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London Scottish F.C.

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For other uses of "London Scottish", see London Scottish (disambiguation).

London Scottish
Full nameLondon Scottish Football Club
UnionMiddlesex RFU, Scottish RU
Nickname(s)The Exiles, Scottish
Founded1878; 146 years ago (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
2023–249th
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

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Founding (1878)

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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. Only one played Rugby again. They are commemorated in Mick Imlah's poem "London Scottish".[4]

Early history

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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)

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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 Seán Childs, 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–)

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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

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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)

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Season Division Captain Position
1999–00 Non League (London Senior Clubs) Ewan Kearney Winners of Merit table
2000–01 Herts/Middlesex 1 Damian Lilley Runner-up
2001–02 London 4 NW Steven Wichary Champions
2002–03 London 3 NW Magnus Macdonald Champions
2003–04 London 2 North David Watt Champions
2004–05 London 1 Karl Hensley 4th
2005–06 London 1 Karl Hensley 3rd
2006–07 London 1 Alex Alesbrook Champions
2007–08 National Division Three South Alex Alesbrook 4th National
2008–09 National Division Three South Gary Trueman Champions
2009–10 National League One Gary Trueman 2nd
2010–11 National League One Ian McInroy Champions
2011–12 The Championship Lewis Calder 9th
2012–13 The Championship Mark Bright 8th
2013–14 The Championship Mark Bright 5th
2014–15 The Championship Mark Bright 3rd
2015–16 The Championship Mark Bright 8th
2016–17 The Championship Rory Bartle 7th
2017–18 The Championship Lewis Wynne 11th
2018–19 The Championship Mark Bright 9th
2019–20 The Championship Chris Dean 11th
2020–21 Did not compete due to COVID-19 pandemic - -
2021–22 The Championship Brian Tuilagi 11th
2022–23 The Championship Joe Rees 11th
2023–24 The Championship -

Head coach and management (since 1999–2000)

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Season Division Head Coach Manager
1999–00 Non League Iain Morrison Colin McIntyre
2000–01 Herts/Middlesex 1 Brett Cookson Colin McIntyre
2001–02 London 4 NW Kevin Powderly Colin Mcintyre
2002–03 London 3 NW Kevin Powderly Colin McIntyre
2003–04 London 2 North Rick Scott Colin McIntyre
2004–05 London 1 Rowly Williams Colin McIntyre
2005–06 London 1 Rowly Williams Colin McIntyre
2006–07 London 1 Terry O'Connor Colin McIntyre
2007–08 National Division Three South Terry O'Connor Colin McIntyre
2008–09 National Division Three South Brett Taylor Colin McIntyre
2009–10 National League One Brett Taylor Colin McIntyre
2010–11 National League One Simon Amor Colin McIntyre
2011–12 The Championship Simon Amor Ross Macgregor
2012–13 The Championship Simon Amor Ross Macgregor
2013–14 The Championship Simon Amor Laurence Bruggemann

Overall league statistics

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Season Division Played Won Draw Lost Points
For		 Points
Against		 Points
Diff		 Points Pos
1987–88 National League 2 11 4 1 6 141 158 –17 9 7th
1988–89 National League 2 11 3 1 7 146 160 –16 7 11th
1989–90 National League 3 11 11 0 0 258 92 166 22 1st
1990–91 National League 2 12 7 0 5 240 178 62 14 5th
1991–92 National League 2 12 11 0 1 304 130 174 22 1st
1992–93 Premiership 12 3 1 8 192 248 –56 7 10th
1993–94 National League 2 18 6 0 12 232 325 –93 12 8th
1999–00 Non-league 26 19 1 6 775 341 434 1st
2000–01 Herts/Middlesex 1 18 17 0 1 554 118 436 34 2nd
2001–02 London 4 NW 18 14 0 4 533 214 319 28 1st
2002–03 London 3 NW 18 16 0 2 560 199 361 32 1st
2003–04 London 2 North 22 20 1 1 752 277 475 41 1st
2004–05 London 1 22 15 0 7 676 343 333 30 4th
2005–06 London 1 22 16 1 5 840 324 516 33 3rd
2006–07 London 1 22 20 0 2 997 235 762 40 1st
2007–08 National Division Three South 26 17 0 9 633 410 223 83 4th
2008–09 National Division Three South 26 25 1 0 1092 328 764 120 1st
2009–10 National League One 30 22 1 7 938 569 369 108 2nd
2010–11 National League One 30 27 0 3 958 516 442 132 1st
2011–12 The Championship 22 6 0 16 422 543 −121 34 9th
2012–13 The Championship 22 10 0 12 456 610 −154 45 8th

