Calcutta Cup

Calcutta Cup

Sport	Rugby union
Awarded for	Winner of England–Scotland fixture [a]
Country	England   Scotland
History
First award	10 March 1879; 146 years, 13 days ago
Editions	130
Most wins	England (83) [b]
Most recent	England (2025)

The Calcutta Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the rugby match between England and Scotland played annually in the Six Nations Championship. Like the match itself (England–Scotland), the Calcutta Cup is the oldest trophy contested between any two international rugby union teams, pre-dating the Bledisloe Cup (Australia–New Zealand) by more than half a century. It is also the oldest of several trophies awarded under the umbrella of the Six Nations Championship, which include the Millennium Trophy (England–Ireland), Centenary Quaich (Ireland–Scotland), Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy (France–Italy), Auld Alliance Trophy (France–Scotland), the Doddie Weir Cup (Scotland–Wales) and the Cuttitta Cup (Italy–Scotland).

History

Calcutta Club

On Christmas Day in 1872 a game of rugby union football was played in Calcutta, British India by a group of forty people (twenty-a-side), with one team representing England and the other Scotland. ^{[1] [c]} Following this match, and the growth of British Sport in India, the Calcutta Rugby Football Club was formally established in January the following year by expats, former students of Rugby School, ^[2] and soldiers of the Royal East Kent Regiment. ^{[3] [4]} In 1874, the club joined the Rugby Football Union (RFU). ^{[1] [4] [5]} By 1878, the club's diminishing members withdrew club funds, a total of ₹270, ^[d] and had them melted down to make a trophy. ^{[1] [4] [5]} The trophy was presented by the club to the RFU and was used as “the best means of doing some lasting good for the cause of Rugby Football.” ^[4]

The cup

The domed lid is surmounted by an elephant which is, it is said, copied from the Viceroy's own stock. The inscription on the Cup's wooden base reads: The Calcutta Cup. ^[3]

There is an anomaly in the recording of the winning country on the base of the Cup. It was first played for in 1879, but the plinth shows records extending back to the first international in 1871.

While the original was handmade by Indian craftsmen, the replicas were made using modern technology.

In 1988 the cup was damaged by the antics of some drunken players, including England number eight Dean Richards and Scotland flanker John Jeffrey who played football with the Calcutta Cup along Princes Street in Edinburgh. Jeffrey received a six-month ban from the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), whilst Richards was given a one-match sentence from England. ^[6]

Competition

Despite the initial request of the Calcutta Club that the trophy be used as rugby's answer to football's FA Cup, the RFU refused to turn the Calcutta Cup into a knock-out competition for English club sides. They believed that "competitiveness" ran against the amateur ethos and instead decided that a game should be played each year between England and Scotland and whoever wins should keep it for that year. The first Calcutta Cup match was played at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, on 10 March 1879 and ended in a draw; Scotland scored a drop goal and England a goal. The following year on 28 February 1880 England became the first winners of the Calcutta Cup when they defeated Scotland by two goals & three tries to one goal in Manchester. Matches have continued on an annual basis except for two interruptions due to the World Wars between 1915–1919 and 1940–1946.

As of 2025, 132 Calcutta Cup matches have taken place. Currently, this game is the annual match between the two nations in the Six Nations Championship. The ground alternates between Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh (on even years) and Twickenham Stadium in London (on odd years).

In 2004, the two countries' rugby governing bodies, the Rugby Football Union (England) and the Scottish Rugby Union, were considering a plan to add a second Calcutta Cup fixture each year, outside the Six Nations Championship. The second fixture would be hosted by the away nation in the Six Nations fixture of the same year. Under that plan, one nation would have to win both matches to take the Cup off its current holder. Due to a largely unfavourable reaction, the proposal was dropped.

