Throughout the legendary 152 year history, the old enemies of England and Scotland have produced some classic encounters. The two sides first met in the inaugural international rugby test match, some 152 years ago (or 55,846 days for those keeping count).
The next chapter in the history books will be written this Saturday, as England travel up to Edinburgh to take on Gregor Townsend’s side. Steve Borthwick will be looking for redemption from the 2023 Six Nations, as the 29-23 Scotland win began his tenure as England head coach with a Twickenham defeat. The match has been revived through Netflix’s ‘Full Contact’ documentary, and is best remembered for Duhan van der Merwe’s incredible solo try.
The two nations compete for the fabled Calcutta Cup, a heirloom of Anglo-Celtic rugby heritage that traces it’s origins back to it’s incarnation in 1879. The trophy has been contested since the ninth fixture between the sides, for a total of 141 test match fixtures. Scotland have kept hold of the trophy since 2021, and look to retain the Calcutta Cup for a Scottish record-equalising fourth consecutive time.
Let’s look over five of the most poignant, exhilarating and important moments to have ever taken place between the rivals. Here are the top five matches between England and Scotland.
The Birth of a Rivalry – Scotland 1-0 England: Exhibition Match – 27th March 1871
The match that started it all. The inaugural encounter between Scotland and England took place when Queen Victoria sat upon the throne. As the score-line suggests, this match did not take place under the recognised rugby laws that we are accustomed to today, instead the only way to score a point for your team was to successfully convert a try.
Taking place north of the border in Raeburn’s Place, Edinburgh, little over 4,000 spectators attended this match. In what would today have finished 7-5 to Scotland, both sides scored a try, yet it was William Cross who slotted the monumental conversion for Scotland’s victory. Angus Buchannan, a dual-code player who also starred for the nation’s cricket team, has the accolade of scoring the first ever try in an international test match.
The return fixture the following year saw England record their first ever win, and a rivalry was born.
2. The Five Nations Grudge Match – Scotland 13-7 England: 1990 Five Nations Championship
A game of rugby that transcended the sport. The match was so much more than just the on-field action, as an unsettled political relationship between England and Scotland had emerged. The coronation fixture for Scotland’s Five Nations Grand Slam crown, this battle between the old enemies is best remembered for Scotland’s victory in a diplomatically tense era.
In simplified terms, Margaret Thatcher and the Poll Tax had made life incredibly difficult for the working class people of Northern England and Scotland. Tax raises and union cuts made the English Prime Minister an unpopular figure outside of Westminster. In life, Scotland felt like the underdogs, and they brought this fight to the pitch to win a monumental Five Nations Championship. Three penalties from Craig Chalmers, and Anthony Stranger’s try established enough points for Scotland to secure the victory at Murrayfield.
Now the topic of the BT Sport documentary ‘The Grudge’, which follows the book by Tom English, ‘The Grudge: Two Nations, One Match, No Holds Barred’ this historically significant fixture will be remembered for Scotland’s success in a time when the odds were against them on and off the pitch.