 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2012) |
| Rugby union in Scotland | |
|---|---|
 Scottish fans watching a game against Romania at the 2007 Rugby World Cup | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Governing body | Scottish Rugby Union |
| National team(s) | Scotland |
| First played | 1858, Edinburgh |
| Registered players | 38,500 [1] |
| Clubs | 143 full member clubs and an additional 135 associate member clubs[2] (system) |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox sport overview with unknown parameter "countryflag"
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.[3]
- ^ Scotland Archived 2012-12-28 at the Wayback Machine International Rugby Board
- ^ "The Structure of Rugby in Scotland | Sports Heritage Scotland".
- ^ "IRB Strategic Plan" (PDF). International Rugby Board. 2019. Archived from the original (PDF 0.3 MB) on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2019.