umpire, whose decision shall be final.

Definition of terms
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1. A "drop kick" is made by letting the ball fall from the hands and kicking it the very instant it rises.

2. A "place kick" is made by kicking the ball after it has been placed in a nick made in the ground for the purpose of keeping it at rest.

3. A "punt" is made by letting the ball fall from the hands and kicking it before it touches the ground.

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SOURCE:
(NOTE: supporting research from authors John A. Blanchard, Parke H. Davis, Henry Joseph, W. A. Barclay, Dr. Hugh Brodie & Dr. Ted Percy)

Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca

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DATE HISTORIQUE (15 mai 1874): Première partie de rugby-football

MONTRÉAL – Cette semaine marque le 152e anniversaire d'un affrontement historique entre McGill et Harvard, une série de deux matchs de football de style rugby disputés à Cambridge, au Massachusetts, les 14 et 15 mai 1874. La première rencontre, présentée le 14 mai, se jouait selon un style soccer avec un ballon rond. Le lendemain, le deuxième duel est devenu le premier match interuniversitaire officiel de football de style rugby, un sport qui se pratique normalement avec un ballon ovale que l'on peut saisir et transporter. Or, cette partie a aussi été disputée avec un ballon rond, les joueurs de McGill ayant oublié d'apporter leur ballon ovale. Cinq mois plus tard, un match revanche a été disputé au Canada, le 23 octobre 1874.

Un siècle et demi s'est écoulé depuis que ce premier groupe d'athlètes de McGill a traversé la frontière, et l'évolution du jeu a été telle que le football moderne n'est plus vraiment reconnaissable par rapport à ses origines. Les différences de règlements entre les versions américaine et canadienne rendent aujourd'hui improbable une nouvelle confrontation entre Harvard et McGill au football. En 1974, les deux institutions se sont toutefois retrouvées sur un terrain de rugby pour la Coupe Peter Covo, soulignant le centenaire de leur premier duel. Cette tradition s'est poursuivie presque annuellement, et le 150e anniversaire a été célébré le 19 octobre 2024, lors du 39e match de la Coupe Covo, disputé devant une foule record de 1807 spectateurs au stade Percival-Molson à Montréal.

En réalité, des articles de journaux font état de matchs de rugby-football opposant des étudiants et diplômés de McGill à des soldats britanniques dès 1862. Le club de McGill a toutefois été officiellement fondé en 1872, année où ses règles ont été publiées dans le University Gazette.

Le premier match de 1874, alors appelé « match », a été disputé à Cambridge et ressemblait davantage à une mêlée organisée. La première demie s'est jouée selon les « règles de Boston », la seconde selon celles de McGill. Chaque équipe comptait 11 joueurs, même si certaines sources mentionnent à tort 10 participants. Ce nombre réduit s'explique par le fait que McGill est arrivée avec quatre joueurs de moins que prévu, et Harvard a accepté d'aligner une formation équivalente. Ce « kicking game », de type soccer, utilisait un ballon rond en caoutchouc recouvert de tissu. Pour marquer un « but » (appelé alors un « game »), il fallait envoyer le ballon au-dessus d'une corde tendue à environ cinq pieds du sol sur toute la largeur de la ligne de but. Les capitaines avaient convenu que la première équipe à inscrire trois buts serait déclarée gagnante.

Une autre particularité des règles de Boston permettait à un joueur de ramasser le ballon et de courir ou de faire une passe latérale, tant qu'il était poursuivi par un adversaire. Si celui-ci abandonnait la poursuite, il pouvait interpeller le porteur, qui devait alors s'arrêter et soit effectuer une passe latérale, soit dégager le ballon. Ce style de jeu n'était pas utilisé ailleurs aux États-Unis, où l'on pratiquait surtout le soccer.

