Six Nations Rugby - Where it all started

On December 8, 1870 a letter appeared in the pages of The Scotsman inviting footballers from England to participate in a match played by the “Rugby Rules”.

The challenge, which was also published in the London magazine Bell's life, was 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.

It called for a match to be played, “20-a-side, Rugby rules, either in Edinburgh or Glasgow”.

Blackheath Rugby Club in London accepted it with the aim of compiling a representative England team. Less than four months later, the first international rugby union match took place.

The venue was Raeburn Place, in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, named after the painter Sir Henry Raeburn. It was a ground that had been acquired by members of Edinburgh Academicals in 1853.

It went on to become the Scotland rugby team’s home venue for 25 years and more recently hosted the Women’s Rugby World Cup final (1994) and staged Scotland fixtures in the Cricket World Cup (1999).

Raeburn Place remains Edinburgh Accies’ home ground and is in the process of being redeveloped.

International rugby union is a box-office sport watched by millions, but one that can be traced all the way back to a small corner of Edinburgh.
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