English rugby celebrates 150 years against its old Scottish foe

Published on : 06/02/2021 – 09:47

Away from the fray, the exchange between England and Scotland is polite but teasing. Before the clash in the Six Nations tournament to be held on 6 February, the English Rugby Federation opted this week to post an indifferent message on Twitter: “Hey, Scottish Federation, can you believe our first meeting was 150 years ago? is?” Onensentavix “. A golden opportunity for the Scottish Federation, which responded to this naughty tweet:” Wow, how does time pass … remind us who won that day? “

The result of this match played in Edinburgh on 27 March 1871 has been the pride of Scotland for nearly 150 years. According to the newspapers, the Scots then won the match in front of several thousand people. At the time, the method of counting points was irrelevant and the final result of a 1 to 0 kick did not matter much. The rules were also very different, with a team of 20 players and a time of fifty minutes. But the match remains in history as the first international meeting played under “Rugby Rules”, such as the name of Scotsman Angus Buchanan, the first player to try in an international match.

The meeting took place exactly two months after the official creation of the Football-Rugby Federation (RFU), which was responsible for coding and structuring the game derived from football in England. English legend has it that a student at the city’s Rugby College, 120 km from London, had the idea of ​​holding the ball in his hand during a football game in 1823. Thus William Webb Ellis would have given life to a new discipline that would develop over the decades with students from the prestigious rugby school, which welcomed students from all over the United Kingdom.

Rugby football quickly gained popularity in Scotland. And the 1871 meeting surprised the English, who did not expect to see so many spectators around the pitch built at the Raeburn Place Cricket Stadium. Scotland formed its own federation two years later, followed by Ireland and then Wales. These nations would meet regularly within the framework of a British competition, which would become a five-nation tournament with the unification of France in 1910, then six nations with the participation of Italy in 2000.

Calcutta Cup for the winner

“England and Scotland are neighbors and close rivals,” Phil McGowan, curator of the World Rugby Museum Located in London’s Twenikam Stadium, the temple of discipline is considered. “Scotland refers to England as the ‘Elders Enemy’ and they like England more than any other team. The fact that these teams were the first players to play international games, I think, from both countries There is a motive for pride. “

To mark the anniversary of this historic event, tournament organizers have logically chosen to program the England-Scotland poster from day one. On Saturday, the British will wear a white jersey, inspired by the roses worn by their illustrious predecessors in the late 19th century.^I Century, while the Scots would embroider on the chest, the player’s name corresponding to his position in 1871.

As they have been doing since 1879, the two teams will compete in the Calcutta Cup, which will be brought back to the occasion of each new clash between Scotland and England in the tournament. “This is the oldest international football trophy in the world,” said Phil McGowan, recalling that rugby has long been considered a form of football.

The Calcutta Cup has become accustomed to a place in the XV de la Rose’s Cup, as the English have won the Cup 71 times and the Scots only 40 times, with both teams also drawing 16 times. The British could not help their next opponents, but reminisced “Calcutta Cup are doing well” in a message with Smiley.

The Scottish XV’s last win over England was in 2018, in Edinburgh. And if the Scots have not won in London since 1983, they came close to the feat in 2019 with a stunning draw (38–38) on the English lawn.

They dream of signing a resounding feat at Twainhikam on Saturday against the currently formidable British in the world rankings of teams behind South Africa. In any case, they would rely on an additional asset for this special meeting, the memory of the victorious Angus Buchanan and his comrades in 1871.