Honours

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London Scottish

London Scottish Lions (amateur side)

Current standings

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2024–25 RFU Championship table
Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Ealing Trailfinders 9 8 0 1 465 179 +286 8 1 41 Promotion place
2 Coventry 9 7 0 2 251 189 +62 5 0 33
3 Bedford Blues 9 6 0 3 210 211 −1 4 0 28
4 Hartpury University 8 5 0 3 238 197 +41 5 2 27
5 Nottingham 9 5 0 4 234 164 +70 4 2 26
6 Cornish Pirates 8 4 0 4 192 160 +32 3 3 22
7 Chinnor 9 4 0 5 213 186 +27 3 3 22
8 Doncaster Knights 8 4 0 4 200 177 +23 3 1 20
9 Ampthill 8 3 0 5 152 277 −125 3 2 17
10 Cambridge 9 3 0 6 155 376 −221 2 0 14
11 London Scottish 9 2 0 7 176 262 −86 3 3 14
12 Caldy 9 1 0 8 138 246 −108 1 2 7 Relegation place
Updated to match(es) played on 21 December 2024. Source: Source: RFU Championship [19]
Rules for classification: 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

Current squad

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For player movements before or during the 2023–24 season, see List of 2023–24 RFU Championship transfers § London Scottish.

The London Scottish squad as announced for the 2023–24 season was:[20]

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

Player Position Union
Garin Lloyd Hooker Wales Wales
Toby Tyson Hooker England England
Austin Wallis Hooker England England
George Cave Prop England England
Ashley Challenger Prop England England
Rhys Charalambous Prop England England
Will Prior Prop England England
Graham Geldenhuys Lock South Africa South Africa
Marijn Huis Lock Netherlands Netherlands
Matt Wilkinson Lock England England
Lewis Barrett Back row England England
Jack Ingall Back row England England
Bailey Ransom Back row England England
Ioan Rhys Davies Back row Wales Wales
Brian Tuilagi Back row England England
Player Position Union
Stephen Kerins Scrum-half Ireland Ireland
Jonny Law Scrum-half England England
Dan Nutton Scrum-half Scotland Scotland
Alec Lloyd-Seed Fly-half England England
Harry Sheppard Fly-half England England
Robbie McCallum Centre Scotland Scotland
Will Simonds Centre England England
Will Talbot-Davies Centre Wales Wales
Billy Wara Centre Scotland Scotland
Will Brown Wing England England
Noah Ferdinand Wing England England
Luke Mehson Wing England England
William Panday Wing Hong Kong Hong Kong
Sam Smith Wing England England
Elliot Haydon Fullback Wales Wales
Charlie Ingall Fullback England England

Current staff

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First team

Commercial

  • Chief Operating Officer – Louise Newton

Notable former players

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Scotland internationalists

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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.[21]

Wales internationalists

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

England internationalists

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

Ireland internationalists

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

Other nationalities

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See also

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Bibliography

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  • 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

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  1. ^ a b c d e Dick Tyson, London's Oldest Rugby Clubs, p96 (JJG Publishing), 2008
  2. ^ a b c Bath, 1997, pp86,87
  3. ^ http://pubshistory.com/LondonPubs/StAnnsBlackfriars/QueensHead.shtm [dead link‍]
  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. ^ "RFU Championship". England Rugby.
  20. ^ "Squad". London Scottish. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  21. ^ "A Brief History". London Scottish FC. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
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