Results

Results summary

Cup wins/holds [e] Team Gms.   England 83   Scotland 48

Match wins Team Wins   England 72   Scotland 44 Draws 16

Year	Date	Winner	Score	Stadium and location	Holder (aggregate times held)
1879	10 March	draw	(0) 1G–1G (1T)	Raeburn Place, Edinburgh	—
1880	28 February	England (1)	(5T) 2G–1G (1T)	Whalley Range, Manchester	England (2)
1881	19 March	draw	(2T) 1G–1G (1T)	Raeburn Place, Edinburgh
1882	4 March	Scotland (1)	(0) 0G–0G (2T)	Whalley Range, Manchester	Scotland (1)
1883	3 March	England (2)	(1T) 0G–0G (2T)	Raeburn Place, Edinburgh	England (7)
1884	1 March	England (3)	(1T) 1G–0G (1T)	Rectory Field, Blackheath
1885	Not played
1886	13 March	draw	(0) 0G–0G (0)	Raeburn Place, Edinburgh
1887	5 March	draw	(1T) 0G–0G (1T)	Whalley Range, Manchester
1888	Not played
1889
1890	1 March	England (4)	0–6	Raeburn Place, Edinburgh
1891	7 March	Scotland (2)	3–9	Athletic Ground, Richmond	Scotland (2)
1892	5 March	England (5)	0–5	Raeburn Place, Edinburgh	England (8)
1893	4 March	Scotland (3)	0–8	Headingley Stadium, Leeds	Scotland (6)
1894	17 March	Scotland (4)	6–0	Raeburn Place, Edinburgh
1895	9 March	Scotland (5)	3–6	Athletic Ground, Richmond
1896	14 March	Scotland (6)	11–0	Cathkin Park, Glasgow
1897	13 March	England (6)	12–3	Fallowfield Stadium, Manchester	England (10)
1898	12 March	draw	3–3	Powderhall Stadium, Edinburgh
1899	11 March	Scotland (7)	0–5	Rectory Field, Blackheath	Scotland (9)
1900	10 March	draw	0–0	Inverleith, Edinburgh
1901	9 March	Scotland (8)	3–18	Rectory Field, Blackheath
1902	15 March	England (7)	3–6	Inverleith, Edinburgh	England (11)
1903	21 March	Scotland (9)	6–10	Athletic Ground, Richmond	Scotland (12)
1904	19 March	Scotland (10)	6–3	Inverleith, Edinburgh
1905	18 March	Scotland (11)	0–8	Athletic Ground, Richmond
1906	17 March	England (8)	3–9	Inverleith, Edinburgh	England (12)
1907	16 March	Scotland (12)	3–8	Rectory Field, Blackheath	Scotland (15)
1908	21 March	Scotland (13)	16–10	Inverleith, Edinburgh
1909	20 March	Scotland (14)	8–18	Athletic Ground, Richmond
1910	19 March	England (9)	5–14	Inverleith, Edinburgh	England (14)
1911	18 March	England (10)	13–8	Twickenham Stadium, London
1912	16 March	Scotland (15)	8–3	Inverleith, Edinburgh	Scotland (16)
1913	15 March	England (11)	3–0	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (21)
1914	21 March	England (12)	15–16	Inverleith, Edinburgh
1915	Not played due to World War I
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920	20 March	England (13)	13–4	Twickenham Stadium, London
1921	19 March	England (14)	0–18	Inverleith, Edinburgh
1922	18 March	England (15)	11–5	Twickenham Stadium, London
1923	17 March	England (16)	6–8	Inverleith, Edinburgh
1924	15 March	England (17)	19–0	Twickenham Stadium, London
1925	21 March	Scotland (16)	14–11	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (19)
1926	20 March	Scotland (17)	9–17	Twickenham Stadium, London
1927	19 March	Scotland (18)	21–13	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1928	17 March	England (18)	6–0	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (22)
1929	16 March	Scotland (19)	12–6	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (22)
1930	16 March	draw	0–0	Twickenham Stadium, London
1931	21 March	Scotland (20)	28–19	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1932	19 March	England (19)	16–3	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (23)
1933	18 March	Scotland (21)	3–0	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (23)
1934	17 March	England (20)	6–3	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (24)
1935	16 March	Scotland (22)	10–7	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (24)
1936	21 March	England (21)	9–8	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (26)
1937	20 March	England (22)	3–6	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1938	19 March	Scotland (23)	16–21	Twickenham Stadium, London	Scotland (25)
1939	18 March	England (23)	6–9	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	England (28)
1940	Not played due to World War II
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947	15 March	England (24)	24–5	Twickenham Stadium, London
1948	20 March	Scotland (24)	6–3	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (26)
1949	19 March	England (25)	6–3	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (29)
1950	18 March	Scotland (25)	13–11	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (27)
1951	17 March	England (26)	5–3	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (42)
1952	15 March	England (27)	3–19	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1953	21 March	England (28)	26–8	Twickenham Stadium, London
1954	20 March	England (29)	3–13	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1955	19 March	England (30)	9–6	Twickenham Stadium, London
1956	17 March	England (31)	6–11	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1957	16 March	England (32)	16–3	Twickenham Stadium, London
1958	15 March	draw	3–3	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1959	21 March	draw	3–3	Twickenham Stadium, London
1960	19 March	England (33)	12–21	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1961	18 March	England (34)	6–0	Twickenham Stadium, London
