Scotland national rugby union team
Encyclopedia
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. They annually take part in the Six Nations Championship
and participate in the Rugby World Cup
, which takes place every four years.
Scottish rugby dates back to 1871, where they beat England
in the first international rugby union match at Raeburn Place
. Scotland competed in the Five Nations
from the inaugural tournament in 1883, winning it 14 times outright—including the last ever Five Nations in 1999
—and sharing it another 8. In 2000 the competition accepted a sixth competitor, Italy
, thus forming the Six Nations
. Since this change, Scotland have yet to win the competition. The Rugby World Cup was introduced in 1987 and Scotland have competed in all seven competitions, the most recent being in 2011
. Scotland's best finish came in 1991
, where they lost to the All Blacks
in the third place play-off
.
Scotland have a strong rivalry with the English
national team. They both annually compete for the Calcutta Cup
. Each year, this fixture is played out as part of the Six Nations. England are the current holders after defeating Scotland 22–16 at Twickenham
in the 2011 Six Nations
.
for details.)
The Scots enjoyed periodic success in the early days vying with Wales
in the first decade of the 20th century. However, their Triple Crown
win in 1907 would be the last for eighteen years as the First World War (1914–18) and England intervened to deny them glory.
In 1897 land was purchased, by the SFU, at Inverleith
, Edinburgh. Thus the SFU became the first of the Home Unions to own its own ground. The first visitors were Ireland, on 18 February 1899 (Scotland 3 Ireland 9). International rugby was played at Inverleith until 1925. The SFU bought some land and built the first Murrayfield Stadium
which was opened on 21 March 1925.
The Calcutta Cup
was donated to the Rugby Football Union
in 1878 by the members of the short-lived Calcutta Rugby
Club. The members had decided to disband: the cup was crafted from melted-down silver rupees which became
available when the Club's funds were withdrawn from the bank. The Cup is unique in that it is competed for annually
only by England and Scotland. The first Calcutta Cup match was played in 1879 and, since that time, over 100
matches have taken place.
champions of the two previous seasons were the first visitors to Murrayfield. 70,000 spectators saw the lead change hands three times before Scotland secured a 14–11 victory which gave them their first-ever Five Nations Grand Slam.
In 1926, Scotland became the first Home nation side to defeat England at Twickenham after England had won the Grand Slam five times in eight seasons.
The outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 brought rugby union in Scotland to a halt. The SRU cancelled all arranged trial and international matches and encouraged the member clubs to carry on as best they could. Some clubs closed down, others amalgamated and carried on playing other local clubs and, sometimes, teams from the armed forces stationed in their various areas.
The period after World War Two was not a successful one for Scotland. In 1951, the touring Springboks massacred Scotland 44–0 scoring nine tries, a then record defeat. Scotland suffered 17 successive defeats between February 1951 and February 1955, scored only 54 points in these 17 games: 11 tries, six conversions, and four penalties.
The teams from 1955–63 were an improvement. There were no wins over England, but three of the games were drawn and only twice was the margin of defeat more than a single. 1964 was a good year for Scotland. New Zealand were held to a 0–0 draw, the last international match in which no points were scored. The Calcutta Cup was won 15–6, the first time since 1950 and they shared the Five Nations title in 1964 with Wales.
In 1971 the SRU appointed Bill Dickinson
as their head coach, after years of avoidance, as it was their belief that rugby should remain an amateur sport. He was officially designated as an "adviser to the captain".
Scotland were the first of the Home
Unions to run a truly nationwide club league. This was introduced in 1973 and still flourishes today with several of the country's original clubs still very much in evidence, such as Heriots, West of Scotland, Watsonians
and the famous 'border' clubs such as Gala
, Hawick
, Jed-Forest
, Kelso
and Melrose
. However the advent of professionalism saw Scotland's District championship abandoned and two (later three) 'Super Districts' formed, which have resulted in the top players generally being unavailable for their clubs. These teams play in international club competitions such as the Heineken Cup and the Celtic League.
became national coach in 1980.
Scotland toured Australia and won the first test, which to date is Scotland's only away victory against any of the big three Southern Hemisphere sides. After this, the 1983 season was a disappointment, with only one victory at Twickenham in the last match.
The 1983–84 season brought a draw with the All Blacks 25–25 in the late autumn and their second Grand Slam
captained by Jim Aitken
. Jim Telfer stood down after the Grand Slam to concentrate on his professional career as a school master. He was succeeded by his assistant, the former Hawick fly-half, Colin Telfer.
Scotland went to the first World Cup, played in New Zealand and Australia in the summer of 1987. Rutherford, the team’s general and controlling influence, badly injured his knee on an unauthorised tour of Bermuda. He broke down after less than a quarter of an hour of the first World Cup match against France and never played for Scotland again. Scotland had been in the lead but the match finished level and Scotland had to face New Zealand in the quarter-final. They lost.
Their greatest year in the modern era, however, was 1990 when, captained by prop David Sole
, their season came down to one game, a Grand Slam decider at Murrayfield against the "auld enemy" and hot favourites, England. Sole famously walked his men onto the field with quiet but steely determination, to the delight of the partisan home crowd. Scotland won 13–7, and with it their third Grand Slam
.
The second World Cup took place in 1991 with matches shared between the Five Nations. Scotland won their pool, though the game against Ireland was close, and then beat Western Samoa in the quarter-final. They went out to England in the semi-final held at Murrayfield to a Rob Andrew drop goal. In the third place play-off they were again beaten by New Zealand.
The third World Cup, held in South Africa, came around in 1995. The tournament followed a familiar pattern: a narrow defeat by France, thanks to an injury-time try, meant that, as second in the pool, they faced a quarter-final against New Zealand and were eliminated.
Scotland also won the last-ever Five Nations Championship in 1999 with some dashing displays of 15-man rugby and to a last minute win by Wales over England, but that year’s World Cup ended the usual way, with a quarter-final defeat by New Zealand.
They endured a torrid Six Nations in 2000, losing their first four straight games. Nevertheless at the last hurdle, they pulled off a magnificent 19–13 win under captain Andy Nicol
over an unbeaten England at a rain-soaked Murrayfield
to prove that there is still plenty of pride and passion in Scottish rugby.
After a poor start in the Six Nations 2003–04 in which Scotland did not win a single match and so qualified for rugby's version of the wooden spoon
, things were believed to be steadily improving once again under the Australian coach Matt Williams
, the first foreigner to coach the national team.
Despite setbacks, many new and talented young players are coming through to the top level. Yet the record for 2004 was disappointing: Played 12, Won 2, Lost 10. Williams also attempted to introduce a controversial "Fortress Scotland" policy, whereby only those currently playing in Scotland were eligible to play in the national team. Meanwhile the Scottish Rugby Union
(SRU) is under new management, Chief Executive Phil Anderton
(known as 'Firework Phil' for his pre-match entertainment spectacles) was leading the way back to financial solvency and implementing major reforms to reverse the decline of the game in Scotland
, but he resigned in January 2005 after his boss David Mackay was forced to resign by the SRU's general committee. Since then, much effort and thought has gone into restructuring the way the game is governed in Scotland.
Frank Hadden
, the head coach of Edinburgh Gunners (previously a PE teacher at Merchiston Castle School
in Edinburgh), was appointed interim coach for the 2005 summer internationals against the Barbarians
and Romania
, winning two from two and instilling confidence in the national side again. On 15 September 2005, he was appointed national coach of the Scotland team up to and including the 2007 Rugby World Cup
.
