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Edinburgh Rugby

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Edinburgh Rugby
File:Edinburgh Rugby Badge.png
Full nameEdinburgh Rugby
Nickname(s)Gunners
Gegründet1996[1]
StandortEdinburgh, Scotland
Ground(s)Murrayfield Stadium [2] (Capacity: 68,500)
ChairmanScotland Gavin Hastings
CEOEngland Nic Cartwright
Coach(es)Scotland Rob Moffat
League(s)Magners League
2008-092nd
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.edinburghrugby.org

Edinburgh Rugby (formerly Edinburgh Reivers, Edinburgh Gunners) is one of two professional rugby union teams in Scotland competing in the Magners League along with Glasgow Warriors, their oldest rivals. Edinburgh currently play their home games at Murrayfield Stadium.

The original Edinburgh district team played the first ever inter-district match against Glasgow in 1872, winning the match 3-0.[3][4] The team were reformed in 1996 to compete in the Heineken Cup, their best performance coming in the 2003/04 tournament where they became the first Scottish side to reach the quarter-finals.[5][6][7]

History

Edinburgh District played in the world's first ever inter-district match against Glasgow in 1872.[3][4]

Professional Era changes & Establishment: 1996

With the game turning professional in 1995 the Scottish Rugby Union did not believe that Scottish club sides could compete against the best teams from France and England. They therefore decided that the four district teams were to be Scotland's vehicle for professional rugby and in 1996 the Edinburgh District team was reformed as Edinburgh Rugby to compete in the Heineken Cup. Due to the SRU's high debt, partly as a result of the redevelopment of Murrayfield Stadium, retrenchment was called for and the 4 professional sides were reduced to 2. After two seasons, Edinburgh were merged with the Border Reivers to form a team known as Edinburgh Reivers.

For the 1999 and 2000 seasons the Scottish Rugby Union and Welsh Rugby Union joined forces, with the expansion of the Welsh Premier Division to include Edinburgh Reivers and Glasgow Caledonians under the name Welsh-Scottish League. However further change was imminent and in 2001 an agreement was made between the Irish Rugby Football Union, Scottish Rugby Union and Welsh Rugby Union to create a new competition which would bring in the four Irish provinces. 2001 would see the very first incarnation of the Celtic League. In that inaugural season Edinburgh achieved the highest finish by a Scottish side in the competition, finishing sixth.

The following season, to coincide with the re-establishment of the Border Reivers, a Scottish League competition modelled on the Tri-Nations was introduced alongside the Celtic League, however this only survived for one season, Edinburgh becoming the only champions.

Following the reduction of Scotland's professional structure to two sides a rebranding took place. Edinburgh Reivers were simply titled 'Edinburgh Rugby' with the Glasgow Caledonians undergoing a similar renaming process as part of a "major revamp"[8] of the professional structure in Scotland.

In the 2003/2004 season the team found some success as they reached the inaugural Celtic Cup final - beating Cardiff Blues and Connacht en route in the quarter-finals[9] and semi-finals[10] respectively. The team's good run came to an end in final, however, with 21-27 loss to Ulster at Murrayfield. David Humphreys kicked 17 points in the match to earn the Irish province the trophy[11]

For the 2005/2006 season, Edinburgh found themselves looking for a new coach following the departure of Frank Hadden to coach Scotland.[12] Sean Lineen, then Glasgow Warriors assistant coach, was linked with the post[13] before Todd Blackadder acquired the position for the season[14] after a spell as interim coach[15].During the same season the team nickname was incorporated into the official name, making them the Edinburgh Gunners. The term Gunners was dropped on 29 September 2006, after the club had become Scottish rugby's first private franchise during the summer, and the team reverted back to being known as just Edinburgh Rugby. One of the reasons for this reversion being that the word Gunners was already a registered Trademark of Arsenal Football Club[4]. Another being that the new owners wanted to rebrand the team in order to help provide a fresh new look, and to further aid this a new club logo was also introduced.