1962	17 March	draw	3–3	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1963	16 March	England (35)	10–8	Twickenham Stadium, London
1964	21 March	Scotland (26)	15–6	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (30)
1965	20 March	draw	3–3	Twickenham Stadium, London
1966	19 March	Scotland (27)	6–3	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1967	18 March	England (36)	27–14	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (45)
1968	16 March	England (37)	6–8	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1969	15 March	England (38)	8–3	Twickenham Stadium, London
1970	21 February	Scotland (28)	14–5	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (33)
1971	20 March	Scotland (29)	15–16	Twickenham Stadium, London
1972	18 March	Scotland (30)	23–9	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1973	17 March	England (39)	15–16	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (46)
1974	2 February	Scotland (31)	16–14	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (34)
1975	15 March	England (40)	7–6	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (47)
1976	21 February	Scotland (32)	22–12	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (35)
1977	15 January	England (41)	26–6	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (53)
1978	4 March	England (42)	0–15	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1979	3 February	draw	7–7	Twickenham Stadium, London
1980	15 March	England (43)	18–30	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1981	21 February	England (44)	23–17	Twickenham Stadium, London
1982	16 January	draw	9–9	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1983	5 March	Scotland (33)	12–22	Twickenham Stadium, London	Scotland (37)
1984	4 February	Scotland (34)	18–6	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1985	16 March	England (45)	10–7	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (54)
1986	15 February	Scotland (35)	33–6	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (38)
1987	4 April	England (46)	21–12	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (57)
1988	5 March	England (47)	6–9	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1989	4 February	draw	12–12	Twickenham Stadium, London
1990	17 March	Scotland (36)	13–7	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (39)
1991	16 February	England (48)	21–12	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (66)
1992	18 January	England (49)	7–25	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1993	6 March	England (50)	26–12	Twickenham Stadium, London
1994	5 February	England (51)	14–15	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1995	18 March	England (52)	24–12	Twickenham Stadium, London
1996	2 March	England (53)	9–18	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1997	1 February	England (54)	41–13	Twickenham Stadium, London
1998	22 March	England (55)	20–34	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
1999	20 February	England (56)	24–21	Twickenham Stadium, London
2000	2 April	Scotland (37)	19–13	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (40)
2001	3 March	England (57)	43–3	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (71)
2002	2 February	England (58)	3–29	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
2003	22 March	England (59)	40–9	Twickenham Stadium, London
2004	21 February	England (60)	13–35	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
2005	19 March	England (61)	43–22	Twickenham Stadium, London
2006	25 February	Scotland (38)	18–12	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (41)
2007	3 February	England (62)	42–20	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (72)
2008	8 March	Scotland (39)	15–9	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (42)
2009	21 March	England (63)	26–12	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (81)
2010	13 March	draw	15–15	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
2011	13 March	England (64)	22–16	Twickenham Stadium, London
2012	4 February	England (65)	6–13	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
2013	2 February	England (66)	38–18	Twickenham Stadium, London
2014	8 February	England (67)	0–20	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
2015	14 March	England (68)	25–13	Twickenham Stadium, London
2016	6 February	England (69)	9–15	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
2017	11 March	England (70)	61–21	Twickenham Stadium, London
2018	24 February	Scotland (40)	25–13	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Scotland (44)
2019	16 March	draw	38–38	Twickenham Stadium, London
2020	8 February	England (71)	6–13	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	England (82)
2021	6 February	Scotland (41)	6–11	Twickenham Stadium, London	Scotland (48)
2022	5 February	Scotland (42)	20–17	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
2023	4 February	Scotland (43)	23–29	Twickenham Stadium, London
2024	24 February	Scotland (44)	30–21	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
2025	22 February	England (72)	16–15	Twickenham Stadium, London	England (83)

