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Royal High School Former Pupils is a
The Royal High School Former Pupils club was formally organised in 1868, and was a founder member of the Scottish Football Union (future SRU) in 1873.
Historically, RHSFP was much stronger, and produced players such as Mark Coxon Morrison (sometimes considered the best Scottish captain ever, and a member of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame), and Pringle Fisher.
Mark Morrison was capped 1896, and went to win twenty-three caps. Angus Buchanan of Royal High School FP, was the first person to score a try in international rugby.
:"''Royal High, also a force in the nineteenth century, have had a similar history. They have continued to produce good players, but seldom good teams. They had a brief spell in the First Division, but never looked like establishing themselves. In recent years, the link between school and club has been broken... Royal H.S.F.P. have recently found difficulty in retaining the best players to come out of the Royal High School. Neither Colin Telfer nor Gordon Hunter ever played for them, though both worked in Edinburgh; Ivan Tukalo left Royal High for Selkirk in the summer of 1983 after the club lost its First Division place.''"(Massie)
Royal HSFP hosted its first rugby sevens tournament in 1920.
Bill McLaren recalls being chosen for a Scottish XV against the British Army for a game at Murrayfield on 15 February 1947, which contained two RHSFP players: T.P.L. Tom M'Glashan and D.T. McLean.McLaren, p. 37 Tom M'Glashan, was being still selected for
Royal High Rugby
successor and current club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal HSFP RFC Rugby union teams in Scotland Rugby union in Edinburgh Sports clubs and teams in Edinburgh Rugby clubs established in 1868 Rugby clubs established in 2017 Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 2003 1868 establishments in Scotland 2017 establishments in Scotland 2003 disestablishments in Scotland
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 ...
club based in Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. Royal HSFP was a founder member of the Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Now marketed as Scottish Rugby, it is the second-oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league sys ...
, the second oldest national governing body in the world.
The original club was disbanded in 2003 when it merged with Corstorphine RFC but the merged club Royal High Corstorphine broke back into two clubs in 2017. These new clubs were known as Corstorphine Cougars and Barnton RFC.
Barnton RFC was the start of an attempt to revive the old Royal HSFP side. The club is now known as "Royal High RFC".
History
School
The Royal High School is a school in Edinburgh with origins traceable to the 12th c at the Abbey of Holyrood, subsequently run by the City of Edinburgh. The school gives its name to High School Yards off Infirmary Street, where it was located before moving to the familiar Thos. Hamilton classical Greek building on Calton Hill at Regent Road which it occupied until July 1968, when it moved to new premises at East Barnton Avenue in the western side of Edinburgh near Davidson's Mains. Coeducation commenced in Sept 1976 and the school remains the Local Authority school for that area to date. The history is documented by Ross in a definitive work, William C. A. Ross, the Royal High School (Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1934)Rugby Union in the school
The Royal High School was playing a form of "football" by 1810 (the word "football" here referring to a handling code, rather than one likesoccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
). The Royal High played the first inter-school match with Merchiston in 1858.
The Royal High School's rugby club was formed in 1868. These clubs were pioneered by former and attending pupils, who originally played their games together. Among the celebrated student founders of cricket and rugby football at the school were Taverner Knott and Nat Watt, who undertook their labours with the encouragement of Thomson Whyte, reportedly the first master to take a serious interest in sport at the school.
The sporting clubs were formally integrated into the school body when, in 1900, at the request of the club captains, two masters undertook the management of cricket and rugby.
Foundation of Former Pupils side
The Royal High School Former Pupils club was formally organised in 1868, and was a founder member of the Scottish Football Union (future SRU) in 1873.
Historically, RHSFP was much stronger, and produced players such as Mark Coxon Morrison (sometimes considered the best Scottish captain ever, and a member of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame), and Pringle Fisher.
Mark Morrison was capped 1896, and went to win twenty-three caps. Angus Buchanan of Royal High School FP, was the first person to score a try in international rugby.
:"''Royal High, also a force in the nineteenth century, have had a similar history. They have continued to produce good players, but seldom good teams. They had a brief spell in the First Division, but never looked like establishing themselves. In recent years, the link between school and club has been broken... Royal H.S.F.P. have recently found difficulty in retaining the best players to come out of the Royal High School. Neither Colin Telfer nor Gordon Hunter ever played for them, though both worked in Edinburgh; Ivan Tukalo left Royal High for Selkirk in the summer of 1983 after the club lost its First Division place.''"(Massie)
Royal HSFP hosted its first rugby sevens tournament in 1920.
