The Scotland national rugby union team represents the Scottish Rugby Union in men's international rugby union. The team takes part in the annual Six Nations Championship, where they are the current Calcutta Cup and Doddie Weir Cup holders. They also participate in the Rugby World Cup, which takes place every four years.
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France: at the time, the five European countries who participated in the Five Nations Championship. This was the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the northern hemisphere, with England the hosts of the final. Also for the first time, qualifying competitions were introduced as the number of entrants had increased, from 16 nations four years earlier, to 33 countries. The eight quarter-finalists from 1987 qualified automatically with the remaining eight spots contested through qualifiers by 25 countries. This resulted in only one new side qualifying for the tournament, Western Samoa replacing Tonga. The same 16-team pool/knock-out format was used with just minor changes to the points system. South Africa was again not included because of sanctions imposed on the country by the International Rugby Board (IRB), due to the government's apartheid policies.
The Ireland national rugby union team is the men's representative national team for the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team represents both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland competes in the annual Six Nations Championship and in the Rugby World Cup. Ireland is one of the four unions that make up the British & Irish Lions – players eligible to play for Ireland are also eligible for the Lions.
John Ross Beattie is a Scottish broadcaster and former rugby union player.
Seamus Oliver Campbell is an Irish former rugby union player. He played flyhalf for Ireland from 1976 to 1984. He is most well known for his role in orchestrating Ireland's Triple Crown victory at the 1982 Five Nations Championship, breaking a drought of over 30 years. Campbell has been described as Ireland's most complete flyhalf since Jackie Kyle.
Michael Edward Harrison in Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire) is a former first-class rugby union footballer, playing on the wing for Wakefield and England.
Michael Clive Teague is an English rugby union player who played for the British Lions.
The 2006 Six Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 112th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. This was the fourth edition sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland.
Chris Oti is an English former rugby union player. He was a rugby winger of prodigious pace who represented England thirteen times between 1988 and 1991. He was a member of the England squad that appeared in the 1991 Rugby World Cup during which he made two appearances. Chris Oti is married with 3 children.
Harold Elgan Rees is a Welsh former international rugby union player.
Ian Stephens is a former Wales international rugby union player. A prop who toured twice with the British & Irish Lions, visiting South Africa in 1980 and New Zealand in 1983. At the time, he played club rugby for Bridgend RFC. Ian was a tough, hard-nosed prop who had the rare ability to play both sides of the scrum at the highest level, though his preferred position was loosehead. Ian is also known as Ike or Ikey.
Jeffrey Squire in Newport, Monmouthshire, is a former Welsh international rugby union player and British Lion.
John Scott is a former rugby union international who represented England from 1978 to 1984.
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship, the 114th series of the international championship.
Maurice John Colclough was an England international rugby union player. He was selected for the 1980 British Lions tour to South Africa and the 1983 British Lions tour to New Zealand, playing in all four internationals each tour. He was a member of the England team that won the Grand Slam in 1980. At the time he played club rugby for Angoulême; he also played for Wasps RFC and Swansea RFC.
Hugh Patrick MacNeill OBE, commonly known as Hugo MacNeill, is a former rugby union player who played for Ireland, Leinster, the French Barbarians and the British and Irish Lions during the 1980s. During the late 1970s he also played Football for University College Dublin and Dublin University. After retiring from sport, MacNeill went on to serve as a director for Goldman Sachs. He has also worked as a rugby pundit for TV3 and BBC Radio 5 Live.
Stephen Edward Brain is an English former rugby union player who played as a hooker for Coventry R.F.C. and represented England in over a dozen international matches, including three Five Nations, now the Six Nations Championship, between 1984 and 1986.
Since 1989, the British & Irish Lions have developed a regular 12-year cycle of tours visiting one of the following three Southern Hemisphere nations, in turn, every four years:
Colin Edward Smart is a former international rugby union player, who played as a prop, from Highbury, London, England.
The history of the Ireland national rugby union team began in 1875, when Ireland played its first international match, a 0–7 loss against England. Ireland has competed in the Six Nations rugby tournament since 1883. Ireland has also competed at the Rugby World Cup every four years since its inception.
