Scotland national rugby union team
HistoryThe first ever international rugby union game was played at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh in 1871 between England and Scotland. It was won by the latter. See the SRU Library (http://www.scottishrugby.org/library.cfm) for details. Scotland were also the first of the British Isles Unions to run a truly nation-wide 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 West of Scotland, Watsonians and the famous 'border' clubs such as Gala, Hawick, 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. They 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 war and England intervened to deny them glory. However, they won their first ever Five Nations Grand Slam in 1925 - the first year playing in their new Murrayfield home which is the home of Scottish rugby to this day. The period after World War Two was not a successful one for Scotland, although they shared the Five Nations title in 1964 with Wales. They had to wait to until 1984 for glory when a win over France secured the Grand Slam. Grand Slam winners on three occasions, the Scots have also won the Triple Crown a further seven times. However, their greatest year in the modern era was 1990 when, captained by David Sole, their season came down to one game, a Grand Slam decider at Murrayfield against the old enemy, and hot favourites, England. Scotland also won the last-ever Five Nations Championship in 1999 with some dashing displays of 15-man rugby but endured a torrid 2000 Six Nations, losing their first four straight games. But then at the last hurdle, they pulled off a magnificent win over unbeaten England in a rain-soaked Murrayfield to prove that there is still life in Scottish rugby. After a poor start in the Six Nations 2003-04 in which Scotland did not win a single match, things are steadily improving under the Australian coach Matt Williams, the first foreigner to coach the national team. Many new and talented players are coming through to the top level. Meanwhile the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) is under new management and Chief Executive Phil Anderton is leading the way back to financial solvency and implementing major reforms to reverse the decline of the game in Scotland. Past Players (Hall of Fame)Some of the most famous former Scottish players since 1945:
Notable coaches (also players): Jim Telfer, Ian ('Geech') McGeechan Best RecordsBest Rugby Union World Cup placing so far: Semi-finals 1991 Rugby Union Five Nations Championship Grand Slams: 1925, 1984, 1990. Scotland was also the last Five Nations Champion in 1998-99. (The following year Italy joined the competition to make it the Six Nations.) The PresentCurrent top players (2004) include:
See alsoExternal links
Categories: National rugby union teams | Scottish sport |
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