In the first match of the 2006 Six Nations
campaign, against France, Scotland won 20–16, and this was the first time since 1999 that they had beaten France. Scotland also beat England 18–12 at home at Murrayfield
on 25 February 2006 to reclaim the Calcutta Cup
.
In the 2006 Autumn internationals Scotland won two of three fixtures. They convincingly beat Romania
and put up a solid first half performance against the Pacific Islanders
. In the final match against Australia
, Scotland failed to impress. A sound first half performance was squandered with an uncharacteristically poor defence in the second. Australia went on to win the game 44–15. The series provided a mixture of advances and setbacks. Scotland lost several key players through injury, notably captain Jason White suffered a knee injury and missed the entire 2007 Six Nations Championship
.
Scotland suffered a humiliating defeat on 24 February 2007 when they became the first Six Nations team to lose at home to Italy, 17–37. This was Italy
's biggest ever victory over Scotland, home or away. After only six minutes of the match Scotland were already trailing 0–21, due to a clearance kick being charged down and two interceptions by the Italians (caused by poor choice of game plan and sloppy passing in the 9/10 channel). Man of the match was awarded to Italian Alessandro Troncon
, who scored a late try to put the match out of reach.
Later that year, the side travelled to France for the Rugby World Cup. They fought their way through a difficult group and made it to the quarter finals where they were knocked out by Argentina.
Despite the promising World Cup, Scotland did not emerge into the Six Nations as the dark horses the media had predicted. Scotland opened their campaign at home but lost 27–6 to France. Pressure on Frank Hadden started to intensify after round 2 as Scotland lost 30–15 to a rejuvenated Wales side who could have scored more. Scotland finally managed to score a try, against Ireland, despite losing. They didn't need to score a try against England however as they regained the Calcutta Cup with a 15–9 victory in a dull contest. Scotland scored two tries against Italy but lost thanks to a drop goal in the last minute to go down 23–20. Scotland managed to avoid the wooden spoon on scoring difference but it was a disappointing campaign. They then toured Argentina to play two tests against Argentina. They lost the first test 21–15 and won the second 26–14.
In the 2009 Six Nations campaign, Scotland won just one match for a second consecutive year (against Italy) and thus, on 2 April 2009 Frank Hadden vacated the head coach position of the national side. On 4 June 2009, ex-England
, Edinburgh and Bath
coach Andy Robinson
was named head coach.
coach Andy Robinson
became Scotland coach in time for the 2009 Autumn Internationals
. Scotland's form picked up with a 23–10 victory over Fiji
and a memorable 9–8 win against Australia
(the first win over the Wallabies for 27 years) at Murrayfield
.
Scotland went into the 2010 Six Nations
with a renewed confidence, hoping to build off the successes in the autumn. After losing their first match to a superior French side
, Scotland looked to turn the corner against Wales in Cardiff. They scored two tries in the opening quarter of the match and held a 24–14 lead with seven minutes remaining. However, two players were sin-binned in that period, and Scotland strangely opted not to kick the ball into touch after Wales had tied the game just short of the 80 minute mark. The resulting passage of play saw Wales score the winning try and leave Scotland frustrated. The frustration continued in a loss to Italy and a draw with England. However, against Ireland
, in the final rugby match at Croke Park, Scotland stole the occasion, dominating the set pieces and continually attacking. They won the match 23–20 on a last-minute penalty by Dan Parks
, denying the Irish the Triple Crown and assuring they themselves would avoid the wooden spoon.
The championship was highlighted by Parks' influential return to the international foray, and the outstanding play of the 'Killer B' back row: Kelly Brown, John Barclay, and Johnnie Beattie
.
In the 2010 Summer Internationals
, Scotland toured Argentina and recorded their first ever away series victory, beating the Pumas in two tests, 24–16 (all points kicked by Dan Parks)and 13–9.
In the Autumn Internationals of 2010, Scotland lost an embarrassing 49–3 against the All Blacks, but then went on the next week to defeat then world champions South Africa 21–17. With their final Autumn Test drawing to a close, Scotland took victory over Samoa 19–16, with a last minute penalty kicked by Ruaridh Jackson
.
The 2011 Six Nations
saw the progress of the previous summer and autumn largely undone. While they had been predicted by many to win two games and challenge in one or two others, Scotland once again found themselves winless and in the running for the wooden spoon before the final round. With the exception of their first game against France and their last game against Italy
, Scotland again struggled to find the try-line. They were able to salvage something with a 21–8 win over Italy, but Robinson was unimpressed by his side's overall performance in the championship and insisted they could and would do better. Richie Gray
was a consistent performer in every game, and Chris Paterson
justified his return at full-back with his goal kicking and try-saving tackles on Ben Foden
of England and Italy's Luke McLean
. In the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Scotland went into the tournament having beat Ireland 10 - 6 and Italy 23 - 12. However, they didn't take that form into the first game where they played Romania 34 - 24, but they were 24 - 21 behind with a quarter of the game to go. They then beat Georgia 15 - 6 (All the points from Dan Parks) Before losing 13 - 12 to Argentina after a late try from the Argentinians. Needing a win going into their final match against England in Auckland, they lead 12 - 3 with a quarter of the game to go, only to lose out to a Chris Ashton try, going down 16 - 12. This was the first time Scotland had been knocked out in the group stages.
The thistle
is the national flower, and also the symbol of the Scotland national rugby union team. According to legend the "guardian thistle" has played its part in the defence of Scotland against a night attack by Norwegian Vikings, one of whom let out a yell of pain when he stepped barefoot on a thistle, alerting the Scottish defenders. The Latin Nemo me impune lacessit
("No-one provokes me with impunity!" in English) is an ancient motto of the Kings of Scotland, and also of Scotland's premier chivalric order, the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, and of the Scots Guards (the latter both "belonging" to the monarch).
Flower of Scotland
has been used since 1990 as Scotland's unofficial national anthem. It was written by Roy Williamson
of The Corries
in 1967, and adopted by the SRU to replace God Save the Queen
. In the first year of using Flower of Scotland as an anthem, Scotland walked onto the pitch at the beginning of the Five Nations Championship deciding match against England
. This combination was explosive and Scotland went on to beat England 13–7 and win the Five Nations Championship with a Grand Slam.
, a brand of Scotch whisky
whose logo is shown on the team jersey and shorts. In France, where alcohol sponsorship is banned by law, the regular logo was replaced with "TFG". On the occasion that Scotland is the home side and the opposing team normally wears dark colours, Scotland will use its change strip. Traditionally this is a white jersey with navy blue shorts and socks. For a brief period, when Cotton Oxford were the shirt sponsors, the white shirt was replaced by a bright orange one with orange and blue hoops on the sleeves. This was first used against the New Zealand Māori
14 November 1998. This change strip was replaced by the traditional white one just two years later. Also during this sponsorship deal, purple was introduced to the traditional blue jersey. This was a significant departure from the traditional colours of blue and white, although purple is inspired from the thistle
flower.
On 3 September 2007 it was announced that Rangers F.C.
chairman Sir David Murray's company would become the new shirt sponsor, investing £2.7 million over the next three years. This came as The Famous Grouse
ended its 17 year relationship with the team the month prior to this. The Famous Grouse
however, have maintained a low profile link to the Scottish Rugby Union
by becoming the main spirit sponsor. This deal is thought to be worth a tenth of the original cost and forbids the Scottish Rugby Union
from affiliating itself from any other whisky manufacturer. In August 2011, the Royal Bank of Scotland
took over as main sponsors of Scottish Rugby, after Sir David Murray's company decided to end their sponsorship.