Private Ownership: 2006-2007

File:Edinburgh rugby badge.png
Logo for 2006-07 Magners League season

Scotland's first private franchise: 2006

In 2006, it was announced that from the end of the 2005/6 season, Edinburgh would become a franchise. Finance was to come from a private company headed by businessmen Alex and Bob Carruthers[16]. This was thought to be a saving grace for Border Reivers. The team were thought to be favourites to be scrapped after the Scottish Rugby Union had warned that funding problems could force it to scrap one of its Celtic League sides[17]. The SRU were to retain a seat on the new company board and continue to provide funding and support to the new owners in development[16]. Following the departure of Todd Blackadder to join the Crusaders coaching setup in the Super 14 Lynn Howells was appointed as head coach by new executive chairman Alex Carruthers[18].

Funding dispute & return to SRU: 2007

In July 2007, a dispute arose between the Scottish Rugby Union and the owners of the newly-franchised Edinburgh team. According to owner Bob Carruthers the SRU owed Edinburgh a six-figure sum which had not been paid. Carruthers also claimed that SRU had threatened to pull the plug on funding should Edinburgh continue with legal action relating to the sum.[19] In the midst of the dispute Alex Carruthers resigned along with then Managing Director Graeme Stirling[20]. The dispute caused much disruption in Scottish rugby at the time, leading to the temporary withdrawal of 12 players from the Scotland squad training for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. This included leading players such as Chris Paterson and Mike Blair[20]

The dispute escalated when on 9 July 2007 Edinburgh revoked their associate membership of the SRU[21]. This led to doubts over whether Edinburgh could fulfill fixtures in the Magners League and Heineken Cup and whether Edinburgh players were insured for playing at club level. The resignation was withdrawn on 12 July, with Bob Carruthers asking to "talk directly to someone" and insisting the proposed signing of Australia stand-off Stephen Larkham would go ahead[22]. Despite this, the dispute continued, with both sides initiating legal action against the other[23][24]. The situation was resolved in August 2007 with the termination of the franchise agreement and the return of Edinburgh to the direct control of the SRU[25].

Under Andy Robinson: 2007 to 2009

Edinburgh playing against Munster at Murrayfield Stadium in the 2007-08 Magners League

Following the return to SRU control the club coach Lynn Howells was dismissed. SRU head of player development was appointed interim coach and Nic Cartwright appointed Chief Executive, after his spell at Harlequins RL, where he had somewhat of a cult following with fans regularly chanting the song "We love Nic Cartwright, because he's got long hair, we love Nic Cartwright, Coz of the clothes he wears, etc......[25] Former British and Irish Lions captain Gavin Hastings was subsequently appointed Chairman[26] stating his "desire and passion to see this game and this club grow". The proposed signing of Stephen Larkham fell through after the SRU were unable to honour the terms of the agreement.[27] This was viewed as a disappointment at the time as the signing was considered a coup for the beleaguered SRU when the signing was initially announced.[28].

Following an application process[29] it was announced on 1 October 2007 that Andy Robinson, the former England head coach, would become the club's new head coach.[30] Edinburgh showed progress under Robinson, performing well at home in the Heineken Cup posting wins against Leinster[31] and Leicester Tigers[32] and a narrow loss to Toulouse, earning a bonus point.[33] Following disappointing performances by Scotland in the 6 Nations, and Robinson co-coaching Scotland A[34], there were rumours of Robinson taking a post within the Scotland set-up after helping Edinburgh to climb to 3rd in the Magners League. [35][36] This progress, however, was counter-pointed by some disappointing results including being shutout by Cardiff Blues at Murrayfield [37] and losing the 1872 Challenge Cup on aggregate to rivals Glasgow Warriors. [38]

On 26 December 2008 the a new home record attendance of 12,534 was set against Glasgow Warriors.[39] In the 2008/2009 season Edinburgh reached their highest position finishing in second place to Munster.

Andy Robinson left in 2009 to take up the position of head coach of the Scottish national side. Rob Moffat took over at Edinburgh.

