120-859: The Welsh–Scottish League was a rugby union league in Scotland and Wales jointly implemented by the Scottish Rugby Union and the Welsh Rugby Union from the 1999–2000 season onwards. It was a precursor to the Celtic League and lasted three seasons, being disbanded after the Celtic League was set up. When World Rugby decreed an Open Game for Rugby Union in 1995, the Northern Hemisphere nations reacted with varying degrees of speed and enthusiasm to
240-570: A British Isles team visited Australia and New Zealand—although a private venture, it laid the foundations for future British and Irish Lions tours; and the 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team brought the first overseas team to British spectators. During the early history of rugby union, a time before commercial air travel, teams from different continents rarely met. The first two notable tours both took place in 1888—the British Isles team touring New Zealand and Australia, followed by
360-497: A haka before each match, leading Welsh Rugby Union administrator Tom Williams to suggest that Wales player Teddy Morgan lead the crowd in singing the Welsh National Anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau , as a response. After Morgan began singing, the crowd joined in: the first time a national anthem was sung at the start of a sporting event. In 1905 France played England in its first international match. Rugby union
480-594: A Glasgow/Edinburgh play-off in Wales! However Glasgow fell at the last hurdle. Although Edinburgh won their pool runners up spot they then pulled out of the 3rd place play-off against Bridgend due to their players' exhaustion. Despite the exhaustion of the Scottish players and the fact that they played a number of matches in several days due to postponements the WRU Challenge Cup was deemed a success. This paved
600-656: A conference with the Ospreys, Blues, Munster, Connacht, Zebre and Cheetahs. After a blistering start with 10 straight wins, the Warriors were the first team to secure a play-off place. The Warriors won top place in Conference A and secured a home semi-final. Inconsistent form in the latter half of the season then cost the Warriors; losing in the semi-final to Scarlets . Glasgow Warriors' conference did not change for season 2018-19 but home and away fixtures were swapped from
720-495: A cross border competition of which we can be proud and which will enhance playing standards. We thank the Scots for three excellent seasons of competitive club rugby". SRU Director of Rugby Jim Telfer said " When you consider that our top players will play 11 internationals next season and a minimum of seven Celtic League games and a minimum of six Heineken Cup matches, plus our own provincial competition, them we will be already around
840-514: A cross-border competition that is designed to develop players for the Celtic nations, starting in the 2023–24 season . For the most part, Glasgow Warriors through the years have played their matches in Glasgow either at Hughenden Stadium , Firhill Stadium or Scotstoun Stadium , their current base. A closer look at the club's history reveals a more nomadic nature. Some of this was planned as
960-674: A few games for the team to settle into the new coach, but they did and results followed. Glasgow went unbeaten at home in the regular URC season, and in European Challenge Cup Glasgow tore through opposition till the final. Winning the 1872 Cup and the Scottish-Italian Shield, they made 4th in the URC, playing Munster at home in the Quarter-Final. A red card to Tom Jordan made it difficult for
1080-601: A joint statement by the SRU and the WRU. Secretary of the Welsh Rugby Union Dennis Gethin said "A fully fledged Celtic League is of paramount importance and we are working towards achieving that goal. To avoid overplaying our top players and for administrative reasons, the forthcoming 2003 World Cup will delay its implementation. However we are confident that as soon as it is practicable, we will have in place
1200-523: A limited number of games, and Cambridge and Oxford continued their annual University Match . The first officially sanctioned international rugby sevens tournament took place in 1973 at Murrayfield, one of Scotland's biggest stadiums, as part of the Scottish Rugby Union centenary celebrations. In 1987, the first Rugby World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand, and the inaugural winners were New Zealand. The first World Cup Sevens tournament
1320-415: A lineout throw is generally awarded to the opposition at the spot on the sideline where they left the field. Exceptions include a kick out "on the full" (i.e. the ball did not land in the field-of-play before going into touch) in which case the lineout would still take place on the sideline but back in line with where the ball was kicked, or when a team takes a free kick from a penalty where they would retain
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#17327725478101440-516: A mini-cup tournament. The Glasgow-Edinburgh 'inter-city' derby dates back to 1872 and is the oldest provincial match in the world. To mark this, the 1872 Cup thus began in 2007-08 . The Celtic League was rebranded as the Pro12 league in season 2011–12 . This was to better reflect the entry of the Italian sides into the Celtic League. The Pro12 league format had a top four play-off system to decide
1560-597: A new league; Cardiff and Swansea could come back into the fold without losing face; and Glasgow Caledonians and Edinburgh Reivers could finally have opposition they needed. The Welsh–Scottish League began in season 1999–00. With the start of the Celtic League in 2001–02, it was felt that there was no longer space for the fixtures of the Welsh–Scottish League. The 2001–02 final year's Welsh–Scottish League included jointly held fixtures in an attempt to remedy this. The Celtic League proved an instant success. The SRU
1680-534: A preferred or standard 68 metre width, this is often used unless a ground has been specifically designed to accommodate a 70-metre rugby field. 100 metres is the typical length, with a line (see below) often marked at halfway with "50" on it, representing 50 metres from each goal line. The variations have been allowed in the Laws, possibly to accommodate older grounds (perhaps even pre-metrification when yards and feet were specified) and developing nations. The field of play
1800-609: A rectangular field called a pitch. The field has H-shaped goalposts at both ends. Rugby union is a popular sport around the world, played by people regardless of gender, age or size. In 2023, there were more than 10 million people playing worldwide, of whom 8.4 million were registered players. World Rugby , previously called the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) and the International Rugby Board (IRB), has been
