Glasgow District (rugby union)

Glasgow District

Full name	Glasgow District
Founded	amateur 1872 (1872) professional 1996 (1996)
Location	Glasgow, Scotland
Official website
www.glasgowwarriors.org
Current season

Glasgow District was a select provincial amateur rugby union team that drew its players mainly from the Greater Glasgow area, as well as others from the rest of the west of Scotland; roughly corresponding to the old Strathclyde regional council area. Historically the Glasgow District team played matches against touring teams visiting Scotland from abroad, and also competed in the Scottish Inter-District Championship.

The Glasgow District rugby union team was founded in 1872. The team played the world's first inter-district match that year against Edinburgh District rugby union team.

The amateur Glasgow District side evolved into the professional Glasgow Warriors side in 1996; one year after rugby union allowed professionalism in 1995.

Formation

The Glasgow District side was formed in 1872 to play against an Edinburgh District side. The teams met on 23 November 1872 at Burnbank and Edinburgh won 3–0 in a 20-a-side fixture. This is the oldest inter-district match in the world and to mark this the current Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby sides play for the 1872 Cup every year.

The first Glasgow team in 1872:-

Backs: Thomas Chalmers (Glasgow Academicals), William Davie Brown (Glasgow Academicals), William Hamilton Kidston (West of Scotland)
Half Backs: William Cross (Glasgow Academicals), T. A. Drew (Glasgow Academicals)
Quarter Backs: George Buchanan McClure (West of Scotland), John Arthur (Glasgow Academicals) [Captain]
Forwards: John Kennedy Todd, Henry William Allan, Charles Chalmers Bryce, George Raphael Fleming, J.S. Thomson, J.K. Brown (all Glasgow Academicals)
James Howe McClure, J. Kennedy, J.P. Tennant, R. Wilson, G. Hunter, A. Cochrane (all West of Scotland)
J.W. Reid (Glasgow University)

• Glasgow v Edinburgh, 1872 match report

Selection of representative players

Often to aid the selection process of Glasgow District's players a trial match was played.

In Glasgow's case a trial match of hopefuls were divided into Blues and Whites teams, so the players could impress the selectors.

Early history

The Inter-City

The Glasgow v Edinburgh district fixture was more or less played annually. The first 15-a-side match was played in 1876. Edinburgh won the first fixtures and it wasn't until 1881 that Glasgow won at the thirteenth attempt. Glasgow then held dominance till 1887 when once more Edinburgh won again. From the 1880s to the close of the 1890s Edinburgh won a total of only four times in 20-years. The tide turned back in Edinburgh's favour in 1898. With only a solitary Glasgow win in 1905, Edinburgh held sway until 1914.

Typically the Glasgow District side, in its early history, was crammed with Scottish international players.

The Glasgow team for the 5 December 1874 match is an example:

Backs: William Davie Brown [captain] ᵜ , James Stewart Carrick ᵜ (both Glasgow Academicals)
Half Backs: Malcolm Cross ᵜ (Glasgow Academicals), William Hamilton Kidston ᵜ (West of Scotland)
Quarters: James Howe McClure ᵜ , George Buchanan McClure ᵜ (both West of Scotland), John Kennedy Todd ᵜ (Glasgow Academicals)
Forwards: Gilbert Heron ᵜ ,Charles Chalmers Bryce ᵜ , Allen Arthur ᵜ , Henry William Allan ᵜ , George Raphael Fleming ᵜ (all Glasgow Academicals)
Tom Paterson Neilson ᵜ , John Alexander Neilson ᵜ , J.S. Kennedy, Preston (West of Scotland)
C.E. McArthur, Henry Melville Napier ᵜ , W.B. Russell, J. Hutchison (Glasgow University)

ᵜ Marked as Scottish internationalists.

The first winning Glasgow team was in 1881:

David Kidston (G. Academicals), A. J. W. Reid and C. W. Dunlop (West of Scotland), John Alexander Neilson (West of Scotland) and C. Ker (G. Academicals), D. Y. Cassels (captain), D. McGowan, A. Walker, R. Adam (West of Scotland), R. B. Young, J. Lang (Glasgow University), John Blair Brown, R. A. Kerr, William Andrew Walls, G. H. Robb (G. Academicals).

Twice a season matches Glasgow v Edinburgh 23 November 1872 match report International selection meeting after Glasgow v Edinburgh 15 January 1873 Glasgow v Edinburgh, 6 December 1873 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 24 January 1874 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 5 December 1874 match report Edinburgh v Glasgow 20 February 1875 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 18 December 1875 match report Edinburgh v Glasgow 29 January 1876 match report - the first XV a side match Annual matches Glasgow v Edinburgh 2 December 1876 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 1 December 1877 match report 1878-79 season - no inter-city match; 9 weeks of frost Glasgow v Edinburgh 20 December 1879 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 4 December 1880 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 3 December 1881 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 2 December 1882 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 1 December 1883 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 6 Decmber 1884 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 4 December 1886 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 3 December 1887 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh, December 1888 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 7 December 1889 match report

Glasgow v Edinburgh 6 December 1890 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 5 December 1891 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 17 December 1892 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 16 December 1893 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 1 December 1894 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 7 December 1895 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 5 December 1896 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 4 December 1897 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 3 December 1898 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 2 December 1899 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 1 December 1900 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 7 December 1901 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 13 December 1902 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 5 December 1903 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 3 December 1904 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 2 December 1905 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 1 December 1906 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 7 December 1907 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 5 December 1908 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 18 December 1909 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh, 3 December 1910 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 2 December 1911 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 7 December 1912 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 6 December 1913 match report 1914-18 no inter-city matches; war years Glasgow v Edinburgh 6 December 1919 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 4 December 1920 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 3 December 1921 match report

Other matches

• Glasgow v South 8 December 1894 match report

Old Anniesland

The games were postponed during the First World War period. After 50-years at Burnbank – the West of Scotland ground in Woodlands, Glasgow – the Glasgow v Edinburgh fixture moved to Glasgow Academical's ground at Anniesland, Glasgow, in 1922. This move prompted yet another shift in balance as Glasgow once again became the dominant force of the two districts.