Players & Coaches of note

Current squad

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

Player Position Union
Sean Crombie Hooker Scotland Scotland
Ross Ford Hooker Scotland Scotland
Andrew Kelly Hooker Scotland Scotland
Geoff Cross Prop Scotland Scotland
Ryan Grant Prop Scotland Scotland
Allan Jacobsen Prop Scotland Scotland
Kyle Traynor Prop Scotland Scotland
David Young Prop Scotland Scotland
Craig Hamilton Lock Scotland Scotland
James Hamilton Lock Scotland Scotland
Scott MacLeod Lock Scotland Scotland
Steve Turnbull Lock Scotland Scotland
Simon Cross Flanker Scotland Scotland
Roddy Grant Flanker Scotland Scotland
Alan MacDonald Flanker Scotland Scotland
Fraser McKenzie Flanker Scotland Scotland
Scott Newlands Flanker Scotland Scotland
Ross Rennie Flanker Scotland Scotland
Player Position Union
Dave Callam Number 8 Scotland Scotland
Allister Hogg Number 8 Scotland Scotland
Mike Blair Scrum-half Scotland Scotland (c)
Greig Laidlaw Scrum-half Scotland Scotland
Ross Samson Scrum-half Scotland Scotland
David Blair Fly-half Scotland Scotland
Phil Godman Fly-half Scotland Scotland
Ben Cairns Centre Scotland Scotland
Nick De Luca Centre Scotland Scotland
Andrew Easson Centre Scotland Scotland
John Houston Centre Scotland Scotland
Mark Robertson Wing Scotland Scotland
Andrew Turnbull Wing Scotland Scotland
Tim Visser Wing Niederlande Niederlande
Simon Webster Wing Scotland Scotland
Chris Paterson Fullback Scotland Scotland
Jim Thompson Fullback Scotland Scotland

Notable Former Players

Coaches

Magners League 2008/2009

Results

Date Home Team Score Away Team Score Venue Match Report
5 Sep 2008 Edinburgh 15 Munster 20 Murrayfield [1]
12 Sep 2008 Leinster 52 Edinburgh 6 Royal Dublin Society [2]
19 Sep 2008 Edinburgh 32 Scarlets 12 Murrayfield [3]
26 Sep 2008 Newport Gwent Dragons 11 Edinburgh 9 Rodney Parade [4]
3 Oct 2008 Ulster 13 Edinburgh 9 Ravenhill [5]
24 Oct 2008 Connacht 14 Edinburgh 27 Galway Sportsground [6]
28 Nov 2008 Edinburgh 32 Ospreys 16 Murrayfield
26 Dec 2008 Edinburgh 39 Glasgow Warriors 6 Murrayfield
2 Jan 2009 Glasgow Warriors 25 Edinburgh 20 Firhill Arena
9 Jan 2009 Edinburgh 21 Ulster 15 Murrayfield
21 Feb 2009 Munster 28 Edinburgh 14 Musgrave Park
8 Mar 2009 Scarlets 13 Edinburgh 6 Parc y Scarlets
27 Mar 2009 Edinburgh 32 Connacht 5 Murrayfield
3 Apr 2009 Edinburgh 16 Cardiff Blues 3 Murrayfield
17 Apr 2009 Edinburgh 27 Leinster 16 Murrayfield
25 Apr 2009 Ospreys 30 Edinburgh 32 Liberty Stadium
9 May 2009 Edinburgh 43 Newport Gwent Dragons 3 Murrayfield
17 May 2009 Cardiff Blues 14 Edinburgh 36 Cardiff Arms Park

Table

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA Try bonus Losing bonus Pts
1 Irland Munster 18 14 0 4 405 257 +148 49 23 6 1 63
2 Scotland Edinburgh 18 11 0 7 416 296 +120 40 30 6 5 55
3 Irland Leinster 18 11 1 6 401 270 +131 38 20 4 2 52
4 Wales Ospreys 18 11 0 7 397 319 +78 39 28 3 5 52
5 Wales Scarlets 18 9 0 9 376 395 −19 41 46 3 1 40
6 Wales Cardiff Blues 18 8 1 9 322 361 −39 31 36 2 2 38
7 Scotland Glasgow Warriors 18 7 0 11 349 375 −26 36 41 4 5 37
8 Irland Ulster 18 7 0 11 298 331 −33 30 33 2 6 36
9 Wales Newport Gwent Dragons 18 7 0 11 305 429 −124 26 39 1 4 33
10 Irland Connacht 18 4 0 14 224 460 −236 20 54 1 3 20
Correct as of 13 May 2009 MagnersLeague.com

