Royal High Corstorphine RFC
Encyclopedia
RHC Cougars are a rugby union
side based in Edinburgh
, Scotland
.
The team were established in 2003 from the merger of Corstorphine and Royal High rugby clubs, two separate clubs based in the west side of Edinburgh.
The team currently play their home games at Union Park and compete in Scottish National League Division 1.
The team has recently branded itself from being Royal High Corstorphine RFC.
----
Corstorphine-Royal High RFC is an Edinburgh
rugby union
club, formed from the merger of Corstorphine RFC and the old Royal High School
Former Pupils club (RHSFP, Royal HSFP, Royal High SFP etc). Although it is currently in Division ..., its historical connection with RHSFP makes it notable for several reasons, including the fact that it was a founder member of the Scottish Rugby Union
, the second oldest national governing body in the world.
rather than an FP club . They formerly played in pink strips.
The merged club uses Corstorphine RFC's ground at Carrick Knowe
.
was formerly a major private school in central Edinburgh, but has since become a local authority school in north west Edinburgh.
The Royal High School was playing a form of "football" by 1810 (the word "football" here referring to a handling code, rather than one like soccer). The Royal High played the first inter-school match with Merchiston
in 1858. The Royal High FP club was formally organised in 1867, and was a founder member of the Scottish Football Union (future SRU) in 1873.
The RHS Rugby Football
Club was formed in 1868. These clubs were pioneered by former and attending pupils, who originally played their games together. Among the celebrated student founders of cricket and rugby football at the school were Taverner Knott and Nat Watt, who undertook their labours with the encouragement of Thomson Whyte, reportedly the first master to take a serious interest in sport at the school. The sporting clubs were formally integrated into the school body when, in 1900, at the request of the club captains, two masters undertook the management of cricket and rugby.
Historically, RHSFP was much stronger, and produced players such as Mark Coxon Morrison
(sometimes considered the best Scottish captain ever, and a member of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
), and Pringle Fisher. Mark Morrison was capped 1896, and went to win twenty three caps. Angus Buchanan
of Royal High School FP, was the first person to score a try in international rugby.
Bill McLaren
recalls being chosen for a Scottish XV against the British Army for a game at Murrayfield
on 15 February 1947, which contained two RHSFP players: T.P.L. "Tom" M'Glashan and D.T. McLean. Tom M'Glashan, was being still selected for Scotland
in 1954, as the front row of a pack which contained three Macs, the others being Hugh McLeod
and Bob MacEwen.
For a while, they came to be located on the east side of the city, on the opposite side from the school's present location, at Jock's Lodge
. This put them in competition with Portobello RFC, Musselburgh
, Leith
and Trinity Academicals
for local talent.
Lismore RFC
was founded by former RHSFP players.
RHC have a very successful Women's team who play in the Scottish Women's Premier League. They boast several current and former Lionesses and Scotland players.
Former Corstorphine Legends
Both still playing when selected
Scotland Women Internationals:
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
side based in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The team were established in 2003 from the merger of Corstorphine and Royal High rugby clubs, two separate clubs based in the west side of Edinburgh.
The team currently play their home games at Union Park and compete in Scottish National League Division 1.
The team has recently branded itself from being Royal High Corstorphine RFC.
----
Corstorphine-Royal High RFC is an Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, formed from the merger of Corstorphine RFC and the old Royal High School
Royal High School (Edinburgh)
The Royal High School of Edinburgh is a co-educational state school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, and has, throughout its history, been high achieving, consistently attaining well above average exam results...
Former Pupils club (RHSFP, Royal HSFP, Royal High SFP etc). Although it is currently in Division ..., its historical connection with RHSFP makes it notable for several reasons, including the fact that it was a founder member of the Scottish Rugby Union
Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
, the second oldest national governing body in the world.
Corstorphine RFC
Unlike RHSFP, this club represented the western Edinburgh suburb of CorstorphineCorstorphine
Corstorphine was originally a village to the west of—and separate from—Edinburgh, Scotland, and is now a suburb of that city.Corstorphine retains a busy main street with many independent small shops, although a number have closed in recent years since the opening of several retail parks...
rather than an FP club . They formerly played in pink strips.
The merged club uses Corstorphine RFC's ground at Carrick Knowe
Carrick Knowe
Carrick Knowe is a suburb in the West of Edinburgh in Scotland, located approximately 3 miles from the city centre. It is bordered by Tyler's Acre to the North, the Glasgow railway line to the South, golf course to the East, and Saughton Road North to the West. The catchment area for the primary...
.
RHSFP
The Royal High SchoolRoyal High School (Edinburgh)
The Royal High School of Edinburgh is a co-educational state school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, and has, throughout its history, been high achieving, consistently attaining well above average exam results...
was formerly a major private school in central Edinburgh, but has since become a local authority school in north west Edinburgh.
The Royal High School was playing a form of "football" by 1810 (the word "football" here referring to a handling code, rather than one like soccer). The Royal High played the first inter-school match with Merchiston
Merchiston
Merchiston is a prosperous, mainly residential area in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The housing is primarily a mixture of large, late Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian villas – several of the latter by Edward Calvert – together with a smaller number of Victorian tenements and...
in 1858. The Royal High FP club was formally organised in 1867, and was a founder member of the Scottish Football Union (future SRU) in 1873.
The RHS Rugby Football
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
Club was formed in 1868. These clubs were pioneered by former and attending pupils, who originally played their games together. Among the celebrated student founders of cricket and rugby football at the school were Taverner Knott and Nat Watt, who undertook their labours with the encouragement of Thomson Whyte, reportedly the first master to take a serious interest in sport at the school. The sporting clubs were formally integrated into the school body when, in 1900, at the request of the club captains, two masters undertook the management of cricket and rugby.
