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The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South African teams previously from the SANZAR Super Rugby competition. The league is one of the three major professional leagues in Europe, the most successful teams from which go forward to compete in the European Rugby Champions Cup. Since 2022-23, despite the name, South African teams have been eligible to qualify for European competition, and one South African place is guaranteed.
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.
Edinburgh Rugby is one of the two professional rugby union teams from Scotland. The club competes in the United Rugby Championship, along with the Glasgow Warriors, its oldest rival. Edinburgh plays most of its home games at Edinburgh Rugby Stadium.
Glasgow Warriors are one of the two professional rugby union sides from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became the first Scottish team to win a major trophy in rugby union's professional era. The side is known for its fast, dynamic and attacking style of play, using offloads and quick rucks. Defensively the club prides itself on its 'Fortress Scotstoun' where the club play at home.
Gregor Peter John Townsend, is a Scottish rugby union coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Scotland national team having previously been an assistant coach from 2009 to 2012. As a player, he won 82 caps for Scotland and two for the British and Irish Lions. He is a former coach of Glasgow Warriors and was a player-coach for Border Reivers. As well as in Scotland, he played club rugby in Australia, England, France and South Africa. As coach of Scotland, his team won at Twickenham for the first time in 38 years in 2021. Townsend was selected as attack coach for the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa.
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.
Opeta Palepoi is a Samoan rugby union footballer, with 48 caps. He currently plays for Scottish side Gala RFC.
The 2007–08 Celtic League was the seventh Celtic League season and the second with Magners as title sponsor. The season began on 31 August 2007 and finished on the weekend beginning 10 May 2008. Some disruption to fixtures occurred as a result of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, which took place during September and October 2007.
The 2004–05 Celtic League was the fourth Celtic League season, and the second following the introduction of regional rugby in Wales. It involved Irish, Scottish and Welsh rugby union clubs. The restructured Celtic League saw the Welsh regional side the Neath-Swansea Ospreys finish top of the table to take the title.
Fergus Matthew Andrew Thomson is a Scottish rugby union hooker who plays for Glasgow Warriors. He was a member of the Scotland squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.
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.
Geoffrey Dominic Sebastian Cross is a Scottish former rugby union player. He played as a tight-head prop for the Border Reivers, Edinburgh and London Irish. He won 40 caps for Scotland between 2009 and 2014. He is also a qualified doctor.
Richie Vernon is a former Scotland international rugby union player with London Scottish. He previously was with Glasgow Warriors, playing for the Glasgow side over two spells. He has also previously played for the now defunct Border Reivers and Sale Sharks.
Ed Kalman is a former Scottish rugby union internationalist, who played for Glasgow Warriors in the Pro12. He played as a prop; both at tighthead and loosehead.
Hugh Campbell is a former Head Coach of the Glasgow Warriors.
The 1872 Cup – also known as the 1872 Challenge Cup – is a men's rugby union tournament contested every year between the two Scottish professional clubs, Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby.
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.
Colin Stewart is a former Scotland Under 21 international rugby union player who played with Glasgow Warriors and Border Reivers. His regular playing position was Lock.
John Dalziel is a Forwards Coach for Scotland. He was previously Head Coach of the Scotland 7s team. He began coaching while at Melrose, and went on have coaching roles with Scotland U20, London Scottish and Glasgow Warriors.