London Scottish
Full nameLondon Scottish Football Club
UnionMiddlesex RFU, Scotland RU
Nickname(s)The Exiles, Scottish
Founded1878 (1878)
LocationRichmond, London, England
Ground(s)Richmond Athletic Ground (Capacity: 4,500 (1,000 seated))
PresidentPaul Burnell
Director of RugbyBryan Redpath
Coach(es)Joe Gray
Captain(s)Joe Rees
League(s)RFU Championship
2022–2311th
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
londonscottish.com

London Scottish Football Club is a rugby union club in England. The club is a member of both the Rugby Football Union and the Scottish Rugby Union. The club is currently playing in the RFU Championship and share the Athletic Ground with Richmond.

History

Founding (1878)

In early 1878, three Scottish members of a team called St. Andrew's Rovers FC decided to break away to form their own club for Scots.[1] These men, George Grant, Neil Macglashan and Robert Arnot attracted a number of responses to a circular they sent out. The London Scottish Regiment in particular were very warm to the idea. Very soon after, on 10 April 1878, London Scottish FC was founded[2] in The Queen's Head, in Water Lane, Blackfriars, London (universally known as MacKay's Tavern, frequently mis-recorded, as Ned Mackay the jovial Scottish landlord ran the pub),[3] initially played on Blackheath Common,[1] and later at Richmond Athletic Ground in Surrey.[2]

1895

They had a sizable fixture list and played some of the leading clubs of the time immediately, such as Ravenscourt Park Football Club and Queen's House Football Club (the latter being the only London team to have never lost to London Scottish).[1] They also played St Andrew's Rovers that season. St Andrew's, who had lost the core of their best players lost twice to London Scottish and folded at the end of the season.[1] London Scottish had a very successful first season, and having played 15 matches they only lost four (against already well established sides, Flamingoes, Guy's Hospital, Queen's House and Wasps).[1]

In 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War all sixty members of the four London Scottish teams who played in their last matches in April enlisted. Fifteen survived, and one played Rugby again. They are commemorated in Mick Imlah's poem "London Scottish".[4]

Early history

London Scottish was the first of the "Exiles" rugby clubs to be founded, and the last of the main three – after London Irish and London Welsh – to go "open" in 1996.[2]

London Scottish made the John Player Cup Final in 1974, where they lost 26–6 against defending champions Coventry.

The club regularly featured at the Middlesex Sevens tournament, winning the trophy in 1937, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965 and 1991. They have won the Melrose Sevens three times, in 1962, 1965 and 2019.

Professional era (1996–2020)

Scottish turned professional in 1996. Tony Tiarks bought the club for £500,000 in 1996.

In the summer of 1998 Scottish, co-tenants of Richmond at the Athletic Ground, were promoted to the top division via a play-off, and Tiarks forced through an ill-fated groundshare with Harlequins and London Broncos at the Stoop Memorial Ground.

In the 1998–99 season, Scottish made their only appearance in the English Premiership. Under coach John Steele, and despite limited resources, the team finished 12th out of 14 teams, which would have saved them from relegation had they not fallen into administration at the season's end. Notable wins that season included: versus Bath (13–11), Saracens (24–7) and Newcastle Falcons (27–17). That season's squad included Scottish international stars Ronnie Eriksson, Simon Holmes and Derrick Lee, Australians Simon Fenn and Eddie Jones, and the South African Jannie de Beer.

Midway through the 1998–1999 season, Tiarks became disillusioned and discussed selling Scottish's place in the Premiership to second-division Bristol. He bailed out in the summer of 1999. The professional club London Scottish Rugby was placed into administration in 1999 and nominally merged into London Irish (who moved their games to the Stoop) along with Richmond, who were also placed into administration.

The original amateur club rejoined the RFU leagues at the bottom of the pyramid after effectively having been relegated nine divisions by the RFU. The club progressed back up through seven divisions in 10 seasons to RFU Championship for the 2011–12 season.

The club was promoted to the English National leagues (National Division Three South) for the 2007–08 season after an eight-year absence. The club was unbeaten in the 2008–09 season, earning promotion to the revamped RFU National 1 Division for the 2009–10 season. In 2009–10, the club finished second in their first season in RFU National 1 Division.

The club secured promotion to the RFU Championship for the 2011–12 season. During the 2012–13 season, the club made the switch to a full-time professional set-up, with many of the club's part-time professional players leaving and new coaches brought on board, this included former Leicester Tigers hooker James Buckland and France and London Wasps legend Serge Betsen. The fully professional set-up was credited for an impressive performance away to Championship leaders Newcastle Falcons, where three penalties brought them to the brink of a shock win, but they lost 12–9. There followed significant wins in the second half of the season, including a 26–23 victory over Bedford Blues, a 25–13 win over Nottingham and a 20–17 win away at Cornish Pirates. Scottish were still challenging for a place in the top four of the Championship until as late as March, when they were beaten by Leeds Carnegie, and they ended the season in mid-table.