Le lendemain, un autre joueur de McGill s'est joint à l'équipe, portant les formations à 12 joueurs de chaque côté, cette fois selon les règles de McGill. Il s'agissait d'un « carrying game », où les joueurs pouvaient saisir le ballon et courir en tout temps. Les buts étaient formés de poteaux avec une barre transversale en forme de « H ». Selon le journal étudiant de Harvard, The Magenta, les Canadiens ont fait preuve de courtoisie en refusant certaines pénalités imposées à Harvard, faute de bien connaître les règlements locaux.

Cinq ans plus tôt, en 1869, un affrontement entre Princeton et Rutgers avait déjà été disputé, mais il s'agissait essentiellement d'un match de soccer. Comme l'a écrit le célèbre chroniqueur Red Smith en 1973, le véritable centenaire du football universitaire correspond plutôt à la rencontre McGill-Harvard de 1874, qui a fusionné le rugby avec le « Boston Game » pour donner naissance au sport de collisions que l'on connaît aujourd'hui.

Le match du 15 mai 1874 a également marqué une première : l'introduction d'un droit d'entrée pour assister à un événement sportif universitaire. Environ 500 spectateurs ont payé 50 cents chacun, générant des recettes d'environ 250 $, utilisées pour financer une réception d'après-match.

En 2018, le professeur Scott Roderick Crosby écrivait que l'influence de McGill s'est poursuivie lorsque Harvard a introduit ces nouvelles règles à Yale en 1875, contribuant à l'émergence des bases du football américain moderne.

La série de 1874 a été relatée par de nombreuses sources contemporaines, notamment The Boston Advertiser, The Gazette de Montréal et The Harvard Magenta, ainsi que par Henry M. Joseph, joueur de McGill ayant participé aux deux matchs. Ses souvenirs, publiés plus tard, ont largement contribué à documenter cet épisode fondateur.

À l'automne 1873, trois membres du club de McGill avaient envisagé de défier Harvard, insatisfaite des règles de soccer utilisées à l'interne. Après plusieurs échanges, une série de deux matchs a été organisée. Initialement prévue sur deux campus, elle a finalement été disputée entièrement à Cambridge, Harvard ayant refusé de se déplacer à Montréal. Le succès de l'événement a toutefois mené à un match retour au Canada en octobre 1874.

À cette époque, les équipes comptaient généralement entre 10 et 20 joueurs. McGill privilégiait un style rugby importé d'Angleterre, tandis que Harvard expérimentait des variantes du soccer avec ses règles locales.

Lors du premier match, remporté 3-0 par Harvard, les Américains ont dominé grâce à leur maîtrise du jeu au pied. Les joueurs de McGill, plus rapides, ont souvent vu leurs longues courses annulées en raison de la règle de poursuite, ce qui a suscité certaines contestations.

Le lendemain, selon les règles de McGill, les deux équipes ont disputé ce qui est reconnu comme le premier match de football interuniversitaire de style rugby en Amérique. La rencontre, d'une durée de 90 minutes, s'est soldée par un verdict nul.

Plus tard, le 23 octobre 1874, Harvard a visité Montréal pour un troisième affrontement devant environ 1500 spectateurs. Les deux équipes, réduites à neuf joueurs chacune, ont vu Harvard l'emporter.

Par la suite, Harvard a adopté les règles de McGill et les a introduites à Yale, contribuant à l'évolution du football américain, notamment avec l'ajout de la ligne de mêlée et du système de jeux. Au Canada, des modifications similaires ont été adoptées au début du XXe siècle, menant à la séparation progressive entre rugby et football.

L'introduction de la passe avant aux États-Unis, puis au Canada — notamment grâce à l'entraîneur de McGill Frank Shaughnessy — a transformé le jeu de façon durable, donnant naissance aux formes modernes du football que l'on connaît aujourd'hui.

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Harvard contre McGill - Harvard victorieuse
(reproduction d'un article paru dans le quotidien montréalais The Gazette, le 14 mai 1874)
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Le match de football dont on a tant parlé opposant [onze] joueurs de McGill et [onze] joueurs de Harvard a eu lieu hier après-midi au Jarvis Field à Cambridge.