Triple Crown: seven times winners.
Scotland was also the last Five Nations Champion in 1998–99. (The following year Italy joined the competition to make it the Six Nations.)
. In their semi-final on 26 October 1991 Scotland lost 6–9 to England at Murrayfield after Gavin Hastings missed a penalty almost in front of and a short distance from the posts. On 30 October Scotland lost the third-place play-off to New Zealand in Cardiff 13–6. Since then they have qualified for the quarter-finals in every tournament (except the most recent, 2011), but have not since qualified for the semi-finals.
----
side 100–8 on 13 November 2004. The previous record had been 89–0 against Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in the first round of Rugby World Cup 1995. The game versus Japan was played at the home of St. Johnstone F.C., McDiarmid Park
, Perth
. It was the first time that Scotland had ever played "North of the Forth" (i.e. the Firth of Forth
) in the Caledonian region. In the same game Chris Paterson
moved ahead of Andy Irvine
in the list of Scotland's all-time points scorers.
Their Test match record against all nations:
.
Head Coach: Andy Robinson
:
McGeechan and Bill Maclagan
are members of the IRB Hall of Fame
.
, a lecturer at Jordanhill College
, and his contribution to Scottish rugby in the 1970s was immense. Nairn McEwan
took the reigns in 1977 for three years before the team was led by Jim Telfer
in 1980. Apart from 1985-1988 when they were coached by Derrick Grant
, Scotland was coached by either Telfer or Ian McGeechan
until 2003 when the Australian Matt Williams
was appointed. Scotland have appointed only one other foreign coach to lead the national side, the other being the incumbent Andy Robinson
, an Englishman. Robinson took the reigns in 2009 after Frank Hadden
stepped down. Robinson was no stranger to Scottish rugby as, like his predecessor Hadden, had been the head coach of Edinburgh Rugby and joint coach of Scotland A
before being promoted to his current position.
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...
in international 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...
. Rugby union in Scotland
Rugby union in Scotland
Rugby union is a popular team sport in Scotland. The national side today competes in the annual Six Nations Championship and the Rugby World Cup. The first ever international rugby match was played on March 27, 1871, at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh, when Scotland defeated England in front of 4,000...
is administered by 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 Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings
IRB World Rankings
The IRB World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in rugby union, managed by the International Rugby Board , the sport's governing body. The teams of the IRB's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
as of 19 September 2011. They annually take part in the Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
and participate in the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
, which takes place every four years.
Scottish rugby dates back to 1871, where they beat England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
in the first international rugby union match at Raeburn Place
Raeburn Place
Raeburn Place is the main street of Stockbridge, Edinburgh, and the name of the playing fields there.-Rugby:The first international rugby football game was played on the playing fields at Raeburn Place on 27 March 1871 between England and Scotland. It was won by Scotland, though England got revenge...
. Scotland competed in the Five Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
from the inaugural tournament in 1883, winning it 14 times outright—including the last ever Five Nations in 1999
1999 Five Nations Championship
The 1999 Five Nations Championship was the seventieth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-fifth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
—and sharing it another 8. In 2000 the competition accepted a sixth competitor, Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
, thus forming the Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
. Since this change, Scotland have yet to win the competition. The Rugby World Cup was introduced in 1987 and Scotland have competed in all seven competitions, the most recent being in 2011
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
. Scotland's best finish came in 1991
1991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
, where they lost to the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in the third place play-off
Third place playoff
The third place playoff is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The teams that compete in the third place playoffs are usually the two losing semi-finalists in a particular...
.
Scotland have a strong rivalry with the English
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
national team. They both annually compete for the Calcutta Cup
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between England and Scotland. It is currently England's since the 2009 Six Nations Championship....
. Each year, this fixture is played out as part of the Six Nations. England are the current holders after defeating Scotland 22–16 at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
in the 2011 Six Nations
2011 Six Nations Championship
The 2011 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2011 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 12th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy,...
.
1871–1924
The Scots issue a challenge
The newspaper notice advertising the very first rugby international match – inconspicuous by being slotted in between other items. (From The Scotsman, 27.3.1871) In December 1870 a group of Scots players issued a letter of challenge in The Scotsman and in Bell's Life in London, to play an England XX at the carrying game. The English could hardly ignore such a challenge and this led to the first-ever rugby international match being played at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, on Monday 27 March 1871. The Scots won the encounter by a goal and a try to a solitary try scored by England (a points scoring system had not then been devised). England got revenge at the Kennington Oval, London in the following year. (See the library of the Scottish Rugby UnionScottish 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:...
for details.)
The Scots enjoyed periodic success in the early days vying with Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
in the first decade of the 20th century. However, their Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
win in 1907 would be the last for eighteen years as the First World War (1914–18) and England intervened to deny them glory.
In 1897 land was purchased, by the SFU, at Inverleith
Inverleith
Inverleith is an inner suburb in the northern part of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the fringes of the central region of the city. It is an affluent suburb. Its neighbours include Trinity to the north and the New Town to the south, with Canonmills at the south-east and Stockbridge at the south-west...
, Edinburgh. Thus the SFU became the first of the Home Unions to own its own ground. The first visitors were Ireland, on 18 February 1899 (Scotland 3 Ireland 9). International rugby was played at Inverleith until 1925. The SFU bought some land and built the first Murrayfield Stadium
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...
which was opened on 21 March 1925.
The Calcutta Cup
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between England and Scotland. It is currently England's since the 2009 Six Nations Championship....
was donated to the Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
in 1878 by the members of the short-lived Calcutta Rugby
Club. The members had decided to disband: the cup was crafted from melted-down silver rupees which became
available when the Club's funds were withdrawn from the bank. The Cup is unique in that it is competed for annually
only by England and Scotland. The first Calcutta Cup match was played in 1879 and, since that time, over 100
matches have taken place.
1925–1945
In 1925 Scotland already had victories over France at Inverleith (25–4), Wales in Swansea (24–14) and Ireland in Dublin (14–8). England, the Grand SlamGrand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
champions of the two previous seasons were the first visitors to Murrayfield. 70,000 spectators saw the lead change hands three times before Scotland secured a 14–11 victory which gave them their first-ever Five Nations Grand Slam.
In 1926, Scotland became the first Home nation side to defeat England at Twickenham after England had won the Grand Slam five times in eight seasons.
The outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 brought rugby union in Scotland to a halt. The SRU cancelled all arranged trial and international matches and encouraged the member clubs to carry on as best they could. Some clubs closed down, others amalgamated and carried on playing other local clubs and, sometimes, teams from the armed forces stationed in their various areas.
1946–1973
Official internationals resumed in the 1946–7 season. In the Spring of 1946, Scotland played and defeated a strong New Zealand and Forces team.The period after World War Two was not a successful one for Scotland. In 1951, the touring Springboks massacred Scotland 44–0 scoring nine tries, a then record defeat. Scotland suffered 17 successive defeats between February 1951 and February 1955, scored only 54 points in these 17 games: 11 tries, six conversions, and four penalties.
The teams from 1955–63 were an improvement. There were no wins over England, but three of the games were drawn and only twice was the margin of defeat more than a single. 1964 was a good year for Scotland. New Zealand were held to a 0–0 draw, the last international match in which no points were scored. The Calcutta Cup was won 15–6, the first time since 1950 and they shared the Five Nations title in 1964 with Wales.
