One hundred years ago on Saturday 24 January 1925 the Scotland rugby team played its 39th international on the rugby ground at Inverleith in north Edinburgh.
From The Vaults
24 January 2025
Inverleith – Scotland’s rugby ground at the beginning of the 20th century
Scotland v France, 1925
France were Scotland's opponents and a crowd of 25,000 spectators watched Scotland take their first step to an historic Grand Slam winning by 25 points to 4. The requirements of a larger stadium however saw Scotland move their remaining home fixture in the 1924-25 season to a new ground at Murrayfield on the west side of Edinburgh. This ground was officially opened for the match against England on 21 March where a crowd estimated by The Scotsman at around 60,000 saw Scotland beat England by 14 points to 11.
Scotland's home internationals between 1871 and 1895 were largely played on the Edinburgh Academicals cricket field at Raeburn Place, but the attendances at the 23 international rugby matches played there are never recorded as having exceeded 10,000. The Scottish Football Union clearly needed to generate more revenue from this increasingly popular sport. When the Edinburgh Academical Cricket Club resolved not to let Raeburn Place for any further rugby union matches following the 1895 Championship, a sub-committee was set up by the SFU to study the possible acquisition by the Union of a field exclusively for rugby matches.
The Union purchased the field of Inverleith from the Fettes Trust in December 1897 for £3,800 and, in doing so, became the first of the Home Unions to own and run its own rugby field and stand. The cost was largely financed by an issue of debentures. During the development of the new ground, the Powderhall Stadium in Broughton, chiefly used for athletics competitions, hosted two rugby internationals in February 1897 against Ireland and in March 1898 against England. For these matches, the attendances were 16,000 and 20,000 respectively proving the need for a venue with greater spectator capacity.
The ground at Inverleith was ready for the first international of the 1898-99 season against Wales on January 18th but that match was postponed due to a frozen ground, so the match against Ireland on 18 February in front of 8,000 spectators inaugurated the playing of internationals at the new ground. The price of Stand and Enclosure tickets was set at five shillings (25p in today's currency) and tickets were sold in one shop in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow. The desired growth in attendances sought by the SFU was demonstrated when 20,000 spectators attended the Calcutta Cup match at Inverleith the following season.
Scotland played many historic matches at Inverleith and although a record of 21 wins, 2 draws and 16 defeats over a period of 25 years may not sound overly impressive, the ground hosted some famous games. In 1901, 1903 and 1907 Scotland won its first two home games at Inverleith en route to three Triple Crowns; in November 1905 Scotland hosted the first All Blacks touring side in their opening international, losing narrowly by 12 points to 7 with the last two All Black tries scored in the final five minutes of the match.
In January 1910 Scotland played its first international against France, an overwhelming victory by 27 points to nil, and Inverleith was the venue in November 1912 for the second South African touring party who beat Scotland 16-0 en route to their own grand slam of victories in all five internationals.
Scotland v England, 1914
Perhaps the most famous match played at Inverleith was the final Calcutta Cup match played on 21 March 1914 before the outbreak of the First World War. Scotland had not had a good season and had lost both their previous internationals. England however arrived with two victories under their belts and would go on to complete their Grand Slam in Paris a month later. But Scotland ran them mighty close in a match in which the great English wing forward CH 'Cherry' Pillman broke his leg late in the second half leaving England to finish the match with 14 men but narrow winners by 16 points to 15.
The match was intensely competitive, remained long in the memory and in so many ways marked the end of an era in amateur rugby. No one would ever forget that, of the 30 players who took the field that day, six of the Scottish side and five of the English side including both captains, were to be killed in the First World War.
When international rugby resumed at Inverleith in 1920, Scotland beat Wales in a close match and then overwhelmed Ireland by 19 points to nil. The 1921 season was not a success for Scotland even if surprisingly its one victory occurred at Swansea. The 1922 season opened with a draw against France in Paris notable for the first appearance of the left centre and wing partnership of AL 'Bill' Gracie and the Edinburgh University student and future Olympic athlete Eric Liddell. They would play seven matches together and four at Inverleith.
Inverleith provided one more outstanding memory when Scotland hammered Wales 35-10 in February 1924. In that match, Scotland led 35-0 after 68 minutes due to a rampant pack and an illustrious and very fast set of threequarters from Oxford University who ran amok and scored seven of the eight Scottish tries.
The young right wing Ian Smith scored three tries on his international debut. He was partnered by GPS 'Phil' Macpherson, the future Scottish captain, and the New Zealander George Aitken, already capped by the All Blacks, in the centre, with the Australian AC 'Johnnie' Wallace, already capped by the New South Wales Waratahs, on the left wing. With two future British Lions in the backs, Dan Drysdale at full back and Herbert Waddell at fly half, it remains one of the greatest three-quarter lines Scotland has ever fielded.
And so Inverleith slipped away from the international arena. But it has