Les membres de l'équipe de McGill sont les suivants : D. Rodgers, capitaine; O'Hara Baynes, G. E. Jenkins, J. S. Hall, J. B. Abbott, R. W. Huntingdon, H. Gilbert, D. E. Bowie, H. Joseph, H. W. Thomas, C. Thomas et P. J. Goodhue. L'équipe de Harvard est composée des membres suivants : H. R. Grant, capitaine; W. R. Tyler, H. Lombard, A. L. Goodrich, A. Cabot, M. Whitney, W. C. Sanger, F. E. Randall, H. C. Leeds, H. L. Morse et J. Lyman.

Le match a débuté peu avant 16 h et a été joué conformément aux règles de Harvard. On a convenu d'une série de cinq parties, l'équipe qui en remporterait trois serait déclarée vainqueur.

Pour commencer, Harvard obtient le choix des buts, et McGill peut ainsi effectuer le premier botté. Les joueurs sont aveuglés par le soleil. La première partie fut enlevante mais, en moins de cinq minutes, le ballon volait au-dessus des poteaux du but de McGill. Harvard fut déclarée l'équipe vainqueur de cette première partie.

(Note de l'éditeur : Le terme partie fait référence à un but et les équipes changeaient de côté dès qu'un but était marqué.)

La deuxième partie a duré un peu plus longtemps. Les joueurs de Harvard ont conservé le ballon loin dans le territoire de McGill et, après une confrontation musclée, au cours de laquelle les deux équipes se sont empilées pêle-mêle à plusieurs reprises, le ballon a, une fois de plus, franchi le but en faveur de Harvard.

Durant la troisième partie, d'autres luttes acharnées ont eu lieu, mais il n'y en avait que pour Harvard, qui a remporté une autre victoire.

Cet après-midi, un autre match aura lieu au même endroit, conformément aux règles anglaises, c'est-à-dire au règlement du rugby.

Le ballon avec lequel joue l'équipe de McGill est ovale, en cuir et deux fois plus gros que le ballon utilisé par Harvard. La caractéristique du rugby est que le ballon doit être botté au-dessus d'une barre transversale, placée trois mètres au-dessus du sol et fixée sur deux poteaux droits de 4,5 mètres de hauteur. Le joueur qui attrape le ballon sur un rebond peut le porter en courant jusqu'à ce qu'il le botte ou qu'on le lui arrache.

Hier, une foule immense a assisté aux parties et on s'attend à ce que les partisans soient encore plus nombreux aujourd'hui, puisque les joueurs de McGill vont sans doute faire meilleure figure à leur propre jeu.

Reproduction d'un autre article paru dans le quotidien montréalais The Gazette, le 19 mai 1874

L'équipe est arrivée à destination samedi soir en bonne forme, un seul joueur étant incommodé. Peu de temps après leur arrivée à Boston, les gars de Harvard sont venus leur rendre visite et ont bavardé avec eux.

Au cours de l'après-midi, ils se sont rendus à Cambridge, mais en raison de la chaleur torride, ils n'ont joué qu'un match hors concours, six joueurs de chaque côté.

Par la suite, des étudiants ont invité les Montréalais à leurs chambres puis les ont conduits à leur club. Ensuite, ils se sont rendus à la St. Charles River et ont vu le Boat House. Ils ont rencontré de nombreux membres d'équipage, notamment ceux de l'équipage impressionnant du Saratoga.

Il a fait très chaud jeudi (14 mai), environ 30 degrés à l'ombre. La partie s'est déroulée conformément aux règles de Harvard. Une immense foule a assisté au match. McGill a perdu.

Vendredi (15 mai), l'équipe s'est rendue à Cambridge, le moral un peu bas mais sans laisser rien paraître. La foule était encore plus nombreuse que la veille.