In 1971 the SRU appointed Bill Dickinson
Bill Dickinson
Bill Dickinson is a former rugby union player who was appointed the first official national coach of in 1971. Richard Bath points out that Dickinson's appointment made an "immediate impact" in performance, leading to a one point loss to a "rampant side" and wins against and others...
as their head coach, after years of avoidance, as it was their belief that rugby should remain an amateur sport. He was officially designated as an "adviser to the captain".
Scotland were the first of the Home
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
Unions to run a truly nationwide club league. This was introduced in 1973 and still flourishes today with several of the country's original clubs still very much in evidence, such as Heriots, West of Scotland, Watsonians
Watsonians RFC
Watsonian Football Club is a rugby union club based in Edinburgh and part of the Scottish Rugby Union. The club is connected with George Watson's College as a club for former pupils, but now accepts players who did not attend the school...
and the famous 'border' clubs such as Gala
Gala RFC
Gala Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team based in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, founded in 1875, they play their home games at Netherdale....
, Hawick
Hawick RFC
Hawick Rugby Football Club is a semi-professional rugby union side, currently playing in the Premiership Division One and Border League. The team are based at Mansfield Park at Hawick in the Scottish Borders....
, Jed-Forest
Jed-Forest RFC
Jed-Forest Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team who are based at Riverside Park in Jedburgh.One of the world's oldest and most famous clubs, the team was founded in 1885 and currently play in Premiership Division Two and the Border League .-Honours:Kings of the Sevens - 2006Jed-Forest Sevens...
, Kelso
Kelso RFC
Kelso Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team founded in 1876. They play their home games at Poynder Park, Kelso in the Scottish Borders.Team team currently play in Premiership Division Two and Border League .Kelso's Sevens Tournament takes place annually in August and the competition is part of...
and Melrose
Melrose RFC
Melrose Rugby Football Club, located in the town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders, is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world.-History:The club was formed in 1877 and was elected to full membership of the Scottish Rugby Union in 1880...
. However the advent of professionalism saw Scotland's District championship abandoned and two (later three) 'Super Districts' formed, which have resulted in the top players generally being unavailable for their clubs. These teams play in international club competitions such as the Heineken Cup and the Celtic League.
1974–2000
Jim TelferJim Telfer
James "Jim" Telfer is a Scottish rugby union coach and a former rugby player. A former headmaster at Hawick High School and chemistry teacher, he has won fame as a Scottish forwards coach who gave punishing training sessions to his players...
became national coach in 1980.
Scotland toured Australia and won the first test, which to date is Scotland's only away victory against any of the big three Southern Hemisphere sides. After this, the 1983 season was a disappointment, with only one victory at Twickenham in the last match.
The 1983–84 season brought a draw with the All Blacks 25–25 in the late autumn and their second Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
captained by Jim Aitken
Jim Aitken
Jim Aitken is a British businessman and former Scotland international rugby union player. He won 24 international caps and scored one try, playing at loose head prop, between 1977 and 1984, and captained the Scottish Grand Slam side in the 1984 Five Nations Championship.He is now a successful...
. Jim Telfer stood down after the Grand Slam to concentrate on his professional career as a school master. He was succeeded by his assistant, the former Hawick fly-half, Colin Telfer.
Scotland went to the first World Cup, played in New Zealand and Australia in the summer of 1987. Rutherford, the team’s general and controlling influence, badly injured his knee on an unauthorised tour of Bermuda. He broke down after less than a quarter of an hour of the first World Cup match against France and never played for Scotland again. Scotland had been in the lead but the match finished level and Scotland had to face New Zealand in the quarter-final. They lost.
Their greatest year in the modern era, however, was 1990 when, captained by prop David Sole
David Sole
David Sole is a former Scottish rugby union footballer. He was educated at Blairmore prep school and Glenalmond College, a private school in Perthshire....
, their season came down to one game, a Grand Slam decider at Murrayfield against the "auld enemy" and hot favourites, England. Sole famously walked his men onto the field with quiet but steely determination, to the delight of the partisan home crowd. Scotland won 13–7, and with it their third Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
.
The second World Cup took place in 1991 with matches shared between the Five Nations. Scotland won their pool, though the game against Ireland was close, and then beat Western Samoa in the quarter-final. They went out to England in the semi-final held at Murrayfield to a Rob Andrew drop goal. In the third place play-off they were again beaten by New Zealand.
The third World Cup, held in South Africa, came around in 1995. The tournament followed a familiar pattern: a narrow defeat by France, thanks to an injury-time try, meant that, as second in the pool, they faced a quarter-final against New Zealand and were eliminated.
Scotland also won the last-ever Five Nations Championship in 1999 with some dashing displays of 15-man rugby and to a last minute win by Wales over England, but that year’s World Cup ended the usual way, with a quarter-final defeat by New Zealand.
They endured a torrid Six Nations in 2000, losing their first four straight games. Nevertheless at the last hurdle, they pulled off a magnificent 19–13 win under captain Andy Nicol
Andy Nicol
Andrew Douglas Nicol , is a former rugby union player and the first British player to lift the Heineken Cup as captain of Bath Rugby...
over an unbeaten England at a rain-soaked 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...
to prove that there is still plenty of pride and passion in Scottish rugby.
2001-2009
Wooden spoon (award)
A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
, things were believed to be steadily improving once again under the Australian coach Matt Williams
Matt Williams (rugby coach)
Matt Williams is an Australian rugby union coach from New South Wales.Williams, a teacher by profession, started in coaching at club level with Western Suburbs in Sydney, Australia in 1991...
, the first foreigner to coach the national team.
Despite setbacks, many new and talented young players are coming through to the top level. Yet the record for 2004 was disappointing: Played 12, Won 2, Lost 10. Williams also attempted to introduce a controversial "Fortress Scotland" policy, whereby only those currently playing in Scotland were eligible to play in the national team. Meanwhile 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:...
(SRU) is under new management, Chief Executive Phil Anderton
Phil Anderton
-Scottish Rugby Union:Anderton is currently the Chief Executive Offiver of Al Jazira Club in Abu Dhabi. He was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Scottish Rugby Union in February 2004, after several years of successful marketing within the SRU....
(known as 'Firework Phil' for his pre-match entertainment spectacles) was leading the way back to financial solvency and implementing major reforms to reverse the decline of the game in 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...
, but he resigned in January 2005 after his boss David Mackay was forced to resign by the SRU's general committee. Since then, much effort and thought has gone into restructuring the way the game is governed in Scotland.
Frank Hadden
Frank Hadden
Frank Hadden is a Scottish rugby union coach. He is a former head coach of Scotland and Edinburgh Rugby.Hadden replaced Matt Williams and was appointed on 15 September 2005. Hadden coached the Merchiston Castle School 1st XV after being appointed Head of Physical Education at the school in 1983...
, the head coach of Edinburgh Gunners (previously a PE teacher at Merchiston Castle School
Merchiston Castle School
Merchiston Castle School is an independent school for boys in the village of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has about 480 pupils and is open to boys between the ages of 8 and 18 as either boarders or day pupils; day pupils make up 35% of the school....
in Edinburgh), was appointed interim coach for the 2005 summer internationals against the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
and Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
, winning two from two and instilling confidence in the national side again. On 15 September 2005, he was appointed national coach of the Scotland team up to and including the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
.
