Hawick RFC
Encyclopedia
Hawick Rugby Football Club is a semi-professional rugby union
side, currently playing in the Premiership Division One and Border League
. The team are based at Mansfield Park
at Hawick
in the Scottish Borders
.
Hawick RFC are one of the most famous rugby clubs in the world. They have always contributed a huge amount to the national side with 58 Hawick players having represented Scotland
.
One of Hawick's lesser known claims to fame is that they held the first floodlit match in Scotland in 1879. Bizarrely, it is said that some of the players in the match attempted to tackle shadows.
they should begin playing football
. Both association and rugby union football
were experimented with but the rugby format triumphed as it was considered "manlier and more congenial to the Border
nature than the tamer association game". The club was formed on December 8, 1873 and played at Buccleuch Park, the home of the cricket
club.
However few games were played as there were not many other rugby clubs in the area
, players had difficulty being released from their work, and Edinburgh
sides were seldom willing to travel down to play individual club teams.
, only the 19th club to be admitted, the only earlier Border clubs being Gala
and Melrose RFC
.
In 1888 Hawick Football Club moved to its present home, Mansfield Park
, at the other end of the town. The early seasons brought keenly contested games against Edinburgh Academicals, Gala
, and Watsonians
, and in 1896 Hawick won their first Scottish championship.
title fifteen times, and earning fame as sevens
specialists.
In the 1950s, all 15 of Hawick RFC were approached by rugby league
scouts from Yorkshire.
In this period, Hugh McLeod
, George Stevenson, Adam Robson
, and Derrick Grant
alone won 100 international caps
between them, while fifteen other Greens played for their country.
in 1901-02 and the first Scottish championship in 1972-73 was added to in 1995-96 when the club were also first winners of the SRU Tennents' Scottish Cup. Indeed, in season 2002/03, the Greens completed the treble, winning Scottish League championship, Scottish Cup and Border League championship.In 2009 Hawick were relegated to the 2nd Division for the first time in their history.
.
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...
side, currently playing in the Premiership Division One and Border League
Border League
For the defunct baseball league, see Border League The Border League, is the oldest established rugby union league in the World, having been formed in 1901...
. The team are based at Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park (Rugby Ground)
Mansfield Park is a rugby union ground in Hawick, Scotland, with a capacity of approximately 5,000It is the home of Hawick Rugby Football Club, who currently play in the Premiership Division Two and Border League...
at Hawick
Hawick
Hawick is a town in the Scottish Borders of south east Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-southeast of Selkirk. It is one of the farthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale, and the biggest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. Hawick's architecture is...
in the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
.
Hawick RFC are one of the most famous rugby clubs in the world. They have always contributed a huge amount to the national side with 58 Hawick players having represented Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
.
One of Hawick's lesser known claims to fame is that they held the first floodlit match in Scotland in 1879. Bizarrely, it is said that some of the players in the match attempted to tackle shadows.
Early history
In October 1872, members of the Hawick and Wilton Cricket Club decided that in order to keep fit over the winterWinter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
they should begin playing football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. Both association and rugby union football
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...
were experimented with but the rugby format triumphed as it was considered "manlier and more congenial to the Border
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
nature than the tamer association game". The club was formed on December 8, 1873 and played at Buccleuch Park, the home of the cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club.
However few games were played as there were not many other rugby clubs in the area
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
, players had difficulty being released from their work, and 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...
sides were seldom willing to travel down to play individual club teams.
Establishment of the Club
1885 saw the rugby players reorganised themselves as Hawick Football Club, moving to new premises at the Volunteer Park, just beyond the cricket pitch. New colours were adopted, dark green jerseys and stockings with white shorts, and in 1886 Hawick was admitted to membership of the Scottish Football (later Rugby) UnionScottish 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:...
, only the 19th club to be admitted, the only earlier Border clubs being Gala
Gala RFC
Gala Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team based in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, founded in 1875, they play their home games at Netherdale....
and Melrose RFC
Melrose RFC
Melrose Rugby Football Club, located in the town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders, is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world.-History:The club was formed in 1877 and was elected to full membership of the Scottish Rugby Union in 1880...
.
In 1888 Hawick Football Club moved to its present home, Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park (Rugby Ground)
Mansfield Park is a rugby union ground in Hawick, Scotland, with a capacity of approximately 5,000It is the home of Hawick Rugby Football Club, who currently play in the Premiership Division Two and Border League...
, at the other end of the town. The early seasons brought keenly contested games against Edinburgh Academicals, Gala
Gala RFC
Gala Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team based in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, founded in 1875, they play their home games at Netherdale....
, and Watsonians
Watsonians RFC
Watsonian Football Club is a rugby union club based in Edinburgh and part of the Scottish Rugby Union. The club is connected with George Watson's College as a club for former pupils, but now accepts players who did not attend the school...
, and in 1896 Hawick won their first Scottish championship.
1945 to 1972 – Scottish Domination
Between 1945 and 1972 Hawick club firmly established among the leaders of Scottish rugby, winning the unofficial championship eight times, taking the Border LeagueBorder League
For the defunct baseball league, see Border League The Border League, is the oldest established rugby union league in the World, having been formed in 1901...
title fifteen times, and earning fame as sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
specialists.
In the 1950s, all 15 of Hawick RFC were approached by rugby league
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...
scouts from Yorkshire.
In this period, Hugh McLeod
Hugh McLeod
Hugh McLeod was a Scottish-born lawyer and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Cape Breton in the Canadian House of Commons from 1878 to 1879 as a Liberal-Conservative member....
