Dogs, whistles and a man named Atack!
The Rugby World Cup begins this week and to celebrate I’ve just released two new books about rugby. Each day this week I’ll share interesting information about rugby to help you “warm up” for the tournament.
Day 1
Did you know that a New Zealander with the awesome name William Atack, was the first person in the world to use a whistle to control a sports game?
One day in 1884, William went home after refereeing a rugby game. He was exhausted from yelling at the players and wondered if there could be a better way to control the game.
William was a farmer and he knew that his sheep dogs responded whenever he blew a whistle. “Yeah, that might work,” he thought. “As long as the players don’t think I’m calling them dogs!”
Thankfully the players didn’t object and the whistle idea spread around the world. Find out more in Rugby:The History on sale now! https://www.readingwarrior.com/books/rugby-the-history/
