Rugby league in Scotland
Encyclopedia
Rugby league
is comparatively minor sport in Scotland
, dwarfed by the popularity of association football, and to a lesser extent sports such as rugby union
, curling
and shinty
. With the introduction of rugby league into schools and the formation of youth rugby league in Scotland it has seen juniors being signed to Super League
clubs.
which permitted payments to players. However, no such split took place in Scotland where the clubs continued to play rugby union. Fourteen Scottish players would cross over and play rugby league in England before amateurism was be abandoned.http://www.rfu.com/microsites/museum/pdfs/exhibitions/leagues/apart6.pdf
The history of rugby league in Scotland goes back to 1909 when the touring Australian team drew 17 all with England
at Celtic Park
, Glasgow
. A further match against the Australians followed at Tynecastle
, Edinburgh
in 1911, again an 11 all tie. After this the Rugby Football League
largely gave up on expansion north of the border.
Nonetheless, a number of Scottish rugby union players, particularly from the Border region, moved south to play for English
clubs. The numbers were not nearly so great as with the Welsh players (see
Rugby league in Wales
), and a Scottish national team was never seriously considered, though Scots did feature for Other Nationalities
and were eligible for Great Britain
.
Probably the most famous figure in Scottish rugby league during this period was Dave Valentine
, who captained Great Britain to World Cup
victory in 1954
.
In 1989 a Scotland students side was formed at the University of Aberdeen
, and this proved to be the catalyst for the formation of a number of other clubs. The national team
first played in 1995, and a domestic league
followed in 1997.
In 2000 and 2002 the Rugby League Challenge Cup
Final was held at Murrayfield
in Edinburgh, the home of the Scottish Rugby Union
. in 2000 Bradford Bulls
defeated Leeds Rhinos
24-18, and in 2002 Wigan Warriors
beat St. Helens 21-12. Both ties were played in front of over 60,000 spectators, by far the biggest rugby league events ever held in Scotland.
, whose remit covers the United Kingdom
as a whole.
In recent years the RFL have established a semi-autonomous section for Scotland, the Scotland Rugby League
.
comprises five teams: Ayrshire Storm, Carluke Tigers
, Easterhouse Panthers
, Edinburgh Eagles
and Fife Lions
. The Division 1 Conference consists of four teams: Aberdeen Warriors
, Ayr Knights, Cumbernauld RLFC and Moray Titans.
The Saltire Schools Cup is a nationwide Scottish schools competition for boys and girls from S1 – S4 school age groups. The National Youth League
is competed for at under-17 and under-15 level.
and League Weekly, and two monthly magazines, Rugby League World
and Thirteen Magazine. These cover the sport worldwide and across the UK. These publications are usually only available by subscription in Scotland.
BBC Sport
own the rights to broadcast a highlights package called the Super League Show
which was first broadcast in Scotland in 2008. Prior to this it had only been broadcast in the North of England.. Rugby League Raw
is not broadcast in Scotland despite the BBC owning the rights to do so. The BBC covers the Rugby League Challenge Cup
from the rounds in which the top clubs enter.
BBC Radio Five Live
and BBC Five Live Sports Extra
carry commentary from a selection of Super League matches each week,.
Sky
has the rights to show live Super League games; one or two live matches are broadcast often fronted by Mike Stephenson
and Eddie Hemmings
. Sky also hold the rights to show the Rugby League Tri-Nations
live, whilst highlights are shown on BBC Sport. Australia's National Rugby League
and State of Origin were shown until 2005-06 season when Setanta Sports
outbid Sky for the rights.
players, born and bred in England
, whereas the Scotland A team (nicknamed "the Bravehearts") is selected from the domestic Scottish competition.
Scotland has participated in the Emerging Nations Cup
(1995), World Cup
(2000), World Cup 2009 and European Nations Cup
(since 2003) competitions.
Since 2002, Scotland A has participated in the Amateur Four Nations competition and toured Italy
, the Netherlands
, and Serbia
.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
is comparatively minor sport in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, dwarfed by the popularity of association football, and to a lesser extent sports such as rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
and shinty
Shinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...
. With the introduction of rugby league into schools and the formation of youth rugby league in Scotland it has seen juniors being signed to Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
clubs.
