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The original version of subbuteo rugby first saw the light of day during the 1950s. It was a very different game to that which developed in the late 1960s, with the players represented by round, flat disks which were rolled along in order to travel up the field. Kicking was performed by a flat celluloid figure (see left) with a wire ring on the base, a bit like the bowler in subbuteo cricket. By placing the ball in the wire ring, and sharply striking the head of the playing figure, the ball would be flipped into the air and, with any luck, over the crossbar and through the goals. The game was a very poor representation of both rugby codes, and after failing to attract much interest it was quietly removed from circulation. |
Subbuteo rugby resurfaced in 1968 in an entirely new form. The playing figures and bases were like those used in soccer, only chunkier, and the kicking elements of the game had undergone an overhaul as well. Penalties and conversions were now taken using a specialist "live action" kicking figure which dwarfed all the other playing figures used in the game. Within a few years a kicking wedge had also been introduced to be used when kicking off or attempting drop goals. There was also a scrumming device in the shape of a rugby ball, but the pitch was a work of fantasy, bearing only scant resemblance to the pitches used in either code of rugby. The rules were also extremely slipshod, and left a lot open to interpretation. Nevertheless, the game sold in reasonable quantities, and remained in production until 1981, by which time a seven-a-side version was also on the market. A total of fifty-seven different teams were produced, and there were also numerous accessories such as a scoreboard, touch flags, fencing and referees.
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| 00 scale kicking figure | Kicking wedge | Chunky rugby player | Scrummer | Line flags |
Despite not being commercially produced for more than thirty years subbuteo rugby still boasts a fair number of adherents, although most would be better described as collectors rather than active players. As a point of interest, one of the first ever matches played under the auspices of the Lincoln Flickers was a subbuteo rugby match, with John Devaney's Argentina overcoming Mick Brien's Ireland by 5 points to 3. As you will readily infer from this, scoring in subbuteo rugby is notoriously difficult, although in a bid to alleviate this certain tweaks to the rules will be made for the forthcoming Lincoln Flickers Subbuteo Rugby Cup.