1920-470: A successful penalty kick or a drop goal each score 3 points. The values of each of these scoring methods have been changed over the years. According to World Rugby's Laws of the Game, a typical rugby ground, formally known as the "playing enclosure", is formed by two major zones: The referee (and their assistants) generally have full authority and responsibility for all players and other officials inside
2040-474: A successful dialogue with the Welsh Rugby Union that resulted in both Scottish sides being entered in the WRU Challenge Cup in early 1999 . The WRU Challenge Cup was deemed a success and the SRU and WRU announced a new league system for the 1999-2000 season . The Welsh-Scottish League was essentially the Welsh Premier Division augmented by the Glasgow and Edinburgh sides. This meant
2160-454: A team has made the play-offs – with 5 seasons between 2011–12 and 2015–16. Going further back and taking the Celtic League into account, this record is also shared with Leinster who made the play-offs in the last 2 years of the Celtic League and first 3 years of the Pro12. With the addition of two South African sides, the Pro12 expanded to become the Pro14 for season 2017-18 . The format of
2280-538: Is Chatswood Oval in Sydney, Australia, an elliptically shaped cricket ground which is the home of Gordon rugby club, that has curved dead-ball lines to maximise the available in-goal space. Where multiple sports share a field (e.g. a rugby league and a rugby union club sharing one field), lines may be overlaid on top of each other, sometimes in different colours. However, particularly for television, rugby union line markings are generally painted white. Some exceptions include
2400-408: Is considered "out-of-bounds" for the ball and the players, normally resulting in the non-infringing team receiving possession of the ball at a restart. The perimeter area can be divided into two areas: For the purposes of determining if a ball is "out-of-bounds" (i.e. has left the playing area), the perimeter area extends indefinitely away from the playing area. When a ball or player goes into touch,
2520-445: Is divided by a solid "halfway" line, drawn perpendicular to the sidelines at their midpoint. A 0.5m line is marked perpendicular to the halfway lines at its midpoint, designating the spot where the kickoffs shall be taken. The areas between each goal line and the halfway line are known as "halves" as in other football codes. A pair of solid lines are also drawn perpendicular to the sidelines, 22 metres (formerly 25 yards) from each end of
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#17327725478102640-440: Is the third and final row of the forward positions, who are often referred to as the loose forwards. The three positions in the back row are the two flankers and the number 8 . The two flanker positions, known as the blindside flanker and openside flanker, are the final row in the scrum. They are usually the most mobile forwards in the game. Their main role is to win possession through 'turn overs'. The number 8 packs down between
2760-501: The 2001–02 season onwards. Only two professional sides remaining meant that the 1998–99 Scottish Inter-District Championship was fought out in a three match 'Tri-Series' battle between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The combined sides did not fare better in Europe. Glasgow finished bottom of their group in the 1998–99 Heineken Cup . The SRU realised that Glasgow and Edinburgh needed more competition domestically than each other and so began
2880-516: The 2002–03 Scottish Inter-District Championship as a professional tournament. Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Borders fought in out in what was the final professional Inter-District championship; the Bank of Scotland Pro Cup. Glasgow finished bottom of the table. In 2004–05 Glasgow had been fifth in the Celtic League, the best placing of the three Scottish teams that existed at that time. Starting with
3000-538: The 2005–06 season, the team was again rebranded, this time as the Glasgow Warriors. Disappointing results for the Border Reivers saw them disband again in 2007. With only two professional sides once again, the SRU took the opportunity to dust down and rename the 1995 Scottish Inter-District Championship trophy and use the two Celtic League fixtures between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby as
3120-553: The 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became the first Scottish team to win a major trophy in rugby union's professional era. In 2023-24 they became the first Scottish side to win the United Rugby Championship in its current form. The side is known for its fast, dynamic and attacking style of play, using offloads and quick rucks. Defensively the club prides itself on its 'Fortress Scotstoun' where
3240-416: The Border Reivers . Welsh rugby was struggling with the professionalism of their club sides. Some felt there were too many clubs and not enough money to go round to make them competitive. The argument began to be made for regional sides. In Scotland, the situation was much worse. A lot of the top amateur clubs were against the professional districts from the start, believing that they should be entered into
3360-832: The Bunnings NPC in New Zealand, the League One in Japan and the Currie Cup in South Africa. Other transnational club competitions include the United Rugby Championship of club teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales, European Rugby Champions Cup in Europe, and Super Rugby in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Primitive forms of football included harpastum , played by
3480-584: The Caledonia Reds to form a team that would be known as Glasgow Caledonians. Edinburgh Rugby similarly merged with the Border Reivers . In effect, both the Glasgow and Edinburgh clubs took over the other districts. Glasgow's new 'Caledonian' label was later quietly dropped at the start of the 2001–02 season, with the team name becoming once again Glasgow Rugby. The Glasgow side however became colloquially known as Glasgow Warriors from at least
3600-543: The Heineken Cup for the first time, in the 1997–98 season. In their group stage that season finishing second, they qualified out of the group only to be well beaten in the Quarter Final play-off by Leicester Tigers . Because of the SRU's high debt, partly as a result of the redevelopment of Murrayfield Stadium , there was a recognised need for further reorganisation. After two seasons, Glasgow merged with