History
In 1895, there was a schism within the game of rugby in neighbouring England which saw the sport divided into rugby union which remained amateur and rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
which permitted payments to players. However, no such split took place in Scotland where the clubs continued to play rugby union. Fourteen Scottish players would cross over and play rugby league in England before amateurism was be abandoned.http://www.rfu.com/microsites/museum/pdfs/exhibitions/leagues/apart6.pdf
The history of rugby league in Scotland goes back to 1909 when the touring Australian team drew 17 all with England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
at Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. A further match against the Australians followed at Tynecastle
Tynecastle Stadium
Tynecastle Stadium is a football stadium situated in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hearts. Tynecastle has a seating capacity of 17,420, which makes it the seventh largest football stadium in Scotland...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1911, again an 11 all tie. After this the Rugby Football League
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
largely gave up on expansion north of the border.
Nonetheless, a number of Scottish rugby union players, particularly from the Border region, moved south to play for English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
clubs. The numbers were not nearly so great as with the Welsh players (see
Rugby league in Wales
Rugby league in Wales
Rugby league is a sport played in Wales. The governing body of the game in Wales is the Wales Rugby League.There is a long but sporadic history of rugby league in Wales. Over the decades many hundreds of players have "gone north" to play for the leading English clubs...
), and a Scottish national team was never seriously considered, though Scots did feature for Other Nationalities
Other Nationalities rugby league team
The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players...
and were eligible for Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
.
Probably the most famous figure in Scottish rugby league during this period was Dave Valentine
Dave Valentine
David Donald Valentine was a Scottish representative rugby union and Rugby League World Cup winning footballer, a dual-code rugby international of the 1940s and '50s.-Rugby union:...
, who captained Great Britain to World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
victory in 1954
1954 Rugby League World Cup
The first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954 and officially known as the "Rugby World Cup". The prime motivators behind the idea of holding a rugby league world cup were the French, who were short of money following the seizing of their assets by the rugby union in World War II.The...
.
In 1989 a Scotland students side was formed at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
, and this proved to be the catalyst for the formation of a number of other clubs. The national team
Scotland national rugby league team
The Scotland national rugby league team represent Scotland in international rugby league football tournaments. The team is run under the auspices of the Scotland Rugby League, and are nicknamed The Bravehearts. Scotland are not regarded as a test nation...
first played in 1995, and a domestic league
Scotland Rugby League
The Scottish Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league football in Scotland. It administers the Scotland national rugby league teams jointly with the Rugby Football League....
followed in 1997.
In 2000 and 2002 the Rugby League Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
Final was held at Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
in Edinburgh, the home of the Scottish Rugby Union
Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
. in 2000 Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
defeated Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
24-18, and in 2002 Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
beat St. Helens 21-12. Both ties were played in front of over 60,000 spectators, by far the biggest rugby league events ever held in Scotland.
Governing body
Technically, the governing body for the sport in Scotland is the Rugby Football LeagueRugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
, whose remit covers the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as a whole.
In recent years the RFL have established a semi-autonomous section for Scotland, the Scotland Rugby League
Scotland Rugby League
The Scottish Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league football in Scotland. It administers the Scotland national rugby league teams jointly with the Rugby Football League....
.
Competitions
the Scottish Conference premierRugby League Conference Scotland Division
The Rugby League Conference Scotland Division, also known as the Scottish conference, is the Scottish domestic league for the sport of rugby league. It also forms a division of the Rugby League Conference competition which covers all of Great Britain...
comprises five teams: Ayrshire Storm, Carluke Tigers
Carluke Tigers
Carluke Tigers are an amateur rugby league team. They play in the Scotland Division of the Rugby League Conference. The team is the only premier rugby league side in Lanarkshire...
, Easterhouse Panthers
Easterhouse Panthers
Easterhouse Panthers are an amateur rugby league team based in Easterhouse in the East End of Glasgow. They play in the Scotland Division of the Rugby League Conference.-History:...
, Edinburgh Eagles
Edinburgh Eagles
The Edinburgh Eagles are a semi-professional rugby league team based in Edinburgh, Scotland. They play in the Scotland Division of the Rugby League Conference.-History:...
and Fife Lions
Fife Lions
Fife Lions ARLFC are a rugby league club located in the east of Scotland. They play in the Scotland Division of the Rugby League Conference.The Fife Lions in recent years have been one of the dominant teams in the SRLC...
. The Division 1 Conference consists of four teams: Aberdeen Warriors
Aberdeen Warriors
The Aberdeen Warriors are a Scottish rugby league team currently playing in the Scotland Rugby League Conference Division One.-History:The club was founded in 2011 by Craig Parslow , Tom Lee and Ray Hall . In the 2011 season, the Warriors won the Rugby League Conference Divisional 1...
