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| Birth name | Francis Henderson Coutts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 8 July 1918 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 20 October 2008 (aged 90) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Walter Coutts, brother | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 91st President of the Scottish Rugby Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1977–1978 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Hector Monro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Lex Govan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frank Coutts (8 July 1918 –20 October 2008) was a Scotland international rugby union player. He became the 91st President of the Scottish Rugby Union. [1]
Coutts played for Melrose and the Army. [2]
He played for the Army against a 'Rest of Scotland' side on 15 February 1947. [3]
He played a charity match on 17 April 1948. This was C.R. Bruce's over-25 select XV against H. Waddell's under-25 select XV. This was in aid of the Glasgow Academy building fund and it drew the largest crowd of the season at New Anniesland. The match was won by H. Waddell's XV by 21-15. Coutts played well for the C.R. Bruce XV kicking a penalty and a conversion. [4] [5]
He played for the Public School Wanderers in August 1949. [6]
He was playing for London Scottish till the end of December 1949. [7] He was then posted back with the army to Edinburgh district. However on the move back to Scotland,Coutts made arrangements to play for Glasgow Academicals. [8]
He played for the Co-Optimists on 4 October 1950 against South of Scotland District. [9]
He played for Glasgow Academicals in 1950. [10] [11]
He played for Scotland Probables in the 1946 December trial match; [12] and in the January 1947 second trial match that season. [13]
He travelled 400 miles from Edinburgh to play for a Kent county side against Eastern Counties on 4 January 1950. It was the deciding match in the South-Eastern division of the English county championship. [14]
Coutts played for Scotland in war-time internationals when at Melrose. [15] [16] [17]
He played for Scotland 3 times in 1947. [18]
Coutts was SRU Vice-President in 1976. [19]
He became the 91st President of the Scottish Rugby Union. He served the standard one year from 1977 to 1978. [20]
During his presidency,the SRU accepted a £80,000 sponsorship from Schweppes in a 3 year deal. The winners of each of the 7 national divisions will receive a Schweppes Trophy. However Coutts said that the SRU frowned on sponsorship in general and had refused a building society when they wanted to sponsor the Melrose Sevens. [21]
Coutts was a Colonel with the King's Own Scottish Borderers. [22]
Coutts became a Brigadier in the army. [19]
He became a general secretary of the Royal British Legion in Scotland. [23]
His mother Rose Coutts lived till she was 100,dying a week short of her 101st birthday,in August 1987. [23]
Coutts had 3 brothers and a sister. One of them was knighted as Sir Walter Coutts. [23]
Another brother,Captain J. Burnaby 'Ben' Coutts,was a radio and TV broadcaster and an author of books on agriculture. [22] [24]
His grandfather Sir John Fleming was an Aberdeen M.P. and Lord Provost of the city. [23]
The South of Scotland District is a Scottish amateur rugby union team which plays in the amateur Scottish Inter-District Championship. It draws its players from the South of Scotland,mainly the Scottish Borders where there has always been a proud tradition of rugby union. Historically the South team played matches against touring teams visiting Scotland from abroad,and also competed in the Scottish Inter-District Championship. After rugby union became a professional sport in 1995,the team was replaced in 1996 by the new Border Reivers team based in the same geographical area as the South and who wore the same colours as the old team.
William Neilson was a Scotland international rugby union player. He was born in Thankerton House in Holytown,near Glasgow,Scotland. Holytown was historically in Bothwell parish leading to some references to state Bothwell.
The Glasgow Academical Football Club is the third oldest rugby football club in Scotland. The club was also a founder member of the Scottish Football Union in 1873.
Gordon Herbert Waddell was a Scottish rugby union player,a South African politician,and the son of Herbert Waddell. He played for Scotland,the Barbarians and on two British and Irish Lions tours. In fact he is the only Scottish stand off to be a double Lion. He had 18 caps between 1957 and 1962 - this record for a Scotland fly-half was only later broken by John Rutherford. He played 12 times for the Barbarians between 1957 and 1960,scoring in three matches including their 1958 match against East Africa in Nairobi on 28 May 1958. In 1962 he was the controlling influence in Scotland's first win in Wales since the 1930s,a feat not repeated for another twenty years.
The Scotland national B rugby union team was one of several national rugby union teams behind the Scottish national side. It was largely used as a development side and began in the era when Scotland had little in the way of an age-grade pathway.
David Watson was a Scotland international rugby union player. He played at the Forward position.
Tom Scott (1875–1947) was a Scotland international rugby union player. He played as a centre and half-back.
Robert Scott was a Scottish rugby union player. He became an international referee and later the 61st President of the Scottish Rugby Union.
David Fisher was a Scotland international rugby union player. His regular playing position was Forward.
George Turnbull was a Scotland international rugby union player.
Charles Dick was a Scotland international rugby union player. He played as a Centre.
John Hastie was a Scotland international rugby union player. He played as a Hooker.
Norm Suddon was a Scotland international rugby union player. He played as a Prop.
Tom Elliot was a Scotland international rugby union player.
Jock Allan was a Scotland international rugby union player. He was the first married man to play for the Scotland side.
Sandy Gunn was a Scotland international rugby union player. His regular playing position was fly half.
Arthur Laing was a Scotland international rugby union player.
Charles Berry was a Scotland international rugby union player.
Charles Fraser was a Scotland international rugby union player.
Norman Bruce was a Scotland rugby union international player.