Heineken Cup 2008/2009

Edinburgh were drawn in Pool 2 along with fellow Celtic League side Leinster, French side Castres Olympique and English champions London Wasps. Leinster currently top the pool with a maximum 10 points so far.

Results

Date Home Team Score Away Team Score Venue Match Report
11 Oct 2008 Edinburgh 16 Leinster 27 Murrayfield [7]
18 Oct 2008 Castres Olympique 6 Edinburgh 13 Stade Pierre-Antoine [8]
5 Dec 2008 Edinburgh 16 London Wasps 25 Murrayfield
14 Dec 2008 London Wasps 19 Edinburgh 11 Adams Park
16 Jan 2009 Edinburgh 32 Castres Olympique 14 Murrayfield
25 Jan 2009 Leinster 12 Edinburgh 3 Royal Dublin Society

Current Pool Table

Key to colours
     Winner of each pool, plus two highest-ranked second-place teams,
advance to quarterfinals
Team P W L D TF PF PA +/- BP Pts
Leinster 2 2 0 0 10 68 27 41 2 10
London Wasps 2 1 1 0 4 36 52 -16 0 4
Edinburgh 2 1 1 0 2 29 33 -4 0 4
Castres Olympique 2 0 2 0 1 17 38 -21 1 1

Statistics

Heineken Cup

Season Pos Played Won Lost Drawn Source
1996/1997 Pools 4 0 4 0 [44]
1998/1999 Pools 6 2 3 1 [45]
1999/2000 Pools 6 3 3 0 [46]
2000/2001 Pools 6 3 2 1 [47]
2001/2002 Pools 6 1 4 1 [48]
2002/2003 Pools 6 2 4 0 [49]
2003/2004 QFs 7 5 2 0 [50]
2004/2005 Pools 6 1 5 0 [51]
2005/2006 Pools 6 2 4 0 [52]
2006/2007 Pools 6 1 5 0 [53]
2007/2008 Pools 6 2 4 0 [54]
2008/2009 Pools 6 2 4 0 [55]
2009/2010 Pools 6 3 3 0 [56]

European Challenge Cup

Season Pos Played Won Lost Drawn Source
1997/1998 Pools 6 2 4 0 [57]

Magners League

Season Pos Played Won Lost Drawn
2001/2002 Pools 6 2 4 0
2002/2003 QFs 8 6 2 0
2003/2004 10th 22 9 13 0
2004/2005 7th 20 9 11 0
2005/2006 5th 20 11 9 0
2006/2007 8th 20 8 11 1
2007/2008 4th 18 9 6 3
2008/2009 2nd 18 11 7 0
2009/2010 2nd 18 8 10 0

Scottish League

Season Pos Played Won Lost Drawn
2002/2003 1st 8 5 2 1

Welsh/Scottish League

Season Pos Played Won Lost Drawn
1999/2000 8th 22 10 11 1
2000/2001 8th 22 11 11 0
2001/2002 6th 20 10 8 2


