“The Indian Rugby” - and other Rugby-like sports

[Ticklishchap]

Today I read about a sport called Lubi Lakpi, played in Manipur, India, which has many Rugby-like characteristics that appear to be coincidental. However, unlike Rugger there are teams of seven men and instead of the ball there is … an oiled coconut ! The name itself means 'coconut snatching' apparently.

Have any of you heard of this sport - or indeed of any other unusual sports that could be described as Rugby-like?

 

[Amiga500]

Two more historical links would be the Irish Caid (the cross-country version), or perhaps even better, the Welsh Cnapan.

 

[Ticklishchap]

Two more historical links would be the Irish Caid (the cross-country version), or perhaps even better, the Welsh Cnapan.

Thank you very much for that. I have heard of Cnapan! When you say Caid, do you mean the original Caid, or Gaelic Football (which I believe is sometimes referred to as Caid)?

 

[Amiga500]

Thank you very much for that. I have heard of Cnapan! When you say Caid, do you mean the original Caid, or Gaelic Football (which I believe is sometimes referred to as Caid)?

The original - more specifically one version of the original.

What is Caid?

CAID is the name given to various ancient and traditional Irish football games. The term 'caid' is still used in some parts of Ireland to refer to modern Gaelic football. The word caid originally referred to the ball which was used. It was made out of animal skin, with a natural bladder inside.

www.independent.ie

One observer in the mid19th century, Father W. Ferris, described two main forms of caid during this period.

The first was the "field game" in which the object was to put the ball through arch-like goals, formed from the boughs of two trees.

The second form was the epic "cross-country game" which took up most of the daylight hours of a Sunday on which it was played, and was won by one team taking the ball across a parish boundary. Both of these were rough and tumble contact sports in which wrestling, pushing and the holding of opposing players was allowed.