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The town is the spiritual home of the game which was invented nearly 200 years ago. Mind you, that’s not even half the number of miles it took to get here from Paris - 467 to be exact.

William Webb Ellis is the man credited with originating the sport of rugby football when, at the school here, he simply lifted the ball and ran with it. There's a statue of him taking pride of place in the town centre, and there’s a bar named after him too.

The town of Rugby is immensely proud of its sporting heritage and the museum is packed full of rugby memorabilia, including a flavour of Ireland. I even spotted an old Ulster shirt in there!

The museum, which has been making rugby balls since 1842, is the oldest building in the world associated with the sport. Thanks to Beccy, Angie and Jan for the whistle-stop tour. You can see footage on tonight’s report and I've also posted some extra video material.

Just down the road, we also called into Northampton Rugby Football Club which is home to three Ulstermen. Neil Best, Roger Wilson and Paul Shiels all ply their trade in the English Premiership. Neil is currently on Irish duty, but I caught up with the other two former Ulster players who both reflected on their days at Ravenhill. 

Roger, who is currently in the middle of a short suspension from rugby, told me of his disappointment at not making the current Irish squad, and how he hopes to impress coach Declan Kidney. He really wants to get involved in this campaign. You can watch our extended interviews with Roger and Paul by clicking on the link below.

So far we’ve pretty much avoided the snow. The main roads in England are clear, but I hear it may be different in Wales. We’re off to Cardiff tonight….not quite sure where we’ll end up tomorrow!