McGill a perdu au tirage et a dû botter le ballon face à une brise fraîche venant de l'est. Au bout d'une demi-heure, on a signalé un arrêt du jeu et les équipes ont changé de côté, aucune n'étant victorieuse. Après la deuxième demi-heure puis la troisième, le résultat était toujours le même. La foule encourageait également les deux équipes. Les spectateurs ont été très patients d'accepter de demeurer debout si longtemps.

Vendredi soir, l'équipe de Harvard a organisé un banquet pour les hommes de McGill au Parker House. Les membres de l'équipe mcgilloise ont quitté avec regret et auraient bien voulu rester une semaine de plus avec les joueurs de Harvard, qui ont été si accueillants et remplis d'attention à leur égard. Ils rentrent chez eux avec des souvenirs très agréables de leur visite, de la courtoisie et de la chaleureuse hospitalité de leurs hôtes.

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Règles de jeu de l'équipe de football de l'Université McGill

(Tiré de la McGill University Gazette, avril 1874)
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Il y a à peine quelques années, les façons de jouer au football étaient variées et nombreuses, mais le jeu s'est finalement campé à l'intérieur de deux styles distincts : les règles du rugby et celles de l'Association.

L'objectif de l'Association est d'encourager le drible et on a cherché la simplicité en éliminant toutes les clauses et modalités techniques ayant pour effet de nuire à la compréhension facile des règles. Les règles du rugby sont beaucoup plus nombreuses et complexes que celles de l'Association. Leur intention première est de favoriser la vitesse de déplacement, avec un minimum de bottés et de créer une atmosphère de danger, empreinte de coups de pied et de mauls si chers à tous les joueurs invétérés de rugby.

Nous publions aujourd'hui les règles du Collège, révisées et amendées en date du mois d'avril 1874. Elles rendront manifestes les principales caractéristiques de notre jeu. Elles s'opposent très clairement aux règles de l'Association canadienne et, bien que nous soyons déçus d'être exclus de la Coupe du Championnat, il reste que nous nous estimons liés à la fois par l'honneur et l'inclination de nous en tenir à notre propre jeu, qui semble avoir toujours particulièrement bien convenu à nos joueurs.

i. Chaque but comptera deux poteaux droits de 4,8 mètres de hauteur, placés à 4,5 mètres de distance l'un de l'autre, auxquels sera fixée une barre transversale placée à 3 mètres du sol. Le terrain mesurera au maximum cent cinquante verges de longueur sur soixante-quinze verges de largeur.

ii. Le nombre de joueurs de chaque côté ne dépassera pas vingt et ne sera pas inférieur à dix. Le nombre final sera déterminé par les capitaines au début de chaque match.

iii. Les gagnants du tirage au sort auront le choix d'effectuer le botté d'envoi ou le choix des buts. La partie débutera par un coup de pied placé à partir du milieu du terrain et l'équipe adverse ne s'approchera pas à plus de dix verges du ballon.

iv. Le ballon sera botté (i) au début du match, (ii) après un but marqué ou (iii) à la fin de chaque demi-heure.

v. Après un but marqué, les équipes changeront de côté de terrain et l'équipe perdante effectuera le botté d'envoi. Toutefois, si aucun but n'est marqué par une ou l'autre des équipes dans la demi-heure, au bout de ce temps, on changera de côté.

vi. Le ballon peut être saisi sur un bond et porté. Le porteur du ballon pourra alors être plaqué ou écarté par un coup d'épaule, sans toutefois être fauché, étouffé ou frappé. Aucun joueur ne sera retenu à moins qu'il ne soit en possession du ballon.

vii. Dans le cas où un joueur en possession du ballon ou courant avec le ballon se fasse plaquer et réussisse à conserver le ballon, il peut crier sur-le-champ have it down ou attendre l'arrivée de ses coéquipiers.

