We felt that Rugby was more than deserving of its own category at the Tripbase Awards. An expert panel of judges trawled the internet and found not only the best information on rugby, but the blogs which conveyed the unbridled passion and spirit of the game. The blogs which won the awards are without doubt the best players on the field.

The legend states that Rugby was invented by Rugby pupil William Webb Ellis when he picked up a football in his hands and ran towards the opponents' goal in 1823. Whether or not this is true, it is the best idea we have as to the birth of this great game and a proud statue of William Webb Ellis (who went on to be a clergyman) stands in the grounds of Rugby School in Warwickshire.

It was less than fifty years before the first international match was played, between England and Scotland in 1871. In the meantime, boys from Rugby and Eton had been trying to carry their respective versions of the rules through universities and football clubs.

The sport is full contact and injuries are commonplace, especially at school level where it is not uncommon for ambulances to attend fixtures. This has drawn criticism from all over the place, but the sport remains popular in England's public schools and around the world.

The blogs we've selected below deserve their awards for their devotion to the violent but noble sport. As a famous English saying states: "Football is a gentleman's game played by ruffians, and rugby is a ruffian's game played by gentlemen."