Timeline of the International Rugby Board

• 1884 England had a disagreement with Scotland over a try with England arguing that as they made the Law, if they said it was a try then it was. There was a messy dispute which pulled in the Irish and Welsh Unions on the side of Scotland.
  
  
• 1886 International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) was founded by the Rugby Unions of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
  
  
• 1890 England joins the IRFB and agrees that in future the IRFB would oversee the games between the home unions.
  
  
• 1930 It was agreed that all future matches were to be played under the laws of the IRFB.
  
  
• 1949 Australia, New Zealand and South Africa became members of the IRFB.
  
  
• 1978 France became a member of the IRFB.
  
  
• 1986 Canada became a member of the IRFB.
  
  
• 1987 Argentina, Fiji, Italy, Japan, Romania, Tonga, USA and Zimbabwe became members of the IRFB.
  
  
• 1988 Cote d’Ivoire, Spain and Samoa became members of the IRFB.
  
  
• 1989 Uruguay became a member of the IRFB.
  
  
• 1990 Namibian became a member of the IRFB.
  
  
• 1991 Georgia became a member of the IRFB.
  
  
• 1998 The International Rugby Football Board dropped the ‘F’ to become the IRB.