Records

The current record number of points scored by a player in a Calcutta Cup game was set by Jonny Wilkinson in 2007 when he scored 27 points (1 try, 2 conversions, 5 penalties, 1 drop goal). The previous record of 24 points was held by Rob Andrew.

Other Calcutta Cups

The Other Calcutta Cup Trophy

In 1884, Calcutta Cricket and Football Club again set up a rugby section and in 1890 set up an inter club trophy, the Calcutta Rugby Union Challenge Cup, promptly christened the Calcutta Cup. ^{[7] [8]}

The 2007 edition of the Cup was held by Jungle Crows, in which Future Hope Harlequins defeated CC&FC in final. ^[9] The second division trophy was won by Calcutta Cricket and Football Club Panthers. ^[9]

The original and oldest Calcutta Cup is a silver trophy played for annually by the members of Royal Blackheath Golf Club. It was a gift from the Royal Calcutta Golf Club in response to the presentation of a medal given by Blackheath. It is made from melted down silver rupees, reputedly from the same batch of melted down silver rupees as the Rugby Union Cup played for between England and Scotland. The cup arrived in London in 1875. It was first played for in December 1875 three years before the first Calcutta Cup match between England and Scotland. The Cup held by Royal Blackheath Golf Club has only two handles unlike the well known Calcutta Cup. It is only in recent years that the history of the original Calcutta Cup has been appreciated by sporting historians.

Royal Blackheath Golf Club members had close links with Blackheath Football Club (Rugby) which was one of the most prominent clubs in the early years of the Rugby Football Union. Members of both clubs served in India in the 1870s. This link is the most likely explanation for the creation of a similar cup being created by the Calcutta Rugby Club a few years later and becoming the world-famous Calcutta Cup.

See also

• Rugby union trophies and awards
• Le Crunch, a long-standing rivalry between England and France
• Millennium Trophy, for winners of England v. Ireland in the Six Nations
• Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy, for winners of France v. Italy in the Six Nations
• Triple Crown Trophy, whoever (if any) wins all games between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations
• Rugby union in India
• England–Scotland football rivalry in association football

Notes

1. The trophy is awarded to the winner of the annual one-off England–Scotland fixture played in the Six Nations Championship.
2. The number given is the figure of how many times the team has won the Calcutta Cup; in the event of a draw, the most recent winner of a Calcutta Cup encounter is designated the winner and retains the trophy.
3. Although the match has often been said to represent England and Scotland, it has also been reported to have been representative of England and the other Home Nations. ^[1]
4. Equivalent to ₹equivalent to $91,319in 2023 in 2020.
5. Aggregate games each team has held the cup.

References

1. "The Story of the Calcutta Cup". keithprowse.co.uk. Keith Prowse. 11 March 2019. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
2. Milne, Alex; Crump, James (8 February 2020). "Why is England vs Scotland called the Calcutta Cup? Six Nations 2020 clash explained". Daily Mirror . Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
3. "The History of the Calcutta Cup". scottishrugby.org. Scottish Rugby Union (SRU). Archived from the original on 3 February 2021.
4. Johnson, Ben. "The Calcutta Cup". historic-uk.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
5. "History of the Calcutta Cup". englandrugby.com. Rugby Football Union (RFU). 3 February 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
6. "The Calcutta Cup goes kickabout". ESPNscrum. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
7. "Calcutta Cricket and Football Club history". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
8. "How rugby is still thriving in Kolkata, birthplace of the historic Calcutta Cup". scroll.in. SCROLL. AFP. 11 September 2019. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
9. Hyde, Nick (2007-08-06). "FUTURE HOPE HARLEQUINS RETAIN CALCUTTA CUP". scrum.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-23. Retrieved 21 January 2015.

Further reading

• "THE CALCUTTA CUP: the legacy of a club that died" (PDF). srustaging.realise.com. London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
• "FROM THE VAULTS — IN 1877 THE RFU WERE SENT A LETTER…". worldrugbymuseum.com. 6 March 2017. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
• Johnson, Ben (1 May 2016). "The birth of Calcutta Cup". history-uk.com. London: The History United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
• "Rugby history — Everything you need to know about the Calcutta Cup". world.rugby. London: World Rugby. 6 July 2020. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
• Brenkley, Stephen (20 January 2002). "Meet Charlie — from the Bengal branch of the Van der Guchts". independent.co.uk. London: The Independent UK. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
• Drennan, Jonathan (16 May 2020). "The rugby club in Kolkata that has given hope to 3,500 street children". thegurdian.com. London: The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2023.

External links

• Five famous victories to lift Scottish Hearts, The Scotsman, February 25, 2006
• The History of the Calcutta Cup, The Calcutta Cup at Historic UK
• The Calcutta Cup (PDF) explained on the website of the Scottish Rugby Union.