3720-515: The Heineken Cup instead. A 'Gang of Four' – ex-Scottish internationalists Jim Aitken , Finlay Calder , David Sole and Gavin Hastings – went around Scotland drumming up support for a professional Club model to be used instead. This did nothing to help the fledgling professional District sides. They had poor results in European competition and attendances suffered. Eventually after two years
Welsh–Scottish League - Misplaced Pages Continue
3840-542: The Heineken Cup or the Challenge Cup for the following season. Due to Glasgow District's bottom placing in the 1995–96 Scottish Inter-District Championship , Glasgow was entered into the 1996–97 European Challenge Cup where they finished second bottom of their group. Results improved somewhat domestically in 1996-97 with Glasgow securing second place in that season's Inter-District Championship behind Caledonia Reds . That meant that Glasgow qualified for
3960-531: The Heineken Cup , because the Scottish Rugby Union did not think that Scottish club sides would be able to compete against the best teams from France and England. For a detailed season by season guide of Glasgow Warriors history see: Glasgow and the other three Scottish districts competed in the Scottish Inter-District Championship to determine their European Qualifying; the leagues positions determining whether they entered
4080-562: The Scottish Inter-District Championship from 1953 onwards. Unlike Ireland, whose provincial teams Leinster , Connacht , Munster and Ulster were members of the IRFU and had their own grounds; in Scotland the districts were not members of the Scottish Rugby Union and played in various club grounds in their districts. This meant that Ireland quickly embraced their districts on professionalism. In Scotland this debate had to be completed; and
4200-405: The Scottish Rugby Union cut the four districts to two, merging Edinburgh and the Borders; and Glasgow and Caledonia in 1998. The Scottish Inter-District Championship had been an already limited tournament; with only four professional sides, and only three matches played by each team each season. Now with only two districts remaining – although the three match format was kept as a best of three –
4320-530: The Welsh Rugby Union a place for around 4 or 5 Welsh teams in the English leagues. This was flatly rejected by the Welsh boss Graham Henry as an insult. He stated: "It was right to reject this paltry offer. What was proposed wasn't British, just a few Welsh clubs in a predominantly English league which would have been no good to anyone". The Irish were against joining any kind of British and Irish league. However
4440-456: The 1830s, "running in" with the ball in hand was allowed but subject to hacking and "collaring". Former Rugby School student Albert Pell is credited with having formed the first "football" team while a student at Cambridge University . Major private schools each used different rules during this early period, with former pupils from Rugby and Eton attempting to carry their preferred rules through to their universities. A significant event in
4560-571: The 1872 Cup heading to Glasgow again, and crucially at the end of the season an away loss to the Bulls and the Lions. The Warriors lost their 1st place in the league by the two South African losses, and finished the season 4th in the table, but only 3 points behind 1st place. The play-offs meant that Glasgow faced the Stomers at home. In blustery conditions the Warriors comfortably won the match, helped by
4680-542: The 1872 Cup, but it meant that Edinburgh leapfrogged Glasgow Warriors in the league and also won the Scottish-Italian conference. Glasgow Warriors finished 8th; their lowest league position since 2010–11. It was the first time that Edinburgh finished higher than Glasgow since that 2010–11 season. Finishing 8th meant that Glasgow failed to qualify for the Champions Cup next season. The last time that happened
4800-475: The 2nd place in their conference. However, the COVID-19 pandemic intervened and Pro14 matches were stopped. The season restarted at the end of August; but it was instead curtailed, now with only two matches to play, meaning it was virtually impossible to catch Ulster in the second spot. Worse for the Warriors was the Pro14 decision to not play any Quarter-Final matches which meant that they would not be involved in
4920-416: The Glasgow Warriors in 2005. Scotland had four District Sides:- North and Midlands ; South ; Glasgow District and Edinburgh District . Glasgow and Edinburgh were formed in 1872 and played the world's first ever inter-district match on 23 November of that year. This was known as the 'Inter-City' derby; originally a twice a season event until 1876, then became annual thereafter. The district sides capped
Welsh–Scottish League - Misplaced Pages Continue
5040-581: The Irish Rugby Union would have entered a Celtic League or the Pro12 (now the United Rugby Championship ) formed with the addition of the Italian Rugby Federation . Despite favourable results in the Welsh–Scottish League and the subsequent formation of the Celtic League – many in Wales were convinced that a District model similar to that of Scotland and Ireland was the way forward for professionalism in Wales. The regional model
5160-513: The Laws: Generally, points where the dashed lines intersect other lines will be marked with a "T" or cross shape, although the extensions of dashed lines are generally not drawn within 5 metres of the goal lines or sidelines, to allow a clear demarcation of the field of play's boundaries. The Laws require the playing area to be rectangular in shape, however variations may be permitted with the approval of relevant unions. A notable example
5280-820: The New Zealand team touring Europe. Traditionally the most prestigious tours were the Southern Hemisphere countries of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa making a tour of a Northern Hemisphere, and the return tours made by a joint British and Irish team. Tours would last for months, due to long traveling times and the number of games undertaken; the 1888 New Zealand team began their tour in Hawkes Bay in June and did not complete their schedule until August 1889, having played 107 rugby matches. Touring international sides would play Test matches against international opponents, including national, club and county sides in