In the first match of the 2006 Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
campaign, against France, Scotland won 20–16, and this was the first time since 1999 that they had beaten France. Scotland also beat England 18–12 at home 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 25 February 2006 to reclaim the Calcutta Cup
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between England and Scotland. It is currently England's since the 2009 Six Nations Championship....
.
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
and put up a solid first half performance against the Pacific Islanders
Pacific Islanders rugby union team
The Pacific Islanders rugby union team is an international rugby union team, started in 2004, that represents Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. While Niue and the Cook Islands are not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004...
. In the final match against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, Scotland failed to impress. A sound first half performance was squandered with an uncharacteristically poor defence in the second. Australia went on to win the game 44–15. The series provided a mixture of advances and setbacks. Scotland lost several key players through injury, notably captain Jason White suffered a knee injury and missed the entire 2007 Six Nations Championship
2007 Six Nations Championship
The 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
.
Scotland suffered a humiliating defeat on 24 February 2007 when they became the first Six Nations team to lose at home to Italy, 17–37. This was Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
's biggest ever victory over Scotland, home or away. After only six minutes of the match Scotland were already trailing 0–21, due to a clearance kick being charged down and two interceptions by the Italians (caused by poor choice of game plan and sloppy passing in the 9/10 channel). Man of the match was awarded to Italian Alessandro Troncon
Alessandro Troncon
Alessandro Troncon is a former Italian rugby union player.Troncon has made more test appearances than any other player in Italian rugby union history. The veteran scrum-half made his Italy debut against Spain in 1994 and has played alongside fly-half Diego Dominguez on more than 50 occasions...
, who scored a late try to put the match out of reach.
Later that year, the side travelled to France for the Rugby World Cup. They fought their way through a difficult group and made it to the quarter finals where they were knocked out by Argentina.
Despite the promising World Cup, Scotland did not emerge into the Six Nations as the dark horses the media had predicted. Scotland opened their campaign at home but lost 27–6 to France. Pressure on Frank Hadden started to intensify after round 2 as Scotland lost 30–15 to a rejuvenated Wales side who could have scored more. Scotland finally managed to score a try, against Ireland, despite losing. They didn't need to score a try against England however as they regained the Calcutta Cup with a 15–9 victory in a dull contest. Scotland scored two tries against Italy but lost thanks to a drop goal in the last minute to go down 23–20. Scotland managed to avoid the wooden spoon on scoring difference but it was a disappointing campaign. They then toured Argentina to play two tests against Argentina. They lost the first test 21–15 and won the second 26–14.
In the 2009 Six Nations campaign, Scotland won just one match for a second consecutive year (against Italy) and thus, on 2 April 2009 Frank Hadden vacated the head coach position of the national side. On 4 June 2009, ex-England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
, Edinburgh and Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
coach Andy Robinson
Andy Robinson
Richard Andrew 'Andy' Robinson OBE is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He is currently the head coach of Scotland.Robinson played as an openside flanker for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions...
was named head coach.
2009-present
Former EnglandEngland national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
coach Andy Robinson
Andy Robinson
Richard Andrew 'Andy' Robinson OBE is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He is currently the head coach of Scotland.Robinson played as an openside flanker for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions...
became Scotland coach in time for the 2009 Autumn Internationals
2009 end of year rugby tests
The 2009 end of year rugby tests, also known as the Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, tour the northern hemisphere....
. Scotland's form picked up with a 23–10 victory over Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
and a memorable 9–8 win against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
(the first win over the Wallabies for 27 years) 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...
.
Scotland went into the 2010 Six Nations
2010 Six Nations Championship
The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
with a renewed confidence, hoping to build off the successes in the autumn. After losing their first match to a superior French side
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, Scotland looked to turn the corner against Wales in Cardiff. They scored two tries in the opening quarter of the match and held a 24–14 lead with seven minutes remaining. However, two players were sin-binned in that period, and Scotland strangely opted not to kick the ball into touch after Wales had tied the game just short of the 80 minute mark. The resulting passage of play saw Wales score the winning try and leave Scotland frustrated. The frustration continued in a loss to Italy and a draw with England. However, against Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, in the final rugby match at Croke Park, Scotland stole the occasion, dominating the set pieces and continually attacking. They won the match 23–20 on a last-minute penalty by Dan Parks
Dan Parks
Daniel Arthur Parks is a Scottish international rugby union player who plays for RaboDirect Pro12 side Cardiff Blues as fly-half...
, denying the Irish the Triple Crown and assuring they themselves would avoid the wooden spoon.
The championship was highlighted by Parks' influential return to the international foray, and the outstanding play of the 'Killer B' back row: Kelly Brown, John Barclay, and Johnnie Beattie
Johnnie Beattie
John William "Johnnie" Beattie is a Scottish rugby union player who plays for Glasgow Warriors at the number 8 position.-Background:...
.
In the 2010 Summer Internationals
2010 mid-year rugby test series
The 2010 mid-year rugby Test series refers to the rugby union Internationals that were played from late May to late June, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere....
, Scotland toured Argentina and recorded their first ever away series victory, beating the Pumas in two tests, 24–16 (all points kicked by Dan Parks)and 13–9.
In the Autumn Internationals of 2010, Scotland lost an embarrassing 49–3 against the All Blacks, but then went on the next week to defeat then world champions South Africa 21–17. With their final Autumn Test drawing to a close, Scotland took victory over Samoa 19–16, with a last minute penalty kicked by Ruaridh Jackson
Ruaridh Jackson
Ruaridh James Howard Jackson is a Scottish rugby union footballer. He plays professional rugby for Glasgow Warriors....
.
The 2011 Six Nations
2011 Six Nations Championship
The 2011 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2011 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 12th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy,...
saw the progress of the previous summer and autumn largely undone. While they had been predicted by many to win two games and challenge in one or two others, Scotland once again found themselves winless and in the running for the wooden spoon before the final round. With the exception of their first game against France and their last game against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
, Scotland again struggled to find the try-line. They were able to salvage something with a 21–8 win over Italy, but Robinson was unimpressed by his side's overall performance in the championship and insisted they could and would do better. Richie Gray
Richie Gray (rugby player)
Richie Gray is a Scottish international rugby union player currently playing for Glasgow Warriors. It was announced in November 2011 that Gray would be leaving the Warriors at the end of the current season, having agreed to sign for the Sale Sharks.A former Kelvinside Academy student, he has...
was a consistent performer in every game, and Chris Paterson
Chris Paterson
Chris Paterson is a Scotland internationalist who plays for RaboDirect Pro12 side Edinburgh Rugby. He is Scotland’s record cap and points holder with 109 caps and 809 points. Paterson is capable in a range of positions, including fullback, wing and fly-half. In recent years Paterson has played...
justified his return at full-back with his goal kicking and try-saving tackles on Ben Foden
Ben Foden
Benjamin Foden is a rugby union footballer who plays for Northampton Saints and England. He plays at fullback or scrum-half, but can also operate on the wing...
of England and Italy's Luke McLean
Luke McLean
Luke McLean is an Italian Australian rugby union footballer who plays at fullback and fly-half for Treviso in Italy. He has also represented the Italy national rugby union team.-Background:McLean was born in Townsville, Queensland...
. In the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Scotland went into the tournament having beat Ireland 10 - 6 and Italy 23 - 12. However, they didn't take that form into the first game where they played Romania 34 - 24, but they were 24 - 21 behind with a quarter of the game to go. They then beat Georgia 15 - 6 (All the points from Dan Parks) Before losing 13 - 12 to Argentina after a late try from the Argentinians. Needing a win going into their final match against England in Auckland, they lead 12 - 3 with a quarter of the game to go, only to lose out to a Chris Ashton try, going down 16 - 12. This was the first time Scotland had been knocked out in the group stages.
