Various early ball games were played during the middle ages (5th to 16th century) and are sometimes referred to as folk football, mob football or Shrovetide football. Such games would usually be played between neighbouring towns and villages, involving an unlimited number of players on opposing teams, who would fight and struggle to move an inflated pig's bladder by any means possible to markers at each end of a town. Authorities would later attempt to outlaw such dangerous and unproductive pastimes.
Webb Ellis' father was stationed in Ireland with the Dragoons and stayed with his cousins in Tipperary, where, it is said, he would have witnessed the native game of Caid (Cad), but this is pure speculation - Source: letter to Irish Times 23rd January, 1968 by Rev. Liam Ferris. Ferris later admitted that he was stating hearsay in his letter.
The Welsh say that Caid was just a derivative of their sport of Cnapan (sometimes spelt Knapan or Knappan), which is claimed to have originated (and seems to have remained largely confined to) the Western counties of Wales, especially Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire. When this game was first played is a matter for speculation but the last recorded Cnapan type game in Wales is known to have occurred in Neath on Shrove Tuesday 1884, three years after the formation of the Welsh Football Union. Cnapan is similar to the Cornish game of 'hurling to goales'.
The Vikings also played a similar game to hurling called Knattleikr. In 865 a Great Army of Danish Vikings invaded England. There were fierce battles for several years. In the end the Vikings conquered all of northern, central and eastern England, and seized much of the land for their own farms. This area was called 'The Danelaw'. During the same period, Norwegian Vikings sailed to northern and western Scotland, and seized land for their farms around the coast and islands. They also settled in the Isle of Man, and parts of Wales.
The East Cornish game of hurling to goales dates back to the bronze age. West Cornwall and the West country played hurling over country.
Source: Rugbyfootbalhistory