5400-469: The Pro14 and only improved towards the end of the tournament. They managed to still secure a Champions Cup spot despite their early form. The end of season Rainbow Cup saw Glasgow lose their match against the surprise eventual Rainbow Cup tournament winners Benetton Treviso but then win the rest of their matches, securing the 1872 Cup along the way and beating this season's Pro14 winners Leinster in their last match. The European sides were again joined by
5520-476: The Romans, where two opposing teams competed to throw a large ball into an opposition net, fighting for possession of the ball. Medieval Irishmen played caid , carrying an inflated bladder and using arched trees as goals. The Welsh played an inter-parish game using a wooden ball called cnapan . Frenchmen played soule and Georgians played lelo. "Football" as a game was well established by 1803 at Rugby School and by
5640-595: The SRU engendered good relations with the IRFU and organised friendlies for Glasgow and Edinburgh to play against the Irish provinces. The SRU had even better luck with the WRU. The WRU organised a Challenge Cup with invited sides playing against Welsh opposition. This was gerrymandered so that the invited sides only played the Welsh teams and not one another but it was an opportunity that the SRU could not afford to turn down and both Glasgow and Edinburgh claimed their place in
5760-534: The SRU realised that Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby needed more competition than each other to be competitive in European competition. The pruning of the District model gave an impetus to those favouring the Club model. David Sole stated: "This proves yet again that to put the focus on districts was an ill-conceived and ill-planned idea which wasn't thought through" Although the two districts were now bigger,
5880-549: The South African Super Rugby Unlocked franchises for the following season and organised an end of season tournament – the Rainbow Cup – which because of COVID-19 was run as a mini European league of the Pro14 sides; and a South African league of their 4 biggest franchises that the Pro14 wished to invite – the winners of the two leagues would play off in a final. Glasgow Warriors stuttered in
6000-462: The South African franchises in season 2021–22. The championship was split in four conferences:- a Scottish-Italian conference, a South African conference, a Welsh conference and an Irish conference. The Warriors stuttered through the URC campaign. They seemed to have a bad knack of winning fixtures until the last quarter and then blowing their lead. Still, home results remained a bit better than
6120-425: The Stomers poor kicking in the wind. The quarter final was against Munster away at Thomond Park. Munster displaying advertising promoting the final between them and the Bulls before the match gave Glasgow extra impetus and they outplayed the Irish side. That meant a final in South Africa at Loftus Versfeld. The Bulls won the match before, but like that match Glasgow knew they could win the second half, if they could keep
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#17327725478106240-537: The United States , Canada and Eastern Europe , its growth occurring during the expansion of the British Empire and through French proponents ( Rugby Europe ) in Europe. Countries that have adopted rugby union as their de facto national sport include Fiji , Georgia, Madagascar , New Zealand, Samoa , Tonga , and Wales . International matches have taken place since 1871 when the first game
6360-480: The Wallabies (Australia's national team) who often have yellow markings. Local clubs may use black, yellow, or other colours on grass, with other surfaces possibly requiring different marking techniques. Unlike association football, where on-field advertising is strictly forbidden in the laws, World Rugby allows sponsors logos to be painted on the playing surface. This is another way in which clubs can make money in
6480-595: The Warriors and they lost the match 14–5 to the Irish side. In the European Challenge Cup final, a devastating first half by Toulon scoring 21 points without reply left the Warriors too much to do in the second half and the French side won out 43–19. Nevertheless, it was a very successful first season under Smith, with the side back challenging on all fronts after the slump of the Danny Wilson era. He
6600-514: The Warriors try-line. The Celtic Park final attendance, swelled by Glasgow Warriors fans normally unable to watch at a sold-out Scotstoun, remains the highest in the Celtic League/Pro12/Pro14 history. In 2019–20, the Warriors started poorly but results picked up as the season progressed. By the end of February 2020, Glasgow Warriors had solidified the play-off 3rd spot and were hopeful of a decent run to overtake Ulster into
6720-532: The away fixtures. By the end of April they were just about managing to cling onto top 4 in the URC. Then the form stopped stuttering, but unfortunately things got worse. They bowed out of the Champions Cup at the hands of La Rochelle (the eventual winners of the European Cup that season), to find themselves in the Challenge Cup. A win against Newcastle Falcons papered over cracks but they were beaten in
6840-431: The backs and the forwards is that the backs are expected to have superior kicking and ball-handling skills, especially the fly-half, scrum-half, and full-back. The half-backs consist of two positions, the scrum-half and the fly-half , also known in the Southern Hemisphere as half-back and first five-eighth respectively. The fly-half is crucial to a team's game plan, orchestrating the team's performance. They are usually
6960-422: The ball is kicked into touch by a player who had at least one foot on or behind their own 22-metre line, the line-out formed at the spot where the ball crossed the touch-line instead of being taken in line with the spot from where it was kicked. Additional broken or dashed lines (of 5 metre dash lengths, according to the Laws ) are drawn in each half or on each side of, the field, each with specific purposes under
7080-417: The ball. Forwards play a vital role in tackling and rucking opposing players. Players in these positions are generally bigger and stronger and take part in the scrum and line-out. The forwards are often collectively referred to as the 'pack', especially when in the scrum formation. The front row consists of three players: two props (the loosehead prop and the tighthead prop) and the hooker . The role of
7200-446: The best amateur players from their area's club sides to play inter-district matches and matches against touring sides. The Scottish Inter-District Championship began in 1953-54 (and so encompassed the traditional Inter-City derby). Unlike the Scottish clubs (and Ireland's provincial sides), the Scottish district sides had no settled home and were not members of their Rugby Union. This meant when Scottish rugby embraced professionalism it