, Ayr Knights, Cumbernauld RLFC and Moray Titans.
The Saltire Schools Cup is a nationwide Scottish schools competition for boys and girls from S1 – S4 school age groups. The National Youth League
National Youth League (Scotland)
The National Youth League is a Scottish rugby league competition competed for at under-15 and under-17 level. It is administered by Scotland Rugby League...
is competed for at under-17 and under-15 level.
Popularity
Rugby league is a growing sport in Scotland, attracting increased interest. In addition to the eight clubs in the Scottish conference there are a small number of other clubs. The majority of the clubs are based in and around Glasgow, and Glasgow City Council provide funding for junior teams.Media
There are two weekly rugby league newspapers, Rugby Leaguer & League ExpressRugby Leaguer & League Express
Rugby Leaguer & League Express is a weekly newspaper published every Monday in the United Kingdom. Other rugby league titles published by League Publications Ltd include the monthly magazine 'Rugby League World' and the annual 'Gillette Rugby League Yearbook'.It features match reports and pictures...
and League Weekly, and two monthly magazines, Rugby League World
Rugby League World
Rugby League World is a dedicated rugby league magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. Other rugby league titles published by League Publications Ltd include the weekly newspaper Rugby Leaguer & League Express and the annual Gillette Rugby League Yearbook.-History:Rugby League World began...
and Thirteen Magazine. These cover the sport worldwide and across the UK. These publications are usually only available by subscription in Scotland.
BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
own the rights to broadcast a highlights package called the Super League Show
Super League Show
The Super League Show is the BBC's rugby league highlights programme, usually shown on a Sunday afternoon on BBC One in the North of England and on the BBC website. It is fronted by Look North newsreader Harry Gration and Tanya Arnold with a variety of studio guests from Super League...
which was first broadcast in Scotland in 2008. Prior to this it had only been broadcast in the North of England.. Rugby League Raw
Rugby League Raw
Rugby League Raw was a regional BBC Sport television programme featuring rugby league action and behind-the-scenes footage from the National Leagues play-offs....
is not broadcast in Scotland despite the BBC owning the rights to do so. The BBC covers the Rugby League Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
from the rounds in which the top clubs enter.
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
and BBC Five Live Sports Extra
BBC Five Live Sports Extra
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra is an additional digital radio service provided by the BBC via DAB Digital Radio and the digital satellite, digital terrestrial, IPTV and digital cable television services in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It is not available via analogue radio...
carry commentary from a selection of Super League matches each week,.
Sky
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
has the rights to show live Super League games; one or two live matches are broadcast often fronted by Mike Stephenson
Mike Stephenson
Michael "Mike" Stephenson, also commonly known as Stevo, is an English Rugby League World Cup winning Rugby League, and presenter/commentator on British satellite television channel Sky Sports who also represented Great Britain in the sport.Stevo, the nickname that he is commonly known as on TV...
and Eddie Hemmings
Eddie Hemmings (rugby league)
Eddie Leslie Bruce Hemmings presents Sky Sports rugby league coverage, and is also the channel's main commentator for the sport. Hailing from Warrington, Cheshire, England, Hemmings is usually partnered by the idiosyncratic co-commentator Mike Stephenson....
. Sky also hold the rights to show the Rugby League Tri-Nations
Rugby League Tri-Nations
The Rugby League Tri-Nations was a rugby league tournament involving the top three nations in the sport: Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand...
live, whilst highlights are shown on BBC Sport. Australia's National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and State of Origin were shown until 2005-06 season when Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
outbid Sky for the rights.
The national team
There are two Scottish teams selected: Scotland and Scotland A. The Scotland team is predominantly second-generation professionalProfessional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
players, born and bred in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, whereas the Scotland A team (nicknamed "the Bravehearts") is selected from the domestic Scottish competition.
Scotland has participated in the Emerging Nations Cup
Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament
In 1995 and 2000, the Rugby League International Federation held an Emerging Nations Tournament alongside the Rugby League World Cup. The competition was designed to allow teams who have failed to qualify for the World Cup proper a chance to play on the international stage....
(1995), World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
(2000), World Cup 2009 and European Nations Cup
Rugby League European Nations Cup
The European Cup is a rugby league football tournament for European nations that was first held in 1935. The tournament was first started in 1935, with England, Wales and France each playing each other once...
(since 2003) competitions.
Since 2002, Scotland A has participated in the Amateur Four Nations competition and toured Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.