View source for Combined Scottish Districts

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| coach       = [[Roy Laidlaw]] (last coach)
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'''Combined Scottish Districts''' is a select Scottish provincial amateur [[rugby union]] team that draws its players from [[Glasgow District (rugby union)|Glasgow District]], [[Edinburgh District (rugby union)|Edinburgh District]], [[North of Scotland District (rugby union)|North of Scotland District]], [[Midlands District (rugby union)|Midlands District]], [[South of Scotland District (rugby union)|South of Scotland District]] and [[Scottish Exiles (rugby union)|Scottish Exiles District]]. It is occasionally known as the '''Scottish Districts''' side.
Like all District sides in Scotland, this was open to any nationality of players that played in Scotland. However, in practice it was used to showcase Scottish talent, and the side was formed primarily to play against international opposition.
==History==
{{Main|Scottish District rugby structure}}
===Formation===
The first match can be taken as the 'Scottish side' which played the Anglo-Scots on [[1911–12 Scottish Districts season|23 December 1911]], as a trial match.<ref>https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003187/19111225/130/0007 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref>
The first international match of the Combined Scottish Districts side can be taken as on 27 November 1912 to play against South Africa at [[New Anniesland]] in Glasgow.
It was officially billed as a 'Glasgow and Districts' side but a cursory look at the side reveals players from [[South of Scotland District (rugby union)|South of Scotland District]], [[Midlands District (rugby union)|Midlands District]], [[Edinburgh District (rugby union)|Edinburgh District]] as well as [[Glasgow District (rugby union)|Glasgow District]] in the team fielded.
Only the ''Glasgow Herald'' reported the resulting team as a 'Glasgow and Districts' side.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19121128&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}</ref>
''The Scotsman'' reported the team more accurately as a 'Scottish' side. It noted:
<blockquote>
SCOTTISH FIFTEEN v SOUTH AFRICANS. EASY VICTORY FOR THE COLONIALS<br/>
What was officially designated a Glasgow and Districts fifteen, was really a Scottish one, containing as it did men from all parts of the country, north, south, east, and west, proved no match yesterday for the South Africans who then played their second and concluding engagement in Scotland.
</blockquote>
The majority of the players came from outwith [[Glasgow District (rugby union)|Glasgow District]]:
From [[South of Scotland District (rugby union)|South of Scotland District]]: [[Borth Todd]] (Gala), J. Brown (Melrose), J. Moffat (Langholm), M. Jardine (Gala)<br/>
From [[Midlands District (rugby union)|Midlands District]]: J. R. Philip (Panmure), J. Law (Panmure)<br/>
From [[Edinburgh District (rugby union)|Edinburgh District]]: [[Sandy Gunn (rugby union)|Sandy Gunn]] (Royal HSFP), [[John Hume (rugby union)|John Hume]] (Royal HSFP)
===Matches against other districts===
Occasionally the Combined Scottish Districts side would play against other District sides in Scotland.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19860303&printsec=frontpage&hl=en | title=The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search }}</ref>
===Last match===
The last match the side played was against Australia in 1996. This match was organised before the Scottish districts turned professional. [[Roy Laidlaw]] was the head coach of the side at the time.
==Partial list of games played against international opposition==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!Year
!Date
!Opponent
!Venue
!Result
!Score
!Tour
|-
|1912
|27 November
|{{ru|RSA}}
|[[New Anniesland]], [[Glasgow]]
|Loss
|3 - 38<ref name="auto"/>
|[[1912–13 South Africa rugby union tour of Europe]]
|-
|1965
|13 April
|{{ru|RSA}}
|[[Mansfield Park, Hawick|Mansfield Park]], [[Hawick]]
|Win
|16 - 8<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19650414&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}</ref>
|[[1965 South Africa rugby union tour of Scotland and Ireland]]
|-
|1967
|29 November
|{{ru|NZL}}
|[[Greenyards]], [[Melrose, Scottish Borders|Melrose]]
|Loss
|14 - 35<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19671130&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}</ref>
|[[1967 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain, France and Canada]]
|-
|1994
|12 November
|{{ru|RSA}}
|[[Old Anniesland]], [[Glasgow]]
|Loss
|6 - 33<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12663803.muller-drops-in-to-strengthen-the-springboks-centre-goes-into-action/|title=Muller drops in to strengthen the Springboks. Centre goes into action|website=HeraldScotland|date=15 November 1994 }}</ref>
|[[1994 South Africa rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland]]
|-
|1996
|5 November
|{{ru|AUS}}
|[[McDiarmid Park]], [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]]
|Loss
|9 - 25<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12084219.exiles-return-against-aussies/|title=Exiles return against Aussies &#124; HeraldScotland|date=25 October 1996 }}</ref>
|[[1996 Australia rugby union tour of Europe]]
|}
==Notable former players==
===Scotland Internationalists===
{| style="width:100%;"
|-
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:20%;"|
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Martin Scott (rugby union)|Martin Scott]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Sandy Gunn (rugby union)|Sandy Gunn]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Bob Keddie (rugby union)|Bob Keddie]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Ronnie Eriksson]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Budge Pountney]]
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:20%;"|
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Christy Elliot]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Fletcher Buchanan]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Billy Hunter (rugby union)|Billy Hunter]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Eric Peters (rugby union)|Eric Peters]]
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:20%;"|
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Colin Blaikie]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Jimmy Dobson]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Jim Telfer]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Michael Dods]]
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:20%;"|
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Borth Todd]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Ian McCrae (rugby union)|Ian McCrae]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Ron Glasgow]]
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Mattie Stewart]]
|}
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Combined Scottish Districts Rugby Union Team}}
[[Category:Scottish District sides]]