Thistle and the anthem
Thistle
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
is the national flower, and also the symbol of the Scotland national rugby union team. According to legend the "guardian thistle" has played its part in the defence of Scotland against a night attack by Norwegian Vikings, one of whom let out a yell of pain when he stepped barefoot on a thistle, alerting the Scottish defenders. The Latin Nemo me impune lacessit
Nemo me impune lacessit
Nemo me impune lacessit is the Latin motto of the Order of the Thistle and of three Scottish regiments of the British Army. The motto also appears, in conjunction with the collar of the Order of the Thistle, in later versions of the Royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Scotland and subsequently in...
("No-one provokes me with impunity!" in English) is an ancient motto of the Kings of Scotland, and also of Scotland's premier chivalric order, the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, and of the Scots Guards (the latter both "belonging" to the monarch).
Flower of Scotland
Flower of Scotland
Flower of Scotland is a Scottish song, used frequently at special occasions and sporting events. Although there is no official national anthem of Scotland, Flower of Scotland is one of a number of songs which unofficially fulfil this role, along with the older Scots Wha Hae, Scotland the Brave...
has been used since 1990 as Scotland's unofficial national anthem. It was written by Roy Williamson
Roy Williamson
Roy Murdoch Buchanan Williamson was a Scottish songwriter and folk musician, most notably with The Corries.-Early life:...
of The Corries
The Corries
The Corries were a Scottish folk group that emerged from the Scottish folk revival of the early 1960s. Although the group was a trio in the early days, it was as the partnership of Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne that it is best known.-Early years:...
in 1967, and adopted by the SRU to replace God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
. In the first year of using Flower of Scotland as an anthem, Scotland walked onto the pitch at the beginning of the Five Nations Championship deciding match against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
. This combination was explosive and Scotland went on to beat England 13–7 and win the Five Nations Championship with a Grand Slam.
Strip
Scotland have traditionally worn navy blue jerseys, white shorts and blue socks. The team sponsor used to be The Famous GrouseThe Famous Grouse
The Famous Grouse is a brand of blended Scotch whisky, first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd. in 1897, and now produced by The Edrington Group. The malt whiskies used in The Famous Grouse blend include The Glenrothes, Highland Park Single Malt and Macallan Single Malt. Its emblem is the Red...
, a brand of Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...
whose logo is shown on the team jersey and shorts. In France, where alcohol sponsorship is banned by law, the regular logo was replaced with "TFG". On the occasion that Scotland is the home side and the opposing team normally wears dark colours, Scotland will use its change strip. Traditionally this is a white jersey with navy blue shorts and socks. For a brief period, when Cotton Oxford were the shirt sponsors, the white shirt was replaced by a bright orange one with orange and blue hoops on the sleeves. This was first used against the New Zealand Māori
New Zealand Maori rugby union team
New Zealand Māori is a rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa or genealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often...
14 November 1998. This change strip was replaced by the traditional white one just two years later. Also during this sponsorship deal, purple was introduced to the traditional blue jersey. This was a significant departure from the traditional colours of blue and white, although purple is inspired from the thistle
Thistle
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
flower.
On 3 September 2007 it was announced that Rangers F.C.
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
chairman Sir David Murray's company would become the new shirt sponsor, investing £2.7 million over the next three years. This came as The Famous Grouse
The Famous Grouse
The Famous Grouse is a brand of blended Scotch whisky, first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd. in 1897, and now produced by The Edrington Group. The malt whiskies used in The Famous Grouse blend include The Glenrothes, Highland Park Single Malt and Macallan Single Malt. Its emblem is the Red...
ended its 17 year relationship with the team the month prior to this. The Famous Grouse
The Famous Grouse
The Famous Grouse is a brand of blended Scotch whisky, first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd. in 1897, and now produced by The Edrington Group. The malt whiskies used in The Famous Grouse blend include The Glenrothes, Highland Park Single Malt and Macallan Single Malt. Its emblem is the Red...
however, have maintained a low profile link to 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:...
by becoming the main spirit sponsor. This deal is thought to be worth a tenth of the original cost and forbids 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:...
from affiliating itself from any other whisky manufacturer. In August 2011, the Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
took over as main sponsors of Scottish Rugby, after Sir David Murray's company decided to end their sponsorship.
Six Nations
Rugby Union Five Nations Championship Grand Slams (including Triple Crown): 1925, 1984, 1990.Triple Crown: seven times winners.
Scotland was also the last Five Nations Champion in 1998–99. (The following year Italy joined the competition to make it the Six Nations.)
World Cup
Scotland has competed in every Rugby World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1987. Their best finish was fourth in 19911991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
. In their semi-final on 26 October 1991 Scotland lost 6–9 to England at Murrayfield after Gavin Hastings missed a penalty almost in front of and a short distance from the posts. On 30 October Scotland lost the third-place play-off to New Zealand in Cardiff 13–6. Since then they have qualified for the quarter-finals in every tournament (except the most recent, 2011), but have not since qualified for the semi-finals.
----
| Year | Stage | Team | Score | Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Pool 4 | 20–20 | Lancaster Park | ||
| 1987 | Pool 4 | 60–21 | Athletic Park | ||
| 1987 | Pool 4 | 28–55 | Carisbrook | ||
| 1987 | Quarter-final | 30–3 | Lancaster Park | ||
| 1991 | Pool B | 47–9 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1991 | Pool B | 51–12 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1991 | Pool B | 24–15 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1991 | Quarter-final | 28–6 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1991 | Semi-final | 6–9 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1991 | Third-place play-off | 6–13 | Cardiff | ||
| 1995 | Pool D | 0–89 | Rustenburg | ||
| 1995 | Pool D | 41–5 | Pretoria | ||
| 1995 | Pool D | 22–19 | Pretoria | ||
| 1995 | Quarter-final | 48–30 | Pretoria | ||
| 1999 | Pool 1 | 29–46 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1999 | Pool 1 | 43–12 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1999 | Pool 1 | 48–0 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1999 | Quarter-final play-off | 35–20 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1999 | Quarter-final | 18–30 | Murrayfield | ||
| 2003 | Pool B | 32–11 | Townsville | ||
| 2003 | Pool B | 39–15 | Brisbane | ||
| 2003 | Pool B | 51–9 | Sydney | ||
| 2003 | Pool B | 22–20 | Aussie Stadium | ||
| 2003 | Quarter-final | 33–16 | Brisbane | ||
| 2007 | Pool C | 56–10 | Saint-Étienne | ||
| 2007 | Pool C | 42–0 | Murrayfield | ||
| 2007 | Pool C | 0–40 | Murrayfield | ||
| 2007 | Pool C | 18–16 | Saint-Étienne | ||
| 2007 | Quarter-final | 19–13 | Stade de France | ||
| 2011 | Pool B | 34–24 | Invercargill | ||
| 2011 | Pool B | 15-6 | Invercargill | ||
| 2011 | Pool B | 13–12 | Wellington | ||
| 2011 | Pool B | 16–12 | Auckland |
Overall
Scotland achieved 100 points for the first time in defeating a young and inexperienced JapanJapan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
side 100–8 on 13 November 2004. The previous record had been 89–0 against Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in the first round of Rugby World Cup 1995. The game versus Japan was played at the home of St. Johnstone F.C., McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park is a football stadium in Perth, Scotland, the home ground of St. Johnstone FC. It has an all-seated capacity of 10,673.-History:...
, Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
. It was the first time that Scotland had ever played "North of the Forth" (i.e. the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
) in the Caledonian region. In the same game Chris Paterson
Chris Paterson
Chris Paterson is a Scotland internationalist who plays for RaboDirect Pro12 side Edinburgh Rugby. He is Scotland’s record cap and points holder with 109 caps and 809 points. Paterson is capable in a range of positions, including fullback, wing and fly-half. In recent years Paterson has played...
moved ahead of Andy Irvine
Andy Irvine (rugby player)
Andrew Robertson "Andy" Irvine MBE is a former President of the Scottish Rugby Union , and a former Scottish international rugby player. He earned fifty one Scottish caps, and scored over 250 points for .-Background:...
in the list of Scotland's all-time points scorers.
Their Test match record against all nations:
| Against | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | % Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 History of rugby union matches between Argentina and Scotland The national rugby union teams of Scotland and Argentina have played since 1969. However, the status of the countries' first three matches—two in 1969 and one in 1973—is ambiguous, as only Argentina awarded Test caps for those encounters... |
5 | 7 | 0 | 41.7 | |
| 25 History of rugby union matches between Australia and Scotland The national rugby union teams of Australia and Scotland have been playing each other in Test rugby since 1927, and by November 2009, they had met in 26 Test matches. Their first meeting was on 17 December 1927, and was won 10-8 by Scotland. Their most recent meeting was in November 2009 and was... |
7 | 18 | 0 | 28 | |
| 11 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 18.2 | |
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75 | |
| 124 History of rugby union matches between England and Scotland The traditional name for the annual England versus Scotland rugby union match in the Six Nations Championship as used on both sides of the Border is the Calcutta Cup. Two Games have also been played at the Rugby World Cup in 1991 and 2011, both of which England were victorious.England and Scotland... |
41 | 66 | 17 | 33.1 | |
| 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80 | |
| 81 History of rugby union matches between France and Scotland The history of rugby union matches between France and Scotland dates back to 1910 when the two teams played against each other in Edinburgh. Scotland won the match 27 – 0... |
34 | 44 | 3 | 42 | |
| 121 History of rugby union matches between Ireland and Scotland Ireland and Scotland have played each other at rugby union a total of 126 matches, with Scotland winning 65 times, Ireland winning 56 times and five matches drawn.-Overall summary:-Results:-References:... |
63 | 53 | 5 | 52.1 | |
| 12 History of rugby union matches between Italy and Scotland Italy and Scotland have played each other at rugby union a total of 17 matches, with Scotland winning 11 times, Italy winning six times and no matches drawn.-Overall summary:-References:... |
8 | 4 | 0 | 66.7 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | |
| 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7 | |
| 27 History of rugby union matches between New Zealand and Scotland The All Blacks first played against Scotland in 1905 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. The two teams have played 26 times, with New Zealand winning 24 matches and two resulting in draws. The most recent Test was played at Murrayfield in November 2010, with New Zealand winning 49-3.-Overall... |
0 | 25 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | |
| 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 83.3 | |
| 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 85.7 | |
| 19 History of rugby union matches between Scotland and South Africa The national rugby union teams of Scotland and South Africa have been playing each other in Test rugby since 1906, and as of 20 November 2010, they have met in 21 Test matches... |
5 | 14 | 0 | 26.3 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 | |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | |
| 114 History of rugby union matches between Scotland and Wales Scotland and Wales have played each other at rugby union since 1883. A total of 114 matches have been played, with Wales winning 63 matches, Scotland winning 48 matches and three matches drawn.... |
48 | 63 | 3 | 42.1 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 | |
| Total | 595 | 256 | 307 | 32 | 43 |
Current Squad
Scotland's 30-man squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
.
- Caps updated before test matches.
Head Coach: Andy Robinson
Andy Robinson
Richard Andrew 'Andy' Robinson OBE is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He is currently the head coach of Scotland.Robinson played as an openside flanker for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions...
Notable players
Four former Scotland players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of FameInternational Rugby Hall of Fame
The International Rugby Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for rugby union. It was created in 1997 in New Zealand and is run as a charitable trust with an address at Chiswick in London. Most of the trustees are also inductees. IRHOF accepts new inductees every two years...
:
- Gordon BrownGordon Brown (rugby player)Gordon Lamont Brown was a Scottish international rugby union footballer. He was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2001. His nickname is Broon frae Troon after his home town in west central Scotland. Brown played second row for West of Scotland, Scotland and the British Lions...
- Gavin HastingsGavin HastingsAndrew Gavin Hastings, OBE is a former Scotland rugby union player. He is frequently considered one of the best, if not the best, rugby player to come out of Scotland. His nickname is "Big Gav".Hastings was born in Edinburgh...
, captain of the British LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
, full back - Andy IrvineAndy Irvine (rugby player)Andrew Robertson "Andy" Irvine MBE is a former President of the Scottish Rugby Union , and a former Scottish international rugby player. He earned fifty one Scottish caps, and scored over 250 points for .-Background:...
, full back, Scottish captain and British Lion - Ian McGeechanIan McGeechanSir Ian Robert McGeechan OBE is a Scottish former rugby union player and coach. His nickname is "Geech".-Playing career:...
McGeechan and Bill Maclagan
Bill Maclagan
William Edward "Bill" Maclagan was a Scottish international rugby union forward who played club rugby for London Scottish F.C....
are members of the IRB Hall of Fame
IRB Hall of Fame
The IRB Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Rugby Board that recognises special achievement and contribution to the sport of rugby union. The IRB Hall of Fame covers players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals...
.
Greatest XV
A Greatest Ever XV was selected by popular vote on the SRU's website.- 15 Gavin HastingsGavin HastingsAndrew Gavin Hastings, OBE is a former Scotland rugby union player. He is frequently considered one of the best, if not the best, rugby player to come out of Scotland. His nickname is "Big Gav".Hastings was born in Edinburgh...
- 14 Andy IrvineAndy Irvine (rugby player)Andrew Robertson "Andy" Irvine MBE is a former President of the Scottish Rugby Union , and a former Scottish international rugby player. He earned fifty one Scottish caps, and scored over 250 points for .-Background:...
- 13 Alan TaitAlan TaitAlan V. Tait is a Scottish rugby footballer and coach. He is currently head coach at Newcastle Falcons and a former rugby league and rugby union footballer who played outside centre for Scotland and the British and Irish Lions...
- 12 Jim RenwickJim RenwickJim Renwick was one of Scotland's greatest rugby players, usually at centre. He played for Hawick Harlequins RFC and the full Hawick RFC team, and the British Lions, 1972–84. He earned 52 caps for his country. Allan Massie thinks his 1981-82 international season was his best, and describes...
- 11 Roger BairdRoger BairdGavin Roger Todd Baird was a Scottish rugby union player, who won 27 caps playing on the wing for between 1981 and 1988....
- 10 John Rutherford
- 9 Gary ArmstrongGary ArmstrongGary Armstrong is a former Scottish rugby union player who played scrum-half. He played for Jed-Forest RFC, Newcastle Falcons, The Borders and represented Scotland and the British Lions. His nickname is the Border Terrier...
- 8 Derek White
- 7 Finlay CalderFinlay CalderFinlay Calder is a Scottish former rugby union player.Born in Haddington, East Lothian and educated at Stewart's Melville College, Calder played at open side flanker and won 34 caps representing Scotland from 1986-91. He captained the British Lions tour to Australia in 1989...