7320-416: The best interests of Scottish rugby at heart and they were arguing only for their own clubs – swung the debate and the District model won by 178 to 24. The four amateur district teams Glasgow, Edinburgh, South of Scotland and North and Midlands were to become the professional sides Glasgow Warriors, Edinburgh Rugby , Border Reivers and the Caledonia Reds . Glasgow Rugby was created in 1996 to compete in
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#17327725478107440-591: The case of Northern Hemisphere rugby, or provincial/state sides in the case of Southern Hemisphere rugby. Between 1905 and 1908, all three major Southern Hemisphere rugby countries sent their first touring teams to the Northern Hemisphere: New Zealand in 1905, followed by South Africa in 1906 and Australia in 1908. All three teams brought new styles of play, fitness levels and tactics, and were far more successful than critics had expected. The New Zealand 1905 touring team performed
7560-486: The champions. Since the Pro12 started in season 2011–12, Glasgow Warriors were the only team that have made the play-offs in every year, but this record was finally broken at the end of the 2016–17 season on 28 April 2017 when the Warriors lost to Leinster in Dublin ensuring that a top 4 finish for the Glasgow side was unattainable. Glasgow Warriors hold the Pro12 record of the highest number of consecutive seasons that
7680-528: The club model and attempted to professionalise their amateur clubs to compete in Europe, in Scotland the debate reached fever pitch. Scotland had the oldest Districts in rugby union. The Glasgow/Edinburgh provincial derby was the oldest Inter-District derby in the world. Glasgow District and Edinburgh District were founded in 1872. (Hence Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby play for the 1872 Cup to commemorate this.) The other districts North and Midlands and South were formed later, and they all played in
7800-587: The club play at home. Glasgow Warriors are a continuation of the amateur Glasgow District side founded in 1872. For the history of Glasgow as an amateur district side see: Reshaped as a professional club in 1996, Glasgow Warriors were originally known as Glasgow Rugby before rebranding as Glasgow Caledonians in 1998 by a merger with the Caledonian Reds. They dropped the Caledonians to become Glasgow Rugby in 2001 again and finally rebranded as
7920-494: The club took over the Caledonia Reds district; or a liberal spreading of the Warriors brand to various grounds for friendlies and smaller ties; and some of this was caused by inclement weather; in particular the Warriors had to play several games at the football ground of Kilmarnock F.C. in 2015/16. The laying of a synthetic pitch at Scotstoun Stadium for the 2016-17 season resolved those weather-related issues, though there have on occasion been complaints from visiting teams about
8040-643: The clubs that had favoured the Rugby Rules formed the Rugby Football Union in 1871, and their code became known as " rugby football ". In 1895, there was a major schism within rugby football in England in which numerous clubs from Northern England resigned from the RFU over the issue of reimbursing players for time lost from their workplaces. The split highlighted the social and class divisions in
8160-490: The co-operation in a new Celtic League. The Celtic League began in truncated fashion in the autumn of 2001 with the addition of the four Irish provincial teams in two pools; Glasgow reached the semi-finals of the inaugural competition, but struggled thereafter. In its first year the Celtic League ran concurrently with the 2001–02 Welsh-Scottish League but fixture congestion meant that the Welsh-Scottish tournament
8280-496: The early development of rugby football was the production of a written set of rules at Rugby School in 1845, followed by the Cambridge Rules that were drawn up in 1848. Formed in 1863, the national governing body The Football Association (FA) began codifying a set of universal football rules. These new rules specifically banned players from running with the ball in hand and also disallowed hacking (kicking players in
8400-416: The end of the Scottish Inter-District Championship although it did continue as before with the amateur district sides. The 1999-2000 season's Tri-Series was run without a sponsor. Glasgow won the title, but at a cost; they had beaten Edinburgh four times that season (including twice in the Tri-Series) and Edinburgh's only win was the 5th match, a dead rubber at the end of the Tri-Series. The fans didn't like
8520-427: The field are divided into eight forwards (two more than in rugby league ) and seven backs . There are typically significantly more forwards on the bench than backs with, for example, South Africa having a 7-1 split in favour of forwards in their August 2023 match against New Zealand in Twickenham. A 6-2 or 5-3 split is more common. The main responsibilities of the forward players are to gain and retain possession of
8640-401: The field of play and called the 22-metre lines, or "22"s. An area at each end, also known as the "22", is bounded by, but does not include, the sidelines, goal line and 22-metre line. In this area, a defensive player who cleanly catches a ball kicked by the other team, without the ball having already touched the ground after the kick, is entitled to claim a free kick, or " mark ". Additionally, if
8760-495: The field to accommodate fitter and faster (or heavier) players. Fixed cameras on tripods and advertising hoardings are often the main culprits for injuring players in the perimeter area. Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland . The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In
8880-488: The first half tight. A score at the end of the first half by Scott Cummings made the half time score 13–7 to the Bulls; and the Warriors stepped on the gas in the second half with tries by George Turner and Huw Jones. Glasgow saw out the match 21 - 16, with the Bulls only scoring 3pts in the second half, to become URC champions. In December 2023, Glasgow launched a women's team to compete in the Celtic Challenge ,
9000-425: The first to receive the ball from the scrum-half following a breakdown, lineout, or scrum, and need to be decisive with what actions to take and be effective at communicating with the outside backs. Many fly-halves are also their team's goal kickers. The scrum-half is the link between the forwards and the backs. They receive the ball from the lineout and remove the ball from the back of the scrum, usually passing it to
