History of rugby union a successful kick at goal after scoring a try (a conversion) and three points for a dropped goal or for a penalty goal. Most of the changes have been to increase the value of tries compared to goals (conversions, penalties, dropped-goals, and goals from mark) in order to promote positive, attacking play. The first national rugby union was the Rugby Football Union, founded in England in 1871. This was followed over the next decade by the home nations of Scottish Football Union (1873, later SRU), Irish Rugby Football Union (1879) and Welsh Rugby Union (1881). The French Federation (1919) and
Rugby union in Samoa Rugby Football Union, it joined the IRB in 1988. When Western Samoa amended its constitution to change the country's name from "Western Samoa" to "Samoa", the union also changed its name, and dropped the word football to become the "Samoa Rugby Union". The union is also a member of the Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions (FORU). The Marist Brothers brought the game to Samoa in 1920 and The Apia Rugby Union was formed in 1924. On August 18, 1924 Western Samoa played its first international against Fiji in the capital Apia, the visitors winning 6-0. The Pacific Tri-Nations series between