Aired: 8/23/2019
The origins of rugby from European village football games in the Middle Ages to recreational hobby played by the well-to-do sons of the Establishment of 19th century Britain.
Aired: 8/30/2019
How rugby spread from British universities to men of all social classes in the biggest Empire in history, changing nations political fortunes along the way.
Aired: 9/6/2019
How the U.S.A. received then adapted rugby into America’s national game – and how France overcame British resistance to remake rugby as ‘the beautiful game’ on a level that astonished the world.
Aired: 9/20/2019
How rugby’s misguided attempts to cling to past glories allowed media visionary Rupert Murdoch to swoop in and turn a 100-year-old staunchly amateur game fully professional.
Aired: 9/26/2019
How France and England became the most powerful rugby nations in the world, and tiny, remote New Zealand became the number one team in rugby history.
Aired: 10/3/2019
How rugby returned to the Olympics in 2016 and finally opened its doors to women in a bold new era of change – in the process changing rugby from a niche into a sport for everyone in the world.
