Dundee HSFP is a former

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

team that played their home games at the Mayfield Playing Fields,

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, Scotland. The club disbanded in 2021. The team was founded in 1880 by former pupils of the High School of Dundee. The men's side played in ; the women's side, known as the Dundee Valkyries, played in the until 2021 when the club merged with Morgan Rugby Club to form "Dundee Rugby Club".

History

Beginnings

No doubt inspired by Abertay's Louis Auldjo, Dundee's first international rugby player, who had represented

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against

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1878 Events January * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War: Battle of Shipka Pass IV – Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Russo-Turkish War: ...

, Dundee High School Former Pupils' Rugby Football Club was formed in 1880 by a group of schoolfriends and rugby aficionados, David Hynd, David Hutchison and Tom Ferguson, the principals of the affectionately monikered "Maryfield Gang" after the scrap of wasteland on which they would play after school. With no sport on the school curriculum in the 19th century, the boys passionately followed local teams Abertay and Red Cross and upon leaving school met in The Victoria coffee house on 23 November 1880 and decided to form their own team. That meeting produced the first office bearers of the club: 1st XV * Captain: David M Hutchison * Sub-Captain and Secretary: Thomas C Ferguson * Treasurer: David Hynd * Committee: Herbert Bell, James Martin, David Robertson 2nd XV * Captain: Alexander Hynd * Sub-Captain: G. Stevenson * Secretary: William Ross The club changed to be no longer restricted to former pupils of the high school and was an open club.

Purchase

The club merged with Morgan Academy RFC to form a new club Dundee Rugby in 2021. One of the main reasons for the merger was to rescue both clubs and prepare a development plan to get the new club into the professional Super 6 league.

Sevens

The club ran the Dundee Sevens tournament. On the club's merger with Morgan in 2021 to form Dundee Rugby a new Sevens tournament began that year to announce the merger. The first winners of the Dundee City Sevens were Blazin’ Squad (Men) and the Howe Harlequins (Women).

Honours

Men's

* Scottish National League Division One ** Champions (2): 2005–06, 2008–09 * Scottish National League Division Two ** Champions (2): 1989–90, 2002–03 * Orkney Sevens ** Champions (2): 2006, 2007 * Glasgow University Sevens ** Champions (1): 1996 * Glenrothes Sevens ** Champions (1): 1991 * Midlands District Sevens ** Champions (5): 1926, 1930, 1964, 1991, 1992 * Howe of Fife Sevens ** Champions (1): 1993 * Stirling Sevens ** Champions (1): 1970

Women's

* Mull Sevens ** Champions (1): 2012

Notable former players

Men's

Scotland national rugby union team

* Stewart Campbell (17 caps) * Alasdair Dickinson (58 caps) * Iain Fullarton (6 caps) * Sean Lamont (105 caps) * David Leslie (31 caps, Rugby World's Player of the Year 1984, 5 Nations Grand Slam winner) * Shaun Longstaff (15 caps) * John Manson (1 cap) * Jon Petrie (45 caps) * George Ritchie (1 cap, first ever DHSFP player to be capped in 1932) * Richie Vernon (24 caps)

British and Irish Lions

* Andy Nicol (23 Scotland caps, European Cup 1997/98, World XV v NZ 1993) *

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(13 Scotland caps) * Tom Smith (60 Scotland caps) * Rob Wainwright (34 Scotland caps)

Others

* Frank Hadden – Former Scotland coach * Jason Hewett –

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international * Jacob Rauluni –

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international * Moses Rauluni –

international * Adam Russell –

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international

References

;Sources * Massie, Allan ''A Portrait of Scottish Rugby'' (Polygon, Edinburgh; )

External links

*
Dundee Rugby Club
successor {{DEFAULTSORT:Dundee Hsfp Rugby clubs established in 1880 Rugby union clubs disestablished in 2021 1880 establishments in Scotland 2021 disestablishments in Scotland Rugby union in Dundee Defunct rugby union clubs in Scotland