Hunslet v Leeds (1901)

This film is part of the Mitchell and Kenyon collection - an amazing visual record of everyday life in Britain at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The music is by Stephen Horne, and was created for the 'Edwardian Sports' DVD release. To buy the DVD click here - filmstore.bfi.o...
All titles on the BFI Films channel are preserved in the vast collections of the BFI National Archive. To find out more about the Archive visit www.bfi.org.uk/...

[@RugbyLeagueisbest]

One game has evolved into a high speed competitive collision sport with excitement and tries. The other is still Rugby Union. As turgid then as it is now, but slowly taking in all the things that Rugby league have introduced.

[@salvadorm5046]

Too true dude!

[@marcusthornton2844]

+RugbyLeagueisbest 'As turgid then as it is now'..... You do realise this is a rugby league game don't you? This is from the Northern Union and is a professional game. The Northern Union became the Rugby League.

[@marcelopedrosa1999]

A vida é tão fugaz...todas essas pessoas já estão mortas agora. Que triste pensar nisso. Daqui mais cem anos seremos nós que estaremos mortos também. Muito triste.

[@snbboesen]

goin' to have a dig 'round in the family archives to see if I can add anything to this. My grandfather, William Stuart, was a young man in Hunslet at this time and it seems to me that he had a sister-in-law who was a great supporter of the local team.

[@danielwilkins4748]

I wish it was 1901 now

[@nickmullerITFC78]

EVEN BACK THEN LEEDS FELL APART AND STILL DO NOW

[@philipjenkins2198]

Oh it’s rugby 🏉 first very early rugby match I have seen

[@snbboesen]

goin' to have a dig around in my family archives to see if I can add anything to this...my grandfather was a young man in Hunslet at the time and I recall he had a sister-in-law who was a big supporter of the local team.

[@mingemonster1462]

Been 10 years, what have you found

[@CLUB_AFRICAIN]

2021

[@MartinJames389]

@JemMackie. Quite right. @admiralhanson doesn't have the history right. The game was CALLED "Northern Union" until 1922, but the first rule changes were introduced for the 1897-88 season (to make the game faster, as you say) and were well established by the time of this film.

[@CLUB_AFRICAIN]

2021

[@nickmullerITFC78]

13 years later they swapped sports fields for battle fields very sad

[@kamelkadri2843]

So was Rugby back then all about the scrum ?

[@Johnoco66]

Brilliant.

[@CLUB_AFRICAIN]

2021

[@poswoll]

No scrum caps, no tape. These are real men.

[@MartinJames389]

Where is this, I wonder? Parkside? Not sure if Hunslet were playing there in 1901, but I'll check later.

[@jonmann9306]

Was wearing a hat compulsory for over 18's in those days?

[@Voodoo_Robot]

what the hell are the guys playing? anyway: i like those frequent scrums. must have been fun to play.

[@zhbvenkhoReload]

Rugby rules

[@iainsharp7486]

The essentially Rugby Union rules of the day then meant there was a scrum after every tackle ...

[@OhYeahOhYeahBaby]

The early days of Rugby League.

[@CLUB_AFRICAIN]

2021

[@LeedsUnitedJohn]

I think a few snuk it without paying.

[@Greasechain]

i live in hunslet its in ls10 leeds :)

[@nickmullerITFC78]

so leeds started wearing white because of hunslet

[@tommytrinder.1226]

@@nickmullerITFC78 White is the colour of the county of Yorkshire.

[@nickmullerITFC78]

@@tommytrinder.1226 Leeds white ⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️🔵🚜

[@JemMackie]

@admiralhanson Bullshit. Northern union only played union rules for two seasons then changed the rules removing lineouts from the game then changing other rules to make the game faster. Unon can't be union without lineouts so this is definately not union.

[@discreetelite]

Everyone in this video is now dead

[@andynicholas8219]

oljackson99 I kno

[@EllisBurton3339]

Quite a statement ..

[@petermaxwell2965]

Long dead ..and their children...

[@darganx]

You think?

[@danielfreeley5217]

just think these people didnt even know what TikTok was, let alone probably never heard of KZbin. Never liked & subscribed in there lives, poor humans

[@gyorkshire257]

I hate being from Leeds and people assuming you support that shite that play at Headingley.

[@gilbertocbarros4146]

Those who didn't have ability to play football,would play this.

[@iainsharp7486]

Actually, there were FIVE professional rugby league teams in Leeds around this time, before Association Football got a foothold with Leeds City FC in 1904. In fact, it took the disbanding of one of those rugby teams (Holbeck RFC) who's members went on to form Leeds City.