| Full name | Aberdeen University Medics Rugby Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Aberdeen, Scotland | |
| Ground(s) | Kings Playing Fields, Aberdeen | |
| League(s) | Caledonia North Four | |
| 2019–20 | Caledonia North Four, 1st of 6 | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
Aberdeen University Medics RFC is a rugby union club based in Aberdeen, Scotland. The Men's team currently plays in Caledonia North Four.
As well as playing in the Scottish Rugby Union leagues, the team also play in the Scottish and Northern Irish Medical Schools competition. [1]
The club was one point clear with a game in hand at the top of the Caledonia North 4 league at the time in March 2020 when the Scottish Rugby Union pulled the plug on the league due to the COVID-19 pandemic and declared the season null and void. [2] The SRU had put 5 models to the clubs and over half went for the null and void option. [3]
The 2020 President of the club Jeremie Juan stated: [2]
It was obviously hard to take after playing so well. We thought we were home and dry. There will be no league trophy after all our hard work, though there will be lots of good memories. But the important thing at this moment in time is to look after each other. Rugby is secondary to what is going on in the world. The experience will have served us well for next season. Especially as many of the guys will be with us again for another campaign.
The Medics scored 318 points in the league campaign that season, with an average of 35 points per game. [2]
The club did a 24-hour walking challenge for charity in May 2021. [4] This was part of the 'Every Mile for Our NHS' challenge, which aimed to support 3 charities:- The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund; The Cavell Nurses' Trust; and Doctors in Distress. [5]
The President of the club in 2021 David Raftery explained:
While we'd obviously be delighted if people could donate in support of our efforts – cardio is quite alien to rugby players – we also want our run to raise awareness of these three good causes and encourage others to do their own fundraising. We're so grateful that the staff at NHS Grampian and Highland have been teaching us throughout this very difficult year, and this is a small thing we can do to repay them.
The club states that you don't need to be a medic to play for the side.
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Styled as Scottish Rugby, it is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league system, known as the Scottish League Championship, and the Scottish National teams. The SRU is headed by the President and Chairman, with Mark Dodson acting as the Chief Executive Officer. Dee Bradbury became the first female president of a Tier 1 rugby nation upon her appointment on 4 August 2018.
Rugby union in Scotland is a popular team sport. Scotland's national side today competes in the annual Six Nations Championship and the Rugby World Cup. The first ever international rugby match was played on 27 March 1871, at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh, when Scotland defeated England in front of 4,000 people. Professional clubs compete in the United Rugby Championship, European Rugby Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup, while the Scottish League Championship exists for over 200 amateur and semi-professional clubs, as does a knock-out competition, the Scottish Cup. The governing body, the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), is one of the ten first-tier member nations of World Rugby.
University rugby union in Scotland is predominantly organised through BUCS, the British Universities Sports Association. Unlike in England and Wales, where a pyramid system of 4 regions and a Premier above exists, the Scottish system is separate. However, Scottish universities do receive places in the end of season knock-out tournaments which decide overall British champions. However, due to the small size of the divisions, some Scottish universities organise teams to play in regional or national leagues as part of the general Scottish league system for clubs, the Scottish League Championship. In addition, some universities organise University Saturday Leagues for their 2nd XV, or they organise informal friendly matches. The following universities have teams playing elsewhere in Scottish Rugby:
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