Scottish Rugby Union
Encyclopedia
The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) 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.http://www.rfu.com/microsites/museum/index.cfm?fuseaction=faqs.history
; Edinburgh Academical Football Club; West of Scotland F.C.; University of St Andrews Rugby Football Club
; Royal High School FP; Merchistonians
; Edinburgh University RFC
; and Glasgow University
. Five of these clubs were, at the time of founding the Scottish Football Union, already members of the previously instituted Rugby Football Union
. Although the RFU now represents exclusively English clubs, in its first few years it had members from outside of England, there being no other national union. West of Scotland, Glasgow Academicals and Edinburgh University
had joined the RFU in 1871 and Edinburgh Academicals and Royal High School FP had joined in 1872. These five renounced membership of the RFU to join the SFU.
The SFU was a founding member of the International Rugby Board
in 1886 with Ireland
and Wales
. (England refused to join until 1890).
In 1924 the SFU changed its name to become the Scottish Rugby Union. International games were played at Inverleith
from 1899 to 1925 when Murrayfield was opened.
The SRU owns Murrayfield Stadium
, which is the main home ground of the Scottish national team
, though in 2004 international rugby games were played at Hampden Park
in Glasgow
and McDiarmid Park
in Perth
, as part of the SRU's campaign to reach out to new audiences outside the traditional rugby areas.
When the Heineken Cup
was suggested SRU officials were concerned that Scottish club sides could not compete against the best teams from France and England and that centrally funded so-called 'super-district' teams might do better.
The four traditional districts—the South (renamed Border Reivers), Edinburgh, Glasgow and the North & Midlands (rebranded as Caledonia Reds
)—were given the go-ahead to take part in Europe. For the first two seasons, players were still released to play for their clubs in domestic competition, but eventually the districts became full-time operations.
Then financial difficulties—the SRU's high debt, partly as a result of the redevelopment of Murrayfield
—called for retrenchment. After two seasons, financial difficulties forced the SRU to merge the four teams into two. Edinburgh merged with the Border Reivers to form a team to be known as Edinburgh Reivers. Glasgow merged with Caledonian to form a team to be known as Glasgow Caledonian.
The Borders
was resurrected in 2002 and joined the second season of the Celtic League
. As a consequence Edinburgh Reivers became simply Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow became Glasgow Rugby. In 2005, all three teams adopted new names. The Borders readopted the name Border Reivers; Edinburgh became Edinburgh Gunners, but would revert to Edinburgh in 2006; and Glasgow became Glasgow Warriors
. Caledonia will be re-established when the SRU believe financial circumstances permit.
In 2007, The Borders was disbanded yet again due to continuing financial difficulties. Also in the same year, the SRU began organising the Edinburgh 7s
, the final event in the annual IRB Sevens World Series
.
In the Season 2010/2011 the SRU had a contractual dispute with the Season Ticket Holders of Edinburgh Rugby.
On 22 December 2010 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court (Small Claims) the Sheriff ruled the Scottish Rugby Union had entered a contract between themselves and Season Ticket Holders of Edinburgh Rugby Club. The Sheriff also found that the SRU had breached the contract between themselves and Edinburgh Rugby Club (a Division of the SRU). Although it was found that the SRU had breached the contract the Sheriff could not make an order instructing the SRU to comply with their obligation under that contract.
, the first sevens tournament to have national representative sides. The programme for that event also sported the new coat of arms of the SRU that was granted by the Lord Lyon King of Arms
on the 28th of February, 1973, for the centenary season. The coat of arms is still in use today, but in the main the SRU use the commercial thistle logo on jerseys and stationary. The coat of arms has the motto "Non Sine Gloria", meaning "Not Without Glory".
The SRU oversees the national league system, known as the Scottish League Championship, and consisting of:
It also oversees the Scottish Cup. It is not directly responsible for local, university or 2nd XV leagues.
s.
The President is now IAN MCLAUCHLAN. Ian McLauchlan took over from Jim Stevenson.
The new chairman designate (from June 2011) is Sir Moir Lockhead OBE. (http://www.scottishrugby.org/aboutus/content/view/702/2)
The head coach of the Scotland national rugby union team
is currently Andy Robinson
, who was appointed following the departure of Frank Hadden
after the 2008/2009 season.
On the 21st November 2009 Scotland beat Australia 9–8 after 17 attempts in 27 years.
Sport governing body
A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
of 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...
. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.http://www.rfu.com/microsites/museum/index.cfm?fuseaction=faqs.history
History
The Scottish Football Union was founded on Monday 3rd of March 1873 at a meeting held at Glasgow Academy, Elmbank Street, Glasgow. Eight clubs were represented at the foundation, Glasgow AcademicalsGlasgow Academicals RFC
The Glasgow Academical Football Club is one of the oldest rugby football clubs in Scotland. This history is notable for a number of reasons, including the clubs longevity, its early foundation in the timeline of rugby, and the fact that the club produced many internationals...
; Edinburgh Academical Football Club; West of Scotland F.C.; University of St Andrews Rugby Football Club
University of St Andrews Rugby Football Club
The University of St Andrews Rugby Football Club is an affiliated member of the University of St Andrews Athletic Union in Fife, Scotland. It was founded in 1858, making it one of the oldest football clubs in the world. In 2008, the club celebrated its sesquicentennial year, marking its 150th...
; Royal High School FP; Merchistonians
Merchistonian FC
Merchistonian Football Club was a rugby football team based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was for former pupils of Merchiston Castle School. However, as Allan Massie notes, because it was a boarding school, unlike some of the other private schools in Edinburgh, a lot of the former pupils would...
; Edinburgh University RFC
Edinburgh University RFC
Edinburgh University Rugby Football Club is a leading rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland which currently plays its fixtures in the top Scottish National League and the British Universities Premiership. It is one of the eight founder members of the Scottish Rugby Union...
; and Glasgow University
Glasgow University Rugby Football Club
Glasgow University Rugby Football Club is a rugby team at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.GURFC was formed in 1869 and is one of the University's oldest student groups, predating the Glasgow University Sports Association, to which it is now affiliated. The Club is a founding member of the...
. Five of these clubs were, at the time of founding the Scottish Football Union, already members of the previously instituted 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...
. Although the RFU now represents exclusively English clubs, in its first few years it had members from outside of England, there being no other national union. West of Scotland, Glasgow Academicals and Edinburgh University
Edinburgh University RFC
Edinburgh University Rugby Football Club is a leading rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland which currently plays its fixtures in the top Scottish National League and the British Universities Premiership. It is one of the eight founder members of the Scottish Rugby Union...
had joined the RFU in 1871 and Edinburgh Academicals and Royal High School FP had joined in 1872. These five renounced membership of the RFU to join the SFU.
The SFU was a founding member of the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
in 1886 with Ireland
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
and Wales
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
. (England refused to join until 1890).
In 1924 the SFU changed its name to become the Scottish Rugby Union. International games were played 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...
from 1899 to 1925 when Murrayfield was opened.
The SRU owns 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 is the main home ground of the Scottish national team
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...
, though in 2004 international rugby games were played at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and 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:...
in 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...
, as part of the SRU's campaign to reach out to new audiences outside the traditional rugby areas.
When the Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
was suggested SRU officials were concerned that Scottish club sides could not compete against the best teams from France and England and that centrally funded so-called 'super-district' teams might do better.
The four traditional districts—the South (renamed Border Reivers), Edinburgh, Glasgow and the North & Midlands (rebranded as Caledonia Reds
Caledonia Reds
Caledonia Reds were a Scottish rugby union district team who participated in the precursor to the Celtic League and in two seasons of the Heineken Cup. They represented one of four districts of Scotland, covering the North and Midlands Caledonia Reds were a Scottish rugby union district team who...
)—were given the go-ahead to take part in Europe. For the first two seasons, players were still released to play for their clubs in domestic competition, but eventually the districts became full-time operations.
Then financial difficulties—the SRU's high debt, partly as a result of the redevelopment of 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...
—called for retrenchment. After two seasons, financial difficulties forced the SRU to merge the four teams into two. Edinburgh merged with the Border Reivers to form a team to be known as Edinburgh Reivers. Glasgow merged with Caledonian to form a team to be known as Glasgow Caledonian.
The Borders
Border Reivers (Rugby)
Border Reivers, originally known as 'Scottish Borders Rugby' and also known as 'The Borders' were one of four professional rugby union teams in Scotland, alongside Edinburgh, Caledonia Reds and Glasgow Warriors....
was resurrected in 2002 and joined the second season of the Celtic League
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
. As a consequence Edinburgh Reivers became simply Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow became Glasgow Rugby. In 2005, all three teams adopted new names. The Borders readopted the name Border Reivers; Edinburgh became Edinburgh Gunners, but would revert to Edinburgh in 2006; and Glasgow became Glasgow Warriors
Glasgow Warriors
The Glasgow Warriors, formerly Glasgow Rugby, are one of two professional rugby union teams in Scotland, Edinburgh being the other. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12 and their home ground is Firhill Stadium, also the home of Partick Thistle Football Club.-History:Glasgow Rugby were created to...