Historically, RHSFP was much stronger, and produced players such as Mark Coxon Morrison
Mark Coxon Morrison
Mark Coxon Morrison was a Scottish rugby union footballer who captained both Scotland and the British Isles. He played for Scotland twenty three times between 1896 and 1904, and captained the team fifteen times, a record which stood until the era of Arthur Smith, sixty years later...
(sometimes considered the best Scottish captain ever, and a member of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports hall of fame in Scotland, initiated on St Andrew's Day 2001. It is a joint project organised by sportscotland, the national governmental body for Scottish sport, and the National Museums of Scotland. It is also funded by BBC Scotland and...
), and Pringle Fisher. Mark Morrison was capped 1896, and went to win twenty three caps. Angus Buchanan
Angus Buchanan (rugby)
Angus Buchanan was a Scottish international rugby and cricket player. One of the earliest Scottish players, he was capped for in 1871. He also played simultaneously for Royal High School FP, and the Edinburgh University RFC.He played in the first ever side, and scored the first try in...
of Royal High School FP, was the first person to score a try in international rugby.
- "Royal High, also a force in the nineteenth century, have had a similar history. They have continued to produce good players, but seldom good teams. They had a brief spell in the First Division, but never looked like establishing themselves. In recent years, the link between school and club has been broken... Royal H.S.F.P. have recently found difficulty in retaining the best players to come out of the Royal High School. Neither Colin TelferColin TelferColin McLeod Telfer, was a Scottish rugby union player, who played as a fly-half.He was capped seventeen times for between 1968-1976. He also played for Hawick RFC....
nor Gordon HunterGordon Hunter (rugby)Gordon Hunter was a New Zealand rugby union player, coach and selector. Hunter made a couple of appearances for Otago before a workplace accident left him without his left eye. He subsequently made a career as a coach and selector, coaching Otago, the Otago Highlanders, and the Auckland Blues. He...
ever played for them, though both worked in Edinburgh; Ivan Tukalo left Royal High for SelkirkSelkirk RFCSelkirk Rugby Football Club are a rugby union side based in Selkirk in the Borders, Scotland.They play in their home games at Philiphaugh, and are now in Premiership Division Two and the Border League ....
in the summer of 1983 after the club lost its First Division place."(Massie)
Bill McLaren
Bill McLaren
William Pollock "Bill" McLaren CBE was a Scottish rugby union commentator, teacher, journalist and one time rugby player. Until his retirement in 2002, he was known as 'the voice of rugby'...
recalls being chosen for a Scottish XV against the British Army for a game at Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
on 15 February 1947, which contained two RHSFP players: T.P.L. "Tom" M'Glashan and D.T. McLean. Tom M'Glashan, was being still selected for Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
in 1954, as the front row of a pack which contained three Macs, the others being Hugh McLeod
Hugh McLeod
Hugh McLeod was a Scottish-born lawyer and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Cape Breton in the Canadian House of Commons from 1878 to 1879 as a Liberal-Conservative member....
and Bob MacEwen.
For a while, they came to be located on the east side of the city, on the opposite side from the school's present location, at Jock's Lodge
Jock's Lodge
Jock's Lodge is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is bordered by Meadowbank to the west, and Piershill to the east. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it occurs as early as 1650. Jock is thought to be the name of a local shepherd in the early 17th century, with a small house near the...
. This put them in competition with Portobello RFC, Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
, Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
and Trinity Academicals
Trinity Academy
Trinity Academy is a state-run secondary school in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located on the border between the upscale leafy suburb of Trinity and Leith, next to Victoria Park, and a short distance from the banks of the Firth of Forth at Newhaven.-Admissions:Trinity Academy was...
for local talent.
Lismore RFC
Lismore RFC
Lismore RFC is a rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland. They were founded in 1901.They play in the East Regional League Division 1.-History:...
was founded by former RHSFP players.
RHC have a very successful Women's team who play in the Scottish Women's Premier League. They boast several current and former Lionesses and Scotland players.
Notable players
Royal High School FP players:- Alexander Gordon Petrie - played for Scotland in 18731872-73 Home Nations rugby union matchesThe 1872–73 Home Nations rugby union matches was a single international friendly held between the England and Scotland national rugby union teams...
- Alexander Thomson Wood - played for Scotland in 18731872-73 Home Nations rugby union matchesThe 1872–73 Home Nations rugby union matches was a single international friendly held between the England and Scotland national rugby union teams...
- T.P.L. "Tom" M'Glashan.
- D.T. McLean.
- AC Buchanan.
- Mark Coxon MorrisonMark Coxon MorrisonMark Coxon Morrison was a Scottish rugby union footballer who captained both Scotland and the British Isles. He played for Scotland twenty three times between 1896 and 1904, and captained the team fifteen times, a record which stood until the era of Arthur Smith, sixty years later...
. - Gary M Gray - Broke his leg playing
Former Corstorphine Legends
- Richard A Ward
- Ross J Young
Both still playing when selected
Scotland Women Internationals:
- Lee Cockburn
- Sonia Cull
- Louise Dalgliesh
- Cara DiSilva
- Sarah Dixon
- Ronnie Fitzpatrick
- Tanya Griffith
- Donna Kennedy
- Alison MacDonald
- Jilly McCord
- Mags McHardy
- Louise Moffat
- Lynne Reid
- Gayle Stewart