The Scottish Rugby Union 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. 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.
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.
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.
The East Regional League is one of three Scottish Regional Leagues operated by the Scottish Rugby Union, which play at a level below that of the Scottish National Leagues structure. Originally, these divisions were district leagues under the jurisdiction of the Edinburgh & District Union and the Scottish Borders Union.
Domestic club rugby union within Scotland remains a predominantly amateur sport; however, semi-professional and professional outfits have been created in recent decades to participate in cross-border competitions.
The Scottish Regional Leagues are the lowest levels of the Scottish rugby union system. They consist of three regions:
The Grampian Alliance League was a small rugby union competition participated in by clubs in the Grampian region. Together with the Highland Alliance League, it was one of the few remaining leagues not part of the Scottish rugby union system, and therefore neither it nor its clubs were part of the Scottish League Championship structure.
The University of St Andrews Rugby Football Club is an affiliated member of the University of St Andrews Athletic Union in Fife, Scotland. The club runs four men's and two women's teams, which play in the university leagues.
Caledonia Reds were a Scottish rugby union professional district team who participated in the Scottish Inter-District Championship and in two seasons of the Heineken Cup. They evolved from one of the traditional four amateur districts of Scotland, North and Midlands, in 1996.
Rugby union in Scotland in its modern form has existed since the mid-19th century. As with the history of rugby union itself however, it emerged from older traditional forms of football which preceded the codification of the sport. In the same manner as rugby union in England, rugby union in Scotland would grow at a significant rate to the point where Scotland played England in the first ever rugby union international in 1871, a match which was won by the Scottish team.
Rugby union in the Scottish Borders has a long, and significant history.
Falkirk Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Falkirk, Scotland. They currently compete in Scottish National League Division One, the second tier of Scottish club rugby. The club play their home matches at Cala Park.
The Scottish Inter-District Championship is a rugby union competition between regional sides in Scotland. Established in 1953, the tournament went through several formats.
The Welsh–Scottish League was a rugby union league in Scotland and Wales jointly implemented by the Scottish Rugby Union and the Welsh Rugby Union from the 1999–2000 season onwards. It was a precursor to the Celtic League and lasted three seasons, being disbanded after the Celtic League was set up.
North and Midlands was a select provincial amateur rugby union team that drew its players mainly from north of Scotland, roughly corresponding from around Stirling northwards. Historically the North and Midlands team played matches against touring teams visiting Scotland from abroad, and also competed in the Scottish Inter-District Championship.
Midlands District was a select provincial amateur rugby union team that drew its players mainly from central east Scotland, roughly corresponding from around Stirlingshire, east to Fife and northwards to Perthshire and Angus. Historically the Midlands team played against other Scottish districts, and provided players to the North of Scotland
Scotland's District rugby union sides are provincial representative teams, that in the amateur era capped the best amateur players from their area's club sides to play inter-district matches and matches against touring sides. These districts still survive at age-grade and the professional teams Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby remain provincial sides based on the traditional districts.
Hillfoots RFC is a Scottish rugby union club based in Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire. The club plays its home games at the Public Park in Tillicoultry
Garioch RFC is a rugby union club based in Inverurie, Scotland. The Men's team currently plays in Caledonia Division One. The Women's team currently plays in the Scottish Womens Premiership league.
Dundee University Medics RFC is a rugby union club based in Dundee, Scotland. The Men's team currently plays in Caledonia Midlands Two. They most recently won Caledonia Midlands Two.
Scotland