- 6 John JeffreyJohn JeffreyJohn Jeffrey is a Scottish former internationalistrugby union player. His nicknames are "The Great White Shark" and "JJ", the former because of his blond "thatch of hair"....
- 5 Scott Murray
- 4 Gordon Brown
- 3 Iain MilneIain MilneIain Milne is a former rugby union footballer. His nickname is "The Bear" in view of his physical size and strength....
- 2 Colin DeansColin DeansColin Thomas Deans born on 3 May 1955 in Hawick in the Scottish borders was a rugby union player with Hawick RFC and . His nickname was the Hawick Hooker.He made his debut against in 1978 when Scotland lost, 16 - 19...
- 1 David SoleDavid SoleDavid Sole is a former Scottish rugby union footballer. He was educated at Blairmore prep school and Glenalmond College, a private school in Perthshire....
, captain
Coaches
Before 1971, there was no appointed coach of the Scotland team, the role being assumed by the captain. In 1971, the SRU appointed the first coach as "adviser to the captain". He was Bill DickinsonBill Dickinson
Bill Dickinson is a former rugby union player who was appointed the first official national coach of in 1971. Richard Bath points out that Dickinson's appointment made an "immediate impact" in performance, leading to a one point loss to a "rampant side" and wins against and others...
, a lecturer at Jordanhill College
Jordanhill College
Jordanhill Campus, in Jordanhill, Glasgow, Scotland, is now home to the Faculty of Education of the University of Strathclyde. Within the University of Strathclyde faculty of education, departments include Childhood and Primary Studies, Creative and Aesthetic Studies, Curricular Studies,...
, and his contribution to Scottish rugby in the 1970s was immense. Nairn McEwan
Nairn McEwan
Nairn Alexander MacEwan was a Scottish international rugby player and coach. He played at flanker, and was capped twenty times for Scotland between 1971–75, including a try in the match against in 1972....
took the reigns in 1977 for three years before the team was led by Jim Telfer
Jim Telfer
James "Jim" Telfer is a Scottish rugby union coach and a former rugby player. A former headmaster at Hawick High School and chemistry teacher, he has won fame as a Scottish forwards coach who gave punishing training sessions to his players...
in 1980. Apart from 1985-1988 when they were coached by Derrick Grant
Derrick Grant
Derrick Grant is a former international rugby union player.Grant was capped fourteen times as a flanker for between 1965 and 1968. He scored one try for Scotland...
, Scotland was coached by either Telfer or Ian McGeechan
Ian McGeechan
Sir Ian Robert McGeechan OBE is a Scottish former rugby union player and coach. His nickname is "Geech".-Playing career:...
until 2003 when the Australian Matt Williams
Matt Williams (rugby coach)
Matt Williams is an Australian rugby union coach from New South Wales.Williams, a teacher by profession, started in coaching at club level with Western Suburbs in Sydney, Australia in 1991...
was appointed. Scotland have appointed only one other foreign coach to lead the national side, the other being the incumbent Andy Robinson
Andy Robinson
Richard Andrew 'Andy' Robinson OBE is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He is currently the head coach of Scotland.Robinson played as an openside flanker for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions...
, an Englishman. Robinson took the reigns in 2009 after Frank Hadden
Frank Hadden
Frank Hadden is a Scottish rugby union coach. He is a former head coach of Scotland and Edinburgh Rugby.Hadden replaced Matt Williams and was appointed on 15 September 2005. Hadden coached the Merchiston Castle School 1st XV after being appointed Head of Physical Education at the school in 1983...
stepped down. Robinson was no stranger to Scottish rugby as, like his predecessor Hadden, had been the head coach of Edinburgh Rugby and joint coach of Scotland A
Scotland A national rugby union team
The Scotland A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Scottish national side.-History:Scotland's status as one of the leading rugby nations in the Northern Hemisphere, made the SRU to field a second team, first known as Scotland XV, and currently as Scotland A, which can play at...
before being promoted to his current position.
| Name | Tenure | Tests | Won | Drew | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bill Dickinson |
1971–1977 | 27 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 52 |
| Nairn McEwan |
1977–1980 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 7 |
| Jim Telfer |
1980–1984 | 27 | 13 | 2 | 12 | 52 |
| Colin Telfer |
1984-1984 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Derrick Grant |
1985–1988 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 43 |
| Ian McGeechan |
1988–1993 | 33 | 19 | 1 | 13 | 58 |
| Jim Telfer |
1994–1999 | 53 | 21 | 2 | 30 | 40 |
| Ian McGeechan |
2000–2003 | 43 | 18 | 1 | 24 | 42 |
 Matt Williams |
2003–2005 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 18 |
| Frank Hadden |
2005–2009 | 41 | 16 | 0 | 25 | 39 |
 Andy Robinson |
2009 – | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 50 |
See also
- History of matches between Scotland and:
- ArgentinaHistory of rugby union matches between Argentina and ScotlandThe national rugby union teams of Scotland and Argentina have played since 1969. However, the status of the countries' first three matches—two in 1969 and one in 1973—is ambiguous, as only Argentina awarded Test caps for those encounters...
- AustraliaHistory of rugby union matches between Australia and ScotlandThe national rugby union teams of Australia and Scotland have been playing each other in Test rugby since 1927, and by November 2009, they had met in 26 Test matches. Their first meeting was on 17 December 1927, and was won 10-8 by Scotland. Their most recent meeting was in November 2009 and was...
- EnglandHistory of rugby union matches between England and ScotlandThe traditional name for the annual England versus Scotland rugby union match in the Six Nations Championship as used on both sides of the Border is the Calcutta Cup. Two Games have also been played at the Rugby World Cup in 1991 and 2011, both of which England were victorious.England and Scotland...
- FranceHistory of rugby union matches between France and ScotlandThe history of rugby union matches between France and Scotland dates back to 1910 when the two teams played against each other in Edinburgh. Scotland won the match 27 – 0...
- New ZealandHistory of rugby union matches between New Zealand and ScotlandThe All Blacks first played against Scotland in 1905 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. The two teams have played 26 times, with New Zealand winning 24 matches and two resulting in draws. The most recent Test was played at Murrayfield in November 2010, with New Zealand winning 49-3.-Overall...
- South AfricaHistory of rugby union matches between Scotland and South AfricaThe national rugby union teams of Scotland and South Africa have been playing each other in Test rugby since 1906, and as of 20 November 2010, they have met in 21 Test matches...
- WalesHistory of rugby union matches between Scotland and WalesScotland and Wales have played each other at rugby union since 1883. A total of 114 matches have been played, with Wales winning 63 matches, Scotland winning 48 matches and three matches drawn....
- Argentina
- List of Scotland national rugby union team records
Sources
- HISTORY OF RUGBY IN OTHER COUNTRIES
- History of Scottish Rugby on the SRU website
- Allan Massie on the Scottish rugby team from about 1940 to 1990
- The age of Telfer by Allan Massie
External links
- Scotland Rugby Team – the official site of the Scotland national team
- Favourites find Scotland grit hard to swallow: Scotland 18 England 12, The Times, 27 February 2006
- Scottish Rugby Union – the official site of Scottish Rugby
- Scottish Rugby Radio
- Guide to Scottish Rugby (The Scotsman)
- A song for Scotland – an article on the ongoing discussions about which song should represent Scotland before international rugby and football games. (Sunday Times, 21 November 2004)