First Ever International Rugby Game: What Was It?
Christian Jenkins
2025-04-29 17:25:49
Count answers: 6
The first international rugby match between England and Scotland was staged at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh in March 1871. Scotland scored the only goal of the match early in the second half when they pushed a scrum back over the English try line and Angus Buchanan allegedly grounded the ball. The England team disputed the try’s legality, and a lengthy and heated debate ensued before the try was allowed to stand.
There were no referees until the mid- 1870s so appeals were directed towards the umpires (who in later years became touch-judges). The umpire who awarded the try that day was Dr. Almond, the headmaster of Loretto School.
London Murray
2025-04-25 22:55:19
Count answers: 5
It was 27th March 1871, at the playing fields off of Raeburn Place in the Stockbridge area of Edinburgh. The competing teams were, of course, Scotland and England. The English wore white as you would expect, while the Scots had for whatever reason chosen to wear brown. But the emblems on the shirts would have been familiar to modern eyes – the rose for England and the thistle for Scotland. The final result surprised everyone: 1-0 to Scotland.
The scoring system in those days was different, with only conversions counting towards the final score. Scotland had two tries and one conversion, England one try and no conversions – hence the 1-0 scoreline.
Tracey Nienow
2025-04-20 21:13:50
Count answers: 7
Edinburgh is right at the heart of rugby history, with the world’s first rugby international played at Raeburn Place in 1871, between Scotland and England.
Marilyne Blick
2025-04-14 01:30:37
Count answers: 3
The first international game of rugby was played here in Scotland 150 years ago. On 27 March 1871 Scotland faced England at Edinburgh’s Raeburn Place, laying the foundation for the Calcutta Cup: one of the most eagerly anticipated matches in the annual rugby calendar. A crowd of 4,000 spectators watched the match which was played on the grounds at Raeburn Place in the Edinburgh suburb of Stockbridge. The game was won by Scotland who scored two tries and one goal (what we would call a conversion) to England’s one try.
Abbie Hartmann
2025-04-01 14:14:06
Count answers: 3
By this time the popularity of the game was spreading, and in the same year the first ever international rugby game was played between England and Scotland. Just 48 years after that first game at a school in Rugby, Scotland were the first side to win an international match.
Drake Wisozk
2025-04-01 11:38:36
Count answers: 5
The first rugby international took place at Raeburn Place on 27 March 1871. Scotland took on England in front of a crowd of 4,000 and, to the home support’s delight, won the encounter by two tries and a goal to England’s single try.
The match came about as a result of a challenge made by the captains of the five senior Scottish clubs - West of Scotland FC, Edinburgh Academicals FC, Merchistonian FC, Glasgow Academicals FC and St Salvator FC (St Andrew’s) – to the footballers of England to play a match “twenty-a-side, Rugby rules, either in Edinburgh or Glasgow...”
There were many differences between that match and the game as played today. As well as being 20-a-side, the match was played over two 50-minute halves and the methods of scoring were different from those used today. The sole purpose of the try, which is now awarded five points and is seen as the principle means of scoring, was to provide an opportunity to kick at the posts, ie ‘a try at goal’.
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