When I was thinking of the subject of my geography half-dissertation I realised that I would have to write it about something I loved, and therefore tried to come up with a way to fitting it around rugby. (NB. It's called a 'half-dissertation' because I also studied Spanish, thus I had to write 6,000 words for my assessment, not the 12,000 as students studying only geography are required to write).

In a nutshell, geography is the study of any of the earth's processes, physical or human, so what better to research than the the diffusion of a human cultural phenomenon, namely Rugby Union, and its relation to various types of conflict throughout its chequered history? I decided to make it available on-line so that its reading is not confined to a few professors with no particular love for the game. I am sure that everyone who reads this will learn something new, but more importantly I sincerely hope that it is enjoyable and interesting and encourages further reading.

Of all the books, articles and web sites used, Sean Smith's book entitled "The Union Game" is the most heavily cited reference, as well as the most revealing and perhaps surprising. I highly recommend it to those interested in reading further on the history of the game. Two other sources I used are on the links page. Other sources mainly relate to history of the British Empire or population information and will be of limited interest to the average fan.

Any questions, criticism, comments etc. will be gratefully received, and can be made on the feedback page. Read the dissertation by clicking on the links above.

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