9120-537: The fly-half. They also feed the scrum and sometimes have to act as a fourth loose forward. There are four three quarter positions: two centres (inside and outside) and two wings (left and right). In the Southern Hemisphere, the inside centre is commonly referred to as the second five-eighth, while the outside centre is simply known as the centre. The centres will attempt to tackle attacking players; whilst in attack, they should employ speed and strength to breach opposition defences. The wings are generally positioned on
9240-414: The format and it was scrapped. The Welsh-Scottish League lasted three seasons. Although both Glasgow and Edinburgh finished no higher than mid-table for those three seasons, it did provide the Scottish sides with much needed competition. It was looked on as a successful model of co-operation between two rugby unions. The Irish Rugby Football Union began talks with the SRU and WRU about further extending
9360-414: The goal lines, equivalent to American football's "end zones". The in-goal areas must be between 6 and 22 metres (6.6 and 24.1 yards) deep and cover the full width of the field. A ball grounded in this area by an attacking player will generally result in a try being awarded, unless there has been a previous infringement, or the player has gone out-of-bounds whilst in possession of the ball. The perimeter area
9480-422: The governing body for rugby union since 1886, and currently has 116 countries as full members and 18 associate members. In 1845, the first laws were written by pupils at Rugby School; other significant events in the early development of rugby include the decision by Blackheath F.C. to leave The Football Association in 1863 and, in 1895, the split between rugby union and rugby league . Historically rugby union
9600-467: The invited sides of that pool. The winners of each pool play a final; and the pool runners-up played a third place play-off. Hence Glasgow (and Edinburgh and other invited sides) only played Welsh opposition in their pools. Depending on results, the invited sides then would only play each other if they qualified out of their pools. Going into their last matches both Glasgow and Edinburgh had a chance to secure their pool runners up place. This would have meant
9720-414: The league changed to accommodate the extra teams. It was split into two conferences and matches played in a conference system with the addition of 2 derby fixtures. The play-off system also changed with the winners of the conferences hosting a Semi-Final and each conference runners up and 3rd place teams playing off in Quarter-Final fixtures. For the Pro14's inaugural season, Glasgow Warriors were placed in
9840-479: The members of the Scottish Rugby Union would decide on the way forward. The clubs were the members. The SRU favoured a professional District model and put it to the clubs in an EGM in early 1996. There was significant opposition, notably from Gavin Hastings and Keith Robertson , but the professionalisation of Scotland's districts was approved. The four amateur districts became the professional District teams Glasgow Warriors , Edinburgh Rugby , Caledonia Reds and
9960-414: The most important attributes of a good full-back are dependable catching skills and a good kicking game. Rugby union is played between two teams – the one that scores more points wins the game. Points can be scored in several ways: a try , scored by grounding the ball in the in-goal area (between the goal line and the dead-ball line), is worth 5 points and a subsequent conversion kick scores 2 points;
10080-496: The new professional game. Wales and the Welsh Rugby Union largely continued as was. They entered teams into the 1995–96 season's European Rugby Champions Cup , the Heineken Cup; alongside teams from Ireland, Italy, Romania and France. Scotland and the Scottish Rugby Union , however, largely was stunned by the announcement. Scotland did not enter any teams into the 1995–96 season's Heineken Cup. While Wales continued with
10200-399: The optimum 30 games. We have to guard against player burn-out and that becomes an even more important issue as the 2003 Rugby world Cup looms" The Welsh–Scottish League proved that a joint league between similar sized rugby union nations can be very successful. It was a successful model in co-operation between two distinct rugby unions. Without the success of the league it would be doubtful if
10320-414: The outside of the backline. Their primary function is to finish off moves and score tries. Wings are usually the fastest players in the team and are elusive runners who use their speed to avoid tackles. The full-back is normally positioned several metres behind the back line. They often field opposition kicks and are usually the last line of defence should an opponent break through the back line. Two of
10440-474: The play-offs. Missing out, the final was played between Leinster and Ulster, with Leinster winning. Season 2020-21 was still affected with the COVID-19 pandemic; this meant very limited or usually no fans at the matches. The Southern Kings went bankrupt and the Cheetahs were unable to compete due to the pandemic, so the Pro14 ran with 12 European sides, still in two conferences. They did however court some of
10560-440: The playing area and perimeter area, although depending on how large the perimeter is, other surfaces such as dirt, artificial turf, etc. may be used outside of a "sliding" perimeter from the bounds of the playing area. For the most part, the "playing area" is where the majority of play occurs. The ball is generally considered live whilst in this area, so long as players do not infringe, with special rules applied to specific zones of
10680-442: The playing area. The playing area consists of: A typical "field of play" is generally 100 metres long by 68–70 metres wide for senior rugby, depending on the specific requirements of each ground. The Laws require the field of play to be between 94 and 100 metres (103 and 109 yards) long, with a width of between 68 and 70 metres (74 and 77 yards). As other football codes, such as association football and rugby league, have specified
10800-432: The playing enclosure. Fences or ropes (particularly at amateur clubs) are generally used to mark the extent of this area, although in modern stadia this may include the entire arena floor or other designated space. The Laws, above all, require that the playing enclosure's surface be safe, whilst also permitting grass, sand, clay, snow or conforming artificial turf to be used; the surface would generally be uniform across both