The Scottish again finished mid-table in the Championship in the 2013–14 season. The team had four players named in the Championship Best XV – American international Eric Fry, Tomas Francis, Mark Bright and Championship top try-scorer Miles Mantella.[5]

Following a mediocre 2016–17 campaign, the club appointed Loughborough Students director of rugby Dave Morris as director of rugby and the club saw a change at the top, with Malcom Offord becoming chairman of the club and Carson Russell as CEO.

Semi-professional club (2021–)

Following a reduction in funding from the RFU, Scottish adopted a semi-professional model from the 2020–21 season, with players and coaches being employed part-time.[6] Following this, in February 2021 it was confirmed that due to funding cuts and the costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic Scottish would not take part in the upcoming season.[7]

Scottish were to leave the Athletic Ground after 127 years, with the first team temporarily relocating to Esher's rugby ground in Hersham and the rest of the club also seeking relocation.[8] However it was later confirmed they would remain at the Athletic Ground for their return to the Championship in the 2021–22 season.[9]

Sevens

London Scottish have been great exponents of rugby sevens, winning the Melrose Sevens three times, Middlesex Sevens seven times and the Rosslyn Park London Floodlit Sevens seven times.

Captains and league position (since 1999–2000)

SeasonDivisionCaptainPosition
1999–00Non League (London Senior Clubs)Ewan KearneyWinners of Merit table
2000–01Herts/Middlesex 1Damian LilleyRunner-up
2001–02London 4 NWSteven WicharyChampions
2002–03London 3 NWMagnus MacdonaldChampions
2003–04London 2 NorthDavid WattChampions
2004–05London 1Karl Hensley4th
2005–06London 1Karl Hensley3rd
2006–07London 1Alex AlesbrookChampions
2007–08National Division Three SouthAlex Alesbrook4th National
2008–09National Division Three SouthGary TruemanChampions
2009–10National League OneGary Trueman2nd
2010–11National League OneIan McInroyChampions
2011–12The ChampionshipLewis Calder9th
2012–13The ChampionshipMark Bright8th
2013–14The ChampionshipMark Bright5th
2014–15The ChampionshipMark Bright3rd
2015–16The ChampionshipMark Bright8th
2016–17The ChampionshipRory Bartle7th
2017–18The ChampionshipLewis Wynne11th
2018–19The ChampionshipMark Bright9th
2019–20The ChampionshipChris Dean11th
2020–21Did not compete due to COVID-19 pandemic--
2021–22The ChampionshipBrian Tuilagi11th
2022–23The ChampionshipJoe Rees11th
2023–24The Championship-

Head coach and management (since 1999–2000)

SeasonDivisionHead CoachManager
1999–00Non LeagueIain MorrisonColin McIntyre
2000–01Herts/Middlesex 1Brett CooksonColin McIntyre
2001–02London 4 NWKevin PowderlyColin Mcintyre
2002–03London 3 NWKevin PowderlyColin McIntyre
2003–04London 2 NorthRick ScottColin McIntyre
2004–05London 1Rowly WilliamsColin McIntyre
2005–06London 1Rowly WilliamsColin McIntyre
2006–07London 1Terry O'ConnorColin McIntyre
2007–08National Division Three SouthTerry O'ConnorColin McIntyre
2008–09National Division Three SouthBrett TaylorColin McIntyre
2009–10National League OneBrett TaylorColin McIntyre
2010–11National League OneSimon AmorColin McIntyre
2011–12The ChampionshipSimon AmorRoss Macgregor
2012–13The ChampionshipSimon AmorRoss Macgregor
2013–14The ChampionshipSimon AmorLaurence Bruggemann

Overall league statistics

SeasonDivisionPlayedWonDrawLostPoints
For		Points
Against		Points
Diff		PointsPos
1987–88National League 211416141158–1797th
1988–89National League 211317146160–16711th
1989–90National League 311110025892166221st
1990–91National League 21270524017862145th
1991–92National League 2121101304130174221st
1992–93Premiership12318192248–56710th
1993–94National League 2186012232325–93128th
1999–00Non-league2619167753414341st
2000–01Herts/Middlesex 1181701554118436342nd
2001–02London 4 NW181404533214319281st
2002–03London 3 NW181602560199361321st
2003–04London 2 North222011752277475411st
2004–05London 1221507676343333304th
2005–06London 1221615840324516333rd
2006–07London 1222002997235762401st
2007–08National Division Three South261709633410223834th
2008–09National Division Three South26251010923287641201st
2009–10National League One3022179385693691082nd
2010–11National League One3027039585164421321st
2011–12The Championship226016422543−121349th
2012–13The Championship2210012456610−154458th

