The history of American rugby is a direct evolution of English rugby, which originated from a variety of early "soccer-type" sports that were popular in public schools in the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century.

English rugby was first introduced to North America by the British Army when it was played at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. The first intercollegiate rugby game was played on November 6, 1869, between Rutgers University of New Jersey and Princeton University, with Rutgers defeating Princeton 6-4 - although the 25-man game against each other didn't bear much resemblance to modern American football.

The modern American football format developed during a three-game series between Harvard and McGill University in Montreal in 1874. McGill played the game similar to English rugby, while Harvard used the "Boston" style, which is more similar to soccer. Since there was no standardized ball rules, the two teams took turns playing with their own ball rules to be fair.

Harvard's players liked the way the ball was carried in football, so in 1875 they convinced Yale to adopt the football style as the style of play for their two teams, and in 1875 Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia formed the Intercollegiate Football Association. In 1875, Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Columbia formed the Intercollegiate Football Association with a football ball, but with a slightly modified scoring pattern.

Development of rugby in the 20th century?

In 1906, two rival organizations - the Intercollegiate Rules Committee and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association - met in New York City. The two formerly rival organizations - the Intercollegiate Rules Committee and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association - met in New York City and eventually agreed to several new rules to make soccer safer, including the establishment of a neutral zone between the offensive and defensive lines and the requirement that each team have at least seven players lined up at the line of scrimmage, but the most important reform was the legalization of the forward pass.

The rule was controversial at the time and derided by purists. Kemp proposed widening the stadium to allow players to spread out during the game, but Harvard representatives at the meeting said there was no room for expansion at their newly built Harvard Stadium, so they went ahead with the toss.

This example also established the difference between American soccer and the other footy sports that had evolved from rugby, and in 1910, after more deaths, the chain offense was banned, and in 1912 the number of touchdowns was increased to six, as well as the inclusion of a fourth down on every possession. By this time, the game had reformed to its modern mold.?

The above content refers to the official website of NFL China - The Origin and History of American Football