10920-588: The pre-1995 period of rugby union was marked by frequent accusations of " shamateurism ", including an investigation in Britain by a House of Commons Select committee in early 1995. Following the introduction of professionalism trans-national club competitions were started, with the Heineken Cup in the Northern Hemisphere and Super Rugby in the Southern Hemisphere. The Tri Nations , an annual international tournament involving Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, kicked off in 1996. In 2012 , this competition
11040-619: The previous year. Other than a blip against the Southern Kings and a notable dip in the Festive period against Edinburgh and Benetton Treviso , by and large Glasgow Warriors seemed to ease through their fixtures. By the end of the regular season Glasgow were top of Conference A again and setting new records:- the final regular season match against Edinburgh Rugby saw the Warriors hit a club record of 7 consecutive try bonus point league wins; their total of 15 try bonus points throughout
11160-415: The professional era and is also often used by host nations, professional leagues and tournaments as additional revenue streams, particularly when games are broadcast. In recent years, augmented reality technology has been used to replace painting to protect the surface or save costs on painting fields, producing a similar effect for broadcast albeit sometimes with poorer results. The in-goal areas sit behind
11280-455: The quarter-final against Lyon, again losing the match from a winning position. (Lyon went on to win the Challenge Cup.) Beaten by both European winners may have been understandable but the Glasgow side's league form was much worse and a run of away fixtures hardly helped. Beaten by the Stormers and Bulls, the Warriors lost the 1872 Cup deciding match to Edinburgh. Not only did Edinburgh secure
11400-425: The right to throw-in. The perimeter area should be clear and free of obstructions and heavy, solid objects which could pose a danger to players for at least 5 metres from the playing area, according to the Laws. Players often leave the playing area whether accidentally or due to being forced off of the field, sometimes sliding or needing to slow down from a sprint. Many venues at elite levels leave larger spaces around
11520-401: The season was a new Pro14 record; their 81 points scored was the most ever scored in a league campaign by Glasgow Warriors; and their 83 tries was the most scored in a league campaign by Glasgow Warriors; and their 621 points scored was the most scored in a league campaign by Glasgow Warriors. They narrowly lost to Leinster in the final at Celtic Park following an error by Stuart Hogg in
11640-416: The semi-final it brought a reality check to the two want-away clubs. Gareth Davies, Cardiff's chief executive, described the 39-10 defeat as: "The worst performance by a Cardiff side I have ever seen... a very unprofessional display, ill-disciplined and with a low skill level." The SRU's overtures to the WRU about a Welsh–Scottish League came at exactly the right time to everyone concerned. The WRU could have
11760-590: The shins), both of which were legal and common tactics under the Rugby School's rules of the sport. In protest at the imposition of the new rules, the Blackheath Club left the FA followed by several other clubs that also favoured the "Rugby Rules". Although these clubs decided to ban hacking soon afterwards, the split was permanent, and the FA's codified rules became known as " association football " whilst
11880-427: The sport in England. Although the rules of the game were not a factor in the split, the breakaway teams subsequently adopted some rule changes and this became the separate code of " rugby league ". The RFU's code thereafter took on the name "rugby union" to differentiate it from rugby league, but both versions of the sport are known simply as "rugby" throughout most of the world. The first rugby football international
12000-448: The subsequent lack of progression for players, the morale sapping of losing half the Scottish professional base and the continued ill-feeling from the clubs hampered Glasgow and Edinburgh progress for years to come. Something had to be done. The SRU favoured a Celtic League model with Ireland, Wales and Scotland in a league. Meanwhile, in Wales, moves were afoot to try and create an Anglo-Welsh League. The English Rugby Union offered
12120-402: The synthetic surface. Originally based at Hughenden Stadium in 1996-97 , Glasgow moved to Scotstoun Stadium for the 1997-98 season. Rugby at Scotstoun , however, goes back even further, right to the beginning of the 1900s when the likes of Glasgow HSFP and Kelvinside Accies along with others played there on their journeys to Old Anniesland and Balgray respectively. The merger with
12240-432: The tallest players in the team and specialise as line-out jumpers. The main role of the lock in line-outs is to make a standing jump, often supported by the other forwards, to either collect the thrown ball or ensure the ball comes down on their side. Locks also have an important role in the scrum, binding directly behind the three front row players and providing forward drive. The back row, not to be confused with 'Backs',
12360-717: The tournament. Both Glasgow Caledonians and Edinburgh Reivers were invited into the WRU's Challenge Cup; along with the South African provincial sides Northern Bulls and Gauteng Falcons and the Romania national side (in Glasgow's pool) and Natal , the Canada national side and the Georgia national side (in Edinburgh's pool). The WRU constructed that year's tournament so that eight Welsh teams are placed in two pools; four in each pool. The four Welsh sides in each pool then played
12480-424: The two locks at the back of the scrum. The role of the number 8 in the scrum is to control the ball after it has been heeled back from the front of the pack, and the position provides a link between the forwards and backs during attacking phases. The role of the backs is to create and convert point-scoring opportunities. They are generally smaller, faster and more agile than the forwards. Another distinction between
12600-453: The two props is to support the hooker during scrums, to provide support for the jumpers during line-outs and to provide strength and power in rucks and mauls. The third position in the front row is the hooker. The hooker is a key position in attacking and defensive play and is responsible for winning the ball in the scrum. Hookers normally throw the ball in at line-outs. The second row consists of two locks or lock forwards. Locks are usually