, George Stevenson, Adam Robson
Adam Robson
Adam Robson, was a Scottish rugby union player, who played as a flanker.He was capped twenty two times for between 1954-1960.He also played for Hawick RFC and Hawick Linden RFC.-References:...
, and Derrick Grant
Derrick Grant
Derrick Grant is a former international rugby union player.Grant was capped fourteen times as a flanker for between 1965 and 1968. He scored one try for Scotland...
alone won 100 international caps
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
between them, while fifteen other Greens played for their country.
1972 onwards
The official Scottish championship began in season 1972-73 and since that time Hawick Rugby Football Club has maintained its prized place in Division One, winning the championship on twelve occasions. The proud record of winning the first Border LeagueBorder League
For the defunct baseball league, see Border League The Border League, is the oldest established rugby union league in the World, having been formed in 1901...
in 1901-02 and the first Scottish championship in 1972-73 was added to in 1995-96 when the club were also first winners of the SRU Tennents' Scottish Cup. Indeed, in season 2002/03, the Greens completed the treble, winning Scottish League championship, Scottish Cup and Border League championship.In 2009 Hawick were relegated to the 2nd Division for the first time in their history.
Famous players
Hawick RFC already seen 58 players represent ScotlandScotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
.
- John "Jock" Beattie (23)
- Alister CampbellAlister James CampbellAlister James Campbell was a Scottish international rugby union player, who played for . He was capped 15 times between 1984-1988 at lock/second row.-References:* on scrum.com...
(15) - Colin DeansColin DeansColin Thomas Deans born on 3 May 1955 in Hawick in the Scottish borders was a rugby union player with Hawick RFC and . His nickname was the Hawick Hooker.He made his debut against in 1978 when Scotland lost, 16 - 19...
(52) - Derrick GrantDerrick GrantDerrick Grant is a former international rugby union player.Grant was capped fourteen times as a flanker for between 1965 and 1968. He scored one try for Scotland...
(14) - William "Willie" Kyle (21)
- Hugh McLeod (40)
- Cameron MurrayCameron MurrayCameron Murray is a former Scotland rugby union footballer. Murray played professionally for Scottish team Borders between 1996 and 1997 before the team merged with Edinburgh Rugby in 1998. He continued to play for Edinburgh until Borders were revived in 2002. For the teams he played in both the...
(26) - Jim RenwickJim RenwickJim Renwick was one of Scotland's greatest rugby players, usually at centre. He played for Hawick Harlequins RFC and the full Hawick RFC team, and the British Lions, 1972–84. He earned 52 caps for his country. Allan Massie thinks his 1981-82 international season was his best, and describes...
(52) - Adam RobsonAdam RobsonAdam Robson, was a Scottish rugby union player, who played as a flanker.He was capped twenty two times for between 1954-1960.He also played for Hawick RFC and Hawick Linden RFC.-References:...
(22) - Tony StangerTony StangerAnthony George Stanger is a former Scottish international rugby union player, and is Scotland's joint record try scorer....
(52) - George Stevenson (24)
- Colin TelferColin TelferColin McLeod Telfer, was a Scottish rugby union player, who played as a fly-half.He was capped seventeen times for between 1968-1976. He also played for Hawick RFC....
(17) - Alan TomesAlan TomesAlan Tomes is a former international rugby union player. He toured South Africa in 1980 with the British and Irish Lions and at the time played club rugby for Hawick RFC.He is the father of Exeter Chiefs lock Sean Tomes.-References:...
(48) - Derek Turnbull (15)
- Willie WelshWillie WelshWilliam "Willie" Berridge Welsh was a Scottish international rugby union player, and later rugby league player, who played for and the Lions....
(21) - Gary Froud (72)
- Walter SutherlandWalter SutherlandWalter Riddell Sutherland , also known as Wattie Suddie from Hawick was a Scottish rugby union footballer who gained 13 caps playing for the Scotland national rugby union team between 1910 and 1914 and was regarded as the best Scottish wing threequarter of his day...
,(13) "Wattie Suddie" - Doug DaviesDoug Davies (rugby union)Douglas "Doug" S. Davies was a Scottish international rugby union player, who played for and the Lions at number 8.He was capped 24 times for Scotland....
1888 British Isles tourists
Three Hawick players took part in the 1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
The 1888 British Isles tour to New Zealand and Australia was a series of rugby union games played by an unofficial British team against invitational teams in New Zealand and Australia...
- R. Burnett Forward
- W. Burnett Half-back
- A. J. Laing Forward
Current squad
See also
- HawickHawickHawick is a town in the Scottish Borders of south east Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-southeast of Selkirk. It is one of the farthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale, and the biggest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. Hawick's architecture is...
- Border LeagueBorder LeagueFor the defunct baseball league, see Border League The Border League, is the oldest established rugby union league in the World, having been formed in 1901...
- Borders Sevens CircuitBorders Sevens CircuitThe Borders Sevens Circuit is the name given to rugby union sevens tournaments that are held annually in the Scottish Borders. It is the oldest Sevens Circuit in the world, with most sevens dating from the 19th century.-Kings of the Sevens:...
- Hawick Harlequins RFCHawick Harlequins RFCHawick Harlequins Rugby Football Club are a Scottish Rugby Union team. Based in Hawick, Scotland they play in the East Regional Leagues.-Notable players:*Jim Renwick, capped 52 times for Scotland*Rory Macpherson* Shaun Peffers-References:...