viii. Un but peut être marqué par un seul coup de pied franc du ballon (c.-à-d. sans toucher les vêtements ou le corps d'un joueur d'une équipe) au-dessus de la barre transversale du but de l'adversaire, que le ballon touche ou non la barre transversale ou le poteau du but. Mais si le ballon passe directement au-dessus de l'un ou l'autre des poteaux du but, il s'agit d'un poster et non d'un but. Un but peut être marqué par n'importe quel coup de pied, sauf un coup de pied de volée.

ix. La durée d'un match sera de trois demi-heures. L'équipe victorieuse sera celle qui aura obtenu une majorité de buts et, dans le cas où aucun but n'est marqué, par une majorité de touchés; trois touchés équivalent un but.

x. Tous les joueurs sont en-jeu mais un joueur sera hors-jeu s'il entre dans une mêlée du coté de l'adversaire ou si, une fois dans la mêlée ou lorsque le ballon a été botté, touché ou est porté par un de ses coéquipiers derrière lui (c.-à-d. entre lui et sa ligne de but), il se place devant le ballon. Tout joueur qui est hors-jeu est hors du jeu; il ne doit toucher le ballon en aucun cas, ni faire obstruction à un joueur tant qu'il ne sera pas à nouveau en-jeu.

xi. Un joueur hors-jeu revient en-jeu lorsque le ballon a été botté ou a touché les vêtements ou le corps de n'importe quel joueur de l'équipe adverse ou lorsqu'un de ses coéquipiers court devant lui en portant le ballon ou l'a botté lorsqu'il se trouvait derrière lui.

xii. Un joueur qui porte le ballon peut le lancer vers son propre but ou faire une passe de derrière à n'importe quel joueur de son équipe qui se trouve derrière lui à ce moment, conformément au règlement de l'en-jeu.

xiii. Si le ballon est en-touche, le premier joueur de son côté qui s'en empare doit le ramener à la ligne de touche; ou si un porteur de ballon traverse en courant ou place un pied au-delà de la ligne de touche, il doit revenir avec le ballon à l'endroit où la ligne a été franchie et doit soit (i) placer le ballon dans le champ de jeu puis le porter en courant, le botter ou le lancer à ses coéquipiers, soit (ii) le lancer à angle droit vers la ligne de touche.

xiv. La ligne des buts est en-but et la ligne de touche est en-touche

xv. Si le ballon est lancé en-dehors des bornes de côté et placé derrière la ligne des buts, il sera remis en-jeu par un lancé en diagonale à partir du coin du terrain effectué par le joueur qui s'en est emparé.

xvi. Il est permis de s'emparer du ballon au sol pour quelque raison que ce soit, sauf s'il est en-touche.

xvii. En aucun cas, il ne sera permis de frapper ou de faire trébucher un joueur. Il sera interdit à quiconque portant des bottes ou des chaussures munies de clous protubérants, de plaques d'acier ou de guttas-perchas de participer à un match.

xviii. Dans le cas d'une infraction manifeste et volontaire aux règles du jeu, un botté sera accordé à l'équipe adverse à partir de l'endroit où l'infraction a été commise, mais il ne pourra en aucun cas y avoir un but marqué suivant un tel botté.

xix. Advenant qu'un joueur transgresse à répétition le règlement, son équipe s'en verra priver.

xx. Les disputes seront toutes tranchées par l'arbitre dont la décision sera finale.

Définition des termes

1. Un coup de pied tombé est effectué en laissant tomber le ballon au sol et en le frappant dès qu'il rebondit.

2. Un coup de pied placé est effectué en bottant le ballon après l'avoir placé dans une coche creusée dans le sol afin de le maintenir en place.

3. Un coup de pied de volée est effectué en laissant tomber le ballon et en le bottant avant qu'il n'atteigne le sol.


SOURCE :
Earl Zukerman
Relationniste
Services des sports
Université McGill
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
www.mcgill.ca/athletics