12720-545: The way for the formation of the Welsh–Scottish League. Cardiff RFC and Swansea RFC were already thinking of joining the English leagues. They had pulled out of the Welsh Premier Division and were playing friendlies against English sides in an attempt to curry favour with the English Rugby Union. However they were still involved in the Welsh Cup competition. When Cardiff was trounced by Llanelli RFC in
12840-801: Was an amateur sport, but in 1995 formal restrictions on payments to players were removed, making the game openly professional at the highest level for the first time. Rugby union spread from the Home Nations of the United Kingdom and Ireland , with other early exponents of the sport including Australia , New Zealand , South Africa and France . The sport is followed primarily in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, New Zealand, Australia, Pacific Islands - Fiji , Tonga , Samoa , Georgia , Oceania , Southern Africa , Argentina , and in recent times also, Italy , Japan , South America ,
12960-429: Was confident enough to revive one of its disbanded districts and chose the Border Reivers ; the traditional powerhouse of Scottish rugby. With a third Scottish district, expansion of the Welsh–Scottish League seemed even more unlikely. "There was a strong feeling from both the SRU and WRU that 22 league fixtures represented an unacceptably high figure, when combined with the other demands on top players next season," said
13080-463: Was extended to include Argentina , a country whose impressive performances in international games (especially finishing in third place in the 2007 Rugby World Cup) was deemed to merit inclusion in the competition. As a result of the expansion to four teams, the tournament was renamed The Rugby Championship. Each team starts the match with 15 players on the field and typically seven or eight substitutes but this varies at amateur level. The 15 players on
13200-420: Was followed for season 2003–04. Rugby union Rugby union football , commonly known simply as rugby union or often just rugby , is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in England in the first half of the 19th century. Rugby is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is played between two teams of 15 players each, using an oval-shaped ball on
13320-704: Was held at Murrayfield in 1993. Rugby Sevens was introduced into the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and was added to the Olympic Games of 2016. Both men and women's Sevens took place at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Rugby union was an amateur sport until the IRB declared the game "open" in August 1995 (shortly after the completion of the 1995 World Cup), removing restrictions on payments to players. However,
13440-497: Was held by the SRU for its member clubs to debate the matter and try and settle the issue on 8 February 1996. The SRU management was in favour of districts and its Vice-president Fred McLeod , and Jim Telfer argued for the proposal. In favour of the clubs to be represented in Europe were former Scotland internationalists Gavin Hastings and Keith Robertson . Critically a speech from the floor from Brian Simmers of Glasgow Academicals – arguing that Hastings and Robertson didn't have
13560-599: Was included as an event in the Olympic Games four times during the early 20th century. No international rugby games and union-sponsored club matches were played during the First World War, but competitions continued through service teams such as the New Zealand Army team . During the Second World War no international matches were played by most countries, though Italy, Germany and Romania played
13680-465: Was named URC coach of the year. Scotstoun remained a fortress in the URC and they remained unbeaten at home in the 2023–24 season. Indeed, only the Stormers, the Sharks, Edinburgh and Cardiff managed to prevent Glasgow taking the bonus point win there. Away from home, the Warriors were beaten five times. Once by Connacht, once by Munster, in the 1872 Cup match against Edinburgh - though not enough to stop
13800-414: Was not clear if a model based on districts or clubs would be used. It was not clear which route professionalism would go in Scotland. This created a turbulent start for professionalism in Scotland and left Scotland far behind fast-embracing Ireland in the set up of its professional structure. The first season of the Heineken Cup in 1995–96 was run without any Scottish teams in European competition. An EGM
13920-575: Was played between Scotland and England at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. The Rugby World Cup , first held in 1987, is held every four years. The Six Nations Championship in Europe and The Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere are other important international competitions that are held annually. National club and provincial competitions include the Premiership in England, the Top 14 in France,
14040-652: Was played on 27 March 1871 between Scotland and England in Edinburgh . Scotland won the game by one goal and one try to one goal. By 1881 both Ireland and Wales had representative teams and in 1883 the first international competition, the Home Nations Championship had begun. 1883 is also the year of the first rugby sevens tournament, the Melrose Sevens , which is still held annually. Two important overseas tours took place in 1888:
14160-504: Was quite a slump too, a 76–14 defeat: it was the Warriors worst result domestically; and their second-worse result of all time. Only the Leicester Tigers European quarter-final play-off match of 1997–98 season, a 90–19 defeat, was worse. The SRU was quick to act in the face of these poor results and Danny Wilson was stood down as Head Coach. Just before the 2022–23 season began, Glasgow hired Franco Smith . It took
14280-420: Was scrapped in favour of the new league. The new Celtic League was an instant success and the SRU took the opportunity to resurrect one of its disbanded districts in 2002. The Border Reivers were thus reborn for 2002–03 season. The Celtic League remained in its truncated 'pools' form for 2002–03 season before its expansion to a full league set-up the following season. This gave the SRU a one-off chance to revive
14400-420: Was the 2005–06 season, causing Hugh Campbell to lose his job; and they played the 2006–07 season in the Challenge Cup under Sean Lineen. Eighth place in 2021-22 did qualify the Warriors for the last quarter-final place of the URC, but they were given the 1st seeds Leinster in Dublin to play. The Warriors failed to regroup for the quarter-final and although they again started brightly the team predictably slumped. It
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