See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ The original Edinburgh district side dates to 1872
  2. ^ The ground is nicknamed "The Castle" for Edinburgh matches
  3. ^ a b Edinburgh Rugby Club Facts - Visit Scotland, http://rugby.visitscotland.com/professional/edinburghfacts.aspx, Retrieved: 6 April 2008
  4. ^ a b c BBC Sport - Edinburgh drop Gunners from title, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/5392284.stm, Retrieved: 6 April 2008
  5. ^ http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/13_5538.php?section=4, Retrieved: 6 April 2008
  6. ^ "Edinburgh 33-15 Ospreys". BBC News. 23 January 2004. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  7. ^ "Edinburgh aim for European repeat". BBC News. 17 October 2004. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  8. ^ "Scots drop 'Reivers' and 'Caledonians'". BBC News. 8 August 2001. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  9. ^ "Edinburgh blast Blues aside". BBC News. 4 October 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  10. ^ "Edinburgh prove too good". BBC News. 15 November 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  11. ^ "Ulster hold on for victory". BBC News. 20 December 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  12. ^ "Scotland appoint Hadden as coach". BBC News. 15 September 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  13. ^ "Lineen flattered by capital link". BBC News. 21 September 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  14. ^ "Blackadder to leave in the summer". BBC News. 30 September 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  15. ^ "Hogg gets Gloucester coaching job". BBC News. 18 May 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  16. ^ a b "Edinburgh to become a franchise". BBC News. 10 July 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  17. ^ "No SRU axe as yet for the Borders". BBC News. 16 January 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  18. ^ "Edinburgh name Howells new coach". BBC News. 5 September 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  19. ^ "Edinburgh face SRU closure threat". BBC News. 5 July 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  20. ^ a b "Edinburgh chairman resigns in row". BBC News. 5 July 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  21. ^ "Edinburgh resign from Scots Union". BBC News. 9 July 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  22. ^ "Edinburgh rejoin Scottish Union". BBC News. 12 July 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  23. ^ "SRU seeks legal advice on funding". BBC News. 3 August 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  24. ^ "Edinburgh dispute heads for court". BBC News. 17 July 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  25. ^ a b "Edinburgh back in union control". BBC News. 10 August 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  26. ^ "Hastings takes post at Edinburgh". BBC News. 30 August 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  27. ^ "Larkham's Edinburgh deal scrapped". BBC News. 7 September 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  28. ^ "Edinburgh clinch Larkham signing". BBC News. 14 May 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  29. ^ "Coach applications delight SRU". BBC News. 17 August 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  30. ^ "Robinson named coach of Edinburgh". BBC News. 1 October 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  31. ^ "Edinburgh 29-10 Leinster". BBC News. 15 December 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  32. ^ "Edinburgh 17-12 Leicester". BBC News. 12 January 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  33. ^ "Edinburgh 15-19 Toulouse". BBC News. 10 November 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  34. ^ "Club coaches to lead Scotland A". BBC News. 19 November 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  35. ^ "Robinson content with Edinburgh". BBC News. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  36. ^ "Edinburgh 35-31 Glasgow". BBC News. 28 December 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  37. ^ "Edinburgh 0-20 Blues". BBC News. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  38. ^ "Glasgow 23-14 Edinburgh". BBC News. 11 April 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  39. ^ http://www.magnersleague.com/570_2970.php
  40. ^ a b Lothian, Bill (22 July 2008) Pringle named captain as 'Muir prepare to defend title Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
  41. ^ Reid, Alasdair (19 June 2008). Craig Smith Leaves Edinburgh For Fresh Start Telegraph. Retrieved on 27 August 2008.
  42. ^ Ferguson, David (14 April 2008) Warnock Looks To Head South The Scotsman. Retrieved on 27 August 2008.
  43. ^ "Moffat appointed Edinburgh coach". BBC Sport. 2009-07-16. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  44. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | European Club | Heineken Cup 1996/7
  45. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | European Club | Heineken Cup 1998/9
  46. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | European Club | Heineken Cup 1999/2000
  47. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | European Club | Heineken Cup 2000/1
  48. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | European Club | Heineken Cup 2001/2
  49. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | European Club | Heineken Cup 2002/3
  50. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | European Club | Heineken Cup 2003/4
  51. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | European Club | Heineken Cup 2004/5
  52. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | European Club | Heineken Cup 2005/6
  53. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | European Club | Heineken Cup 2006/7
  54. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | European Club | Cup Tables
  55. ^ BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup 2008/9
  56. ^ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/tables/4776687.stm
  57. ^ "European Challenge Cup 1997/8". BBC News. 13 April 2004. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
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