Before Tees
In the early days of taking penalty attempts at goal and conversions the kicker would make a mound to hold the ball by forcing up the soil in the position of the kick. In situations where the surface was hard this did not work and so the next step was to have a man with a bucket of damp sand which was run on and the kicker would make a mound. Both these methods were not ideal though it has been noted that the use of sand can still be seen on occasions today.
Drop Kicks
Kicking Tees are a necessary piece of equipment in the modern game of rugby and have now been around us for a long time. The styles are a continuous evolution but can be as simple as using a training cone through to high tech adjustable units. With the evolution came concerns about player safety and the IRB banned the use of kicking tees to restart games hence the move to the drop kick start to the game in each half and after a score.