Angus Buchanan was a Scottish international rugby

Rugby football

Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...

 and cricket player. One of the earliest Scottish players, he was capped for in 1871. He also played simultaneously for Royal High School FP, and the Edinburgh University RFC

Edinburgh University RFC

Edinburgh University Rugby Football Club is a leading rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland which currently plays its fixtures in the top Scottish National League and the British Universities Premiership. It is one of the eight founder members of the Scottish Rugby Union...

.

He played in the first ever side, and scored the first try in international rugby, after a failed attempt by G. Ritchie. Scotland had pushed a scrum over the English try-line, and Buchanan had fallen on the ball.

This was converted by William Cross

William Cross

William Cross was a Scottish rugby internationalist. He is notable for scoring the first conversion in international rugby in 1871 in the match between and , after Angus Buchanan scored a pushover try, and he also 's second ever try later in the match.-Rugby career:Cross represented Scotland in...

, which created the score (crucially because it was goals that counted, not tries). The English argued that the try shold not stand, but it was awarded by the umpire Dr Hely Hutchinson Almond

Hely Hutchinson Almond

Dr Hely Hutchinson Almond was a physician and a politician. He is remembered as a pioneering Scottish educator.-Biography:...

 (also a Scot - judges were not neutral in those days, and there were also umpires)

Almond made a questionable justification of his decision:

"Let me make a confession: I do not know whether the decision which gave Scotland the try from which the winning goal was kicked was correct in fact. When an umpire is in doubt, I think he is justified in deciding against the side which makes the most noise. They are probably in the wrong."

According to one of the English players:

"after a maul, just outside the English goal-line the umpires ordered the ball to be put down in the scrummage five yards outside the line. It was taken was out accordingly, but, instead of putting it down, the Scottish forwards drove the entire scrummage into goal, and then then grounded the ball and claimed a try. This, though illegal according to English laws, was allowed by the umpires and the goal was kicked by Cross."

According to confirmed records, Buchanan was the first Scotland player born, in January, 1847, and was twenty four years and two months old when capped.

Buchanan also played for the Scotland national cricket team.

See also

• List of Scottish cricket and rugby union players