Bill McLaren recalls being chosen for a Scottish XV against the British Army for a game at Murrayfield on 15 February 1947, which contained two RHSFP players: T.P.L. Tom M'Glashan and D.T. McLean.McLaren, p. 37 Tom M'Glashan, was being still selected for Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
in 1954, as the front row of a pack which contained three Macs, the others being Hugh McLeod and Robert MacEwen.
Merger
The club merged with Corstorphine RFC in 2003 to form Royal High Corstorphine RFC. However, the merger was short-lasting and the new club itself broke up in 2017.Barnton RFC
A new club was formed from the old RHC Cougars side and given associate membership by theScottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Now marketed as Scottish Rugby, it is the second-oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league sys ...
. Barnton RFC is an attempt to revive the Royal HSFP club. The club was then rebranded under the similar name "Royal High RFC".
Grounds
Due to the historic association with the Abbey of Holyrood, the school had the use of two pitches at Holyrood, adjacent to the Place of Holyroodhouse and conveniently situated beneath the school on Regent Road. Five rugby pitches were maintained at Jock's Lodge, where the RHS 'Preparatory Department' was relocated in the 1930s. On relocation to Barnton in 1968, pitches were then available adjacent to the new building. Jock's Lodge is located on the east side of the city, on the opposite side from the school's present location. This put them in competition with Portobello RFC,Musselburgh
Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It had a population of as of .
History
The name Musselburgh is Old English language, Old English in ...
, Leith
Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith.
The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
and Trinity Academicals for local talent.
Notable players
Scotland internationalists
The following former Royal HSFP players have representedScotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
at full international level.
* Alexander Petrie
* Thomas McGlashan
* William Gibson
* Roger Davidson
* Alexander Wood
* Duncan MacLean
* Jack Park
* Angus Buchanan
* Pringle Fisher
* Mark Coxon Morrison
* William Emslie
* William Penman
* William Ferguson
Edinburgh District
The following former Royal HSFP players have represented Edinburgh District at provincial level. * James Robertson * J. Junor * Alexander Petrie * M. Sanderson * Alexander Wood * G. F. Raynor * Angus Buchanan * William EmslieBritish and Irish Lions
The following former Royal HSFP players have represented the British and Irish Lions. * Mark Coxon MorrisonHonours
* Langholm Sevens ** Champions (3): 1949, 1953, 1960 * Melrose Sevens ** Champions (3): 1921, 1934, 1961 * Hawick Sevens ** Champions (3): 1914, 1938, 1962 * Gala Sevens ** Champions (1): 1919 * Jed-Forest Sevens ** Champions (2): 1907, 1947 * Peebles Sevens ** Champions (2): 1946, 1975 * Broughton Sevens ** Champions (1): 2022SRU presidents
Former Royal High players have been President of the SRU: * 1879–80 Angus Buchanan * 1881–82 Alexander Petrie * 1902–03 Roger DavidsonBibliography
* Bath, Richard (ed.) ''The Scotland Rugby Miscellany'' (Vision Sports Publishing Ltd, 2007 ) * Godwin, Terry ''Complete Who's Who of International Rugby'' (Cassell, 1987, ) * Ironside, Robert & Thorburn, Alexander M.C. Thorburn, ''Royal High School Rugby Football Club: Centenary 1868-1968'' (Edinburgh, Royal High School, 1968) * Jones, J.R. ''Encyclopedia of Rugby Football'' (Robert Hale, London, 1958) * Massie, Allan ''A Portrait of Scottish Rugby'' (Polygon, Edinburgh; ) * Ross, William C. A. ''The Royal High School'' (Edinburgh, Oliver and Boyd, 1934)References
External links
Royal High Rugby
successor and current club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal HSFP RFC Rugby union teams in Scotland Rugby union in Edinburgh Sports clubs and teams in Edinburgh Rugby clubs established in 1868 Rugby clubs established in 2017 Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 2003 1868 establishments in Scotland 2017 establishments in Scotland 2003 disestablishments in Scotland