Edinburgh University Rugby Football Club is a rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland which currently plays its fixtures in the Edinburgh Regional Shield competition and the British Universities Premiership. It is one of the eight founder members of the Scottish Rugby Union. In the years prior to the SRU's introduction of club leagues in 1973 and the advent of professionalism in the 1990s, EURFC was a major club power and it won the 'unofficial' Scottish Club championship several times. It remains a club with an all-student committee, and is only open to students of the University of Edinburgh. The club runs a men's team and a women's team; both playing in the university leagues.
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History
Established in 1857, the club now plays its home fixtures at the University of Edinburgh's Peffermill playing grounds, having moved from its traditional ground at Craiglockhart in the season 1978–79. Its first ever match was in December 1857 against Edinburgh Academicals FC – in 2007 the two clubs replayed that fixture to celebrate the 150th anniversary of EURFC's founding using replica period kit, ball and complying to the older rules.
EURFC has produced 72 young full-international (for major IRB countries) players whilst still students representing the club; these include 1924 Olympic 400m Gold Medallist Eric Liddell, 1904 British Lions captain David Bedell-Sivright – one of the seven EURFC members also to play as British Lions whilst still students at the club, Norman Mair – the future legendary sports writer and Scotland cricketer, Black & MacDonald the great 1950 British Lions half-back partnership, and Ian Smith 'The Flying Scot' from the 1920s who held the 5-nations try-scoring record for many years.
Many more of Rugby's international players worldwide played for the university prior to being capped from other clubs; these include Scotland and British Lions greats Dan Drysdale, and Andy Irvine, both future SRU Presidents from Heriot's FP, David Johnston (Watsonians) who had also played as a contracted footballer for Heart of Midlothian FC, and the recent Club coach Ian Barnes who won many Scotland caps from the Hawick club.
In 1871, Club member Angus Buchanan scored the first ever International try in the inaugural International match whilst representing Scotland versus England at Raeburn Place. There were three current Club representatives in the Scottish brown jerseys on that day; the other two being J.Forsyth and J.L.H MacFarlane.
In 1901, after winning the Scottish unofficial championship, the Club provided an extraordinary eight members of the Scotland XV to defeat Wales that February. These were Bedell-Sivright, A.B Flett, Alfred Fell, Alex Frew, W.H Welsh, F.M Fasson, A.B Timms, and A.W. Duncan. Of these, Alex Frew not only won three Scotland caps from EURFC but also captained South Africa in its first ever match against the touring British Lions on his lone appearance for that country in 1903. This was as a representative member of the Transvaal Province, where he had settled as a doctor after his Edinburgh graduation of 1902.
Sides
Men
In total EURFC runs four teams:
The 1st XV currently competes in BUCS Premier North A League.
The 2nd XV currently competes in BUCS Scottish 1A.
The 3rd XV currently competes in BUCS Scottish 3A.
The 4th XV currently competes in BUCS Scottish 4A.
The 5th XV currently competes in the Edinburgh University Intramural League.
In the past, EURFC has also fielded an EURL (Edinburgh University Rugby League) team in the BUCS competitions.
Women
Edinburgh University also has two ladies teams, run as separate club EULRFC. The first XV were 2009 semi finalists of the British Universities Championships, and have reached the quarter finals in both 2010 and 2011. They compete in the BUCS Northern Premier Division and Scottish Premier League. The 2nd XV team currently compete in the Scottish Universities Championship and the National Development League.
Touring
Edinburgh University RFC has a notable history of touring; 2004 tour to South Africa, a major tour to Japan was undertaken in 2008 where one of the games was televised. In June 2011, EURFC returned to a previously toured country in Brazil, celebrating 25 years since they had previously toured there, with two televised matches against the Brazil national rugby union team, one against a regionals side and another against Brazil's U23 side. As well as Japan and Brazil the club has also had sides in USA, Ireland, Canada, France, Australia, Argentina and Spain in recent years.
Notable former players
Men
The following 55 members represented Scotland as full internationals as representative members of Edinburgh University RFC.
The following 18 players represented other full international sides as representative members of Edinburgh University RFC
Seven players have represented British & Irish Lions whilst still students representing the club:
H. Brooks Three-quarter – 1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
John Smith Forward – 1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
David 'Darkie' Bedell-Sivright – 1903 British Lions tour to South Africa (toured but no test caps); 1904 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand (captain)
C.G. 'Charlie' Timms – 1910 British Lions tour to South Africa
William Albert Robertson – 1910 British Lions tour to South Africa
Angus Black – 1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
Ranald Macdonald – 1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author
Douglas Robb, schoolmaster, President of EURFC 1993
Women
Lucy Winter
SRU presidents
Former Edinburgh University players have been President of the SRU:
1879–80 Angus Buchanan
1889–90 Andrew Ramsay Don-Wauchope
1899–1900 Ian MacIntyre
1900–01 Robert MacMillan
Honours
Men
Scottish Unofficial Championship
Champions (6): 1899–1900 (shared with Edinburgh Academicals & Hawick), 1900–01, 1901–02 (shared with Watsonians), 1902–03 (shared with Glasgow Academicals), 1907–08, 1911–12 (shared with Watsonians)
Jed-Forest Sevens
Champions (1): 1911
Walkerburn Sevens
Champions (1): 2011
Edinburgh Institution F.P. Sevens
Champions (1): 1909
Edinburgh Charity Sevens
Champions (2): 1941, 1946
Highland Sevens
Champions (2): 1951, 1952
Preston Lodge Sevens
Champions (1): 2007
Dreghorn Sevens
Champions (1): 2012
Stewartry Sevens
Champions (2): 1995, 1996
Musselburgh Sevens
Champions (1): 1955
Scottish University Sevens
Champions (5): 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 2022
Women
Colonsay Sevens
Champions (1): 2017