. Caledonia will be re-established when the SRU believe financial circumstances permit.
In 2007, The Borders was disbanded yet again due to continuing financial difficulties. Also in the same year, the SRU began organising the Edinburgh 7s
Edinburgh Sevens
The Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens, also known as the Edinburgh 7s and Scotland Sevens, is a rugby union sevens tournament, part of the IRB Sevens World Series, held at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Scotland. It will have the honour of being the last event in each season's IRB Sevens...
, the final event in the annual IRB Sevens World Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
.
In the Season 2010/2011 the SRU had a contractual dispute with the Season Ticket Holders of Edinburgh Rugby.
On 22 December 2010 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court (Small Claims) the Sheriff ruled the Scottish Rugby Union had entered a contract between themselves and Season Ticket Holders of Edinburgh Rugby Club. The Sheriff also found that the SRU had breached the contract between themselves and Edinburgh Rugby Club (a Division of the SRU). Although it was found that the SRU had breached the contract the Sheriff could not make an order instructing the SRU to comply with their obligation under that contract.
Centenary celebrations
The SRU celebrated its centenary in 1973 with a number of events. Among these was the 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament
The 1973 International Seven-A-Side tournament was the first Rugby Sevens tournament to feature national representative teams, predating the first official Rugby World Cup Sevens by twenty years. Held in Scotland as part of the Scottish Rugby Union's centenary celebrations, the tournament featured...
, the first sevens tournament to have national representative sides. The programme for that event also sported the new coat of arms of the SRU that was granted by the Lord Lyon King of Arms
Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
on the 28th of February, 1973, for the centenary season. The coat of arms is still in use today, but in the main the SRU use the commercial thistle logo on jerseys and stationary. The coat of arms has the motto "Non Sine Gloria", meaning "Not Without Glory".
Domestic Rugby
- See also Scottish rugby union systemScottish rugby union systemThe top level of competition in the Scottish rugby union system is the Celtic League which is a league of professional clubs from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Scotland currently has two clubs in the Celtic League; Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors. They also participate in the Heineken Cup.The...
and Rugby union in ScotlandRugby union in ScotlandRugby 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...
The SRU oversees the national league system, known as the Scottish League Championship, and consisting of:
- a Premiership of 36 clubs in three nationwide divisions
- a National Leagues of 36 clubs in three nationwide divisions
- Regional Leagues of 85 clubs in eight divisions across three regions
It also oversees the Scottish Cup. It is not directly responsible for local, university or 2nd XV leagues.
Personnel
Gordon McKie is the Chief Executive Officer, who was appointed in August 2005 after the new Scottish Rugby Board was created on July 14, 2005. Allan Munro chairman, is stepping down in June 2011. Fred McLeod (deputy), Tom Inglis and Brian Kennedy alongside as non-executive directorNon-executive director
A non-executive director or outside director is a member of the board of directors of a company who does not form part of the executive management team. He or she is not an employee of the company or affiliated with it in any other way...
s.
The President is now IAN MCLAUCHLAN. Ian McLauchlan took over from Jim Stevenson.
The new chairman designate (from June 2011) is Sir Moir Lockhead OBE. (http://www.scottishrugby.org/aboutus/content/view/702/2)
The head coach of the Scotland national rugby union team
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...
is currently 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...
, who was appointed following the departure of 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...
after the 2008/2009 season.
See also
- Rugby Union in ScotlandRugby union in ScotlandRugby 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...
- Murrayfield StadiumMurrayfield StadiumMurrayfield 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 national rugby union team (sevens)Scotland national rugby union team (sevens)The Scottish national rugby union sevens team compete in the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.During 2006, the side were in danger of no longer competing in the Sevens World Series due to the financial problems faced by the Scottish Rugby Union...
- Edinburgh 7sEdinburgh SevensThe Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens, also known as the Edinburgh 7s and Scotland Sevens, is a rugby union sevens tournament, part of the IRB Sevens World Series, held at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Scotland. It will have the honour of being the last event in each season's IRB Sevens...
On the 21st November 2009 Scotland beat Australia 9–8 after 17 attempts in 27 years.
External links
- SRU accused of becoming dictatorship – the crisis of January 2005 when David Mackay was removed by the general committee
- Scottish Rugby Union – official website
- SRU Annual Report 2003-04
- Guide to Scottish Rugby (The Scotsman)
- Fans Forum (Now the SRU web site has closed their forum)
Fixtures & Results
- http://www.scottishrugby.org/hdn/fixtures-2006.cfm Current fixtures and results, for men's, women's and youth rugby