Great Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics the other semifinal. The two losing teams received bronze medals, while England took the gold by winning the final against Ireland, who received silver. In the jeu de paume competition, British players took the silver and bronze medals. Great Britain lost the only lacrosse match played in 1908 to Canada, earning the silver medal. Great Britain was the only nation to compete in polo in 1908, with two English teams and an Irish team competing. The host nation was the only one to compete in rackets in 1908. Great Britain lost the only rugby union match played in 1908 to
Sport in the United Kingdom in the sport have increased, particularly outside the heartland areas. Through competitions such as the Rugby league Conference the sport is heading towards a national spread, at amateur level at least. A single 'Great Britain Lions' team had competed in the Rugby league World Cup and Test match games, but this changed slightly in 2008 when England, Scotland and Ireland competed as separate nations. Internationally, only England (and sometimes Wales) field truly competitive teams in international rugby league. For many tournaments the home nations are combined to compete as Great Britain. The Great Britain team won the Rugby league World