Honours

London Scottish

London Scottish Lions (amateur side)

Current standings

2023–24 RFU Championship Table
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1Ealing Trailfinders76012811421396131
2Coventry8503266183837027
3Cornish Pirates7502216145714125
4Doncaster Knights8503229210194125
5Bedford Blues7502252170824024
6Nottingham8404229252-236022
7Ampthill8404225228-35122
8Hartpury8305205237-323217
9Caldy7304165251-864016
10Cambridge9108187373-1864311
11London Scottish7106129193-64239
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background Champions (qualify for Promotion play-off if eligible).
Red background will be relegated (there is no relegation this season).
Updated: 13 January 2024
Source: "The Championship". England Rugby.

Current squad

The London Scottish squad as announced for the 2022–23 season was:[19]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Cameron Terry Hooker England England
Elliot Chilvers Prop England England
Sam Gratton Prop England England
Joe Rees Prop Wales Wales
Daniel Lewis Lock England England
Angus Southon Lock England England
Matt Wilkinson Lock England England
Ben Charnock Back row England England
Dan Cuthbert Back row England England
Harry Hill Back row England England
Jack Ingall Back row England England
Cameron King Back row England England
Brian Tuilagi Back row Samoa Samoa
Player Position Union
Ed Hoadley Scrum-half England England
Dan Nutton Scrum-half England England
Luca Petrozzi Scrum-half Italy Italy
Nathan Chamberlain Fly-half Scotland Scotland
Harry Sheppard Fly-half England England
Zach Clow Centre Wales Wales
Theo Manihera Centre England England
Robbie McCallum Centre Scotland Scotland
Josh Drauniniu Wing Fiji Fiji
Noah Ferdinand Wing England England
Sam Smith Wing England England
Charlie Ingall Fullback England England

    Current staff

    First team

    • Director of Rugby – Bryan Redpath
    • Head coach – Joe Gray
    • Backs Coach –
    • Head of Strength and Conditioning - Boris Pineles

    Commercial

    • Chief Operating Officer – Louise Newton

    Notable former players

    Scotland internationalists

    The following former London Scottish players have represented Scotland at full international level. London Scottish have produced more than 220 Scottish international players, more than any other club.[20]

    Wales internationalists

    The following former London Scottish players have represented Wales at full international level.

    England internationalists

    The following former London Scottish players have represented England at full international level.

    Ireland internationalists

    The following former London Scottish players have represented Ireland at full international level.

    Other nationalities

    See also

    Bibliography

    • Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1-86200-013-1)
    • Bath, Richard (ed.) The Scotland Rugby Miscellany (Vision Sports Publishing Ltd, 2007 ISBN 1-905326-24-6)
    • Godwin, Terry Complete Who's Who of International Rugby (Cassell, 1987, ISBN 0-7137-1838-2)
    • Massie, Allan A Portrait of Scottish Rugby (Polygon, Edinburgh; ISBN 0-904919-84-6)

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 Dick Tyson, London's Oldest Rugby Clubs, p96 (JJG Publishing), 2008
    2. 1 2 3 Bath, 1997, pp86,87
    3. ↑ http://pubshistory.com/LondonPubs/StAnnsBlackfriars/QueensHead.shtm
    4. ↑ "London Scottish by Mick Imlah".
    5. ↑ "Greene King IPA Championship Dream XV". RFU.com. 26 May 2014. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
    6. ↑ "RFU funding cut update". London Scottish Rugby. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
    7. ↑ "London Scottish decline DCMS loans to play 1st XV". London Scottish Rugby. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
    8. ↑ "London Scottish to leave Richmond Athletic Ground after 127 years". London Scottish Rugby. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
    9. ↑ "London Scottish to remain at the RAG". London Scottish Rugby. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
    10. ↑ "Melrose Sevens". 7 June 2019.
    11. ↑ "Hawick Sevens". 7 June 2019.
    12. ↑ "Kelso Sevens". 7 June 2019.
    13. ↑ "Ross Sutherland Sevens". 7 June 2019.
    14. ↑ "Glasgow Academicals Sevens". 7 June 2019.
    15. ↑ "Edinburgh Wanderers / Haig Trophy Sevens". 10 June 2019.
    16. ↑ "Stirling Sevens". 7 June 2019.
    17. ↑ "How to find us". www.hampshirerugby.co.uk.
    18. ↑ "National 3 South 08/09". Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
    19. ↑ "Squad". London Scottish. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
    20. ↑ "A Brief History". London Scottish FC. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
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