Glasgow v Edinburgh 2 December 1922 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 1 December 1923 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 6 December 1924 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 3 December 1927 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 1 December 1928 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 7 December 1929 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 6 December 1930 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 5 December 1931 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 3 December 1932 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 2 December 1933 match report

Glasgow v Edinburgh 1 December 1934 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 7 December 1935 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 5 December 1936 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 4 December 1937 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 3 December 1938 match report 1939-45 war years; no inter-city matches Glasgow v Edinburgh 7 December 1946 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 6 December 1947 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 4 December 1948 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 3 December 1949 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 2 December 1950 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 1 December 1951 match report Glasgow v Edinburgh 13 December 1952 match report

Touring sides

Glasgow often played matches against international and non-international touring teams. Occasionally both Glasgow and Edinburgh would field joint teams against the international touring teams.

One strange example is that of the New South Wales Waratahs world tour in 1927–28. They played against Glasgow District on the 12 October 1927. Due to collapse of the Queensland Rugby Union they effectively were a de facto Australian national rugby team at the time and the Australian Rugby Union have decreed that their international matches of that tour should be taken as full tests. In the match against Glasgow, the Waratahs won 10–0.

Scottish Inter-District Championship

Two other Scottish districts South and North and Midlands had also been formed and there was regular matches between the four Scottish districts as well as against the touring sides.

The Scottish Inter-District Championship was established in the 1953–54 season. The Glasgow, Edinburgh, South and North and Midlands sides would play off to see which district was best in Scotland. Occasionally London Scottish or an Anglo-Scots team was also invited into this championship.

Main article: Scottish Inter-District Championship

• Glasgow v Edinburgh 3 December 1955 match report
• Glasgow v Edinburgh 1 December 1956 match report
• Glasgow v Edinburgh 30 November 1957 match report
• Glasgow v Edinburgh 20 December 1958 match report
• Glasgow v Edinburgh 5 December 1959 match report
• South v Glasgow, 27 October 1964 Match Report
• Edinburgh v Glasgow 4 December 1965 match report
• Glasgow v Edinburgh 22 November 1966 match report
• Glasgow v Edinburgh 14 November 1967 match report
• Rugby title without a trophy, early history of inter-city matches, Glasgow Herald, 2 December 1980
• History of Glasgow District matches, Glasgow Herald, 18 March 1981
• Glasgow v Edinburgh match report 5 December 1981

Effect of professionalism

With the advent of professionalism in 1995, the Scottish Rugby Union realised that not even the best semi-professional Scottish club teams could compete in the new Professional Era in rugby union, which was beginning to gain great momentum in the professional leagues of the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere.

In an attempt to stay in touch with the leading nations the SRU formed four professional teams out of the four amateur districts of Scotland in 1996. It was these newly professional teams that would represent Scotland in the Heineken Cup and in the Celtic League. The amateur Glasgow District side was to become the professional Glasgow Warriors side.

For the subsequent history of the professional Glasgow rugby district team from 1996, see Glasgow Warriors.

Honours

The Glasgow District won the Scottish Inter-District Championship outright in 1955–56, 1973–74 and 1989–90.

It also shared the Scottish Inter-District Championship six times: 1964–65, 1967–68, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76 and 1977–78.

Famously the 1989 Glasgow District side went through the entire 1989–90 season undefeated:- winning the Scottish Inter-District Championship outright; drawing 18–18 with Munster away; winning 21–6 against Connacht away; and winning against Fiji

Glasgow Inter-District Championship-winning squad 1989–90: Dave Barrett, Matt Duncan, Dave McKee (West of Scotland), Ian Jardine, George Graham, Kevin McKenzie, Brian Robertson, Stewart Hamilton (all Stirling County), Derek Stark, Phil Manning, David McVey (Ayr), George Breckenridge, Ewan McCorkindale, Alan Watt, Shade Munro, Fergus Wallace, Derek Busby (all Glasgow High Kelvinside), Stewart McAslan (Glasgow Academicals), David Jackson (Hillhead Jordanhill).

The Scottish Inter-District Championship was also contested at Age Grade level. The Under 21 Glasgow District side won for the first time in 1986–87 season. With players like Shade Munro, Andrew Garry, Gordon Mackay, Gerry Hawkes and Murray Wallace in that side, it gave a good foundation for the 1989–90 season triumph and these young players later went on to represent the fledgling professional Glasgow side.

Partial list of games played against international opposition

Year	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Score	Tour
1931	28 October	South Africa	Hughenden Stadium, Glasgow	Loss	13–21	1931–32 South Africa rugby union tour
1974	24 September	Tonga	Hughenden Stadium, Glasgow	Win	33–16	Report
1979	6 November	New Zealand	Hughenden Stadium, Glasgow	Loss	6–12	1979 New Zealand tour of England, Scotland & Italy
1981	12 December	Australia	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	Loss	0–31	1981–82 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland
1984	4 December	Australia	Hughenden Stadium, Glasgow	Loss	12–26	1984 Australia tour of Britain & Ireland Report Report
1985	6 September	Netherlands	The Hague	Win	26–12	Preview Report
1985	8 September	Belgium	Brussels	Win	23–9	Preview Report Tour Report
1989	27 October	Fiji	Hughenden Stadium, Glasgow	Win	22–11	1989 Fiji rugby union tour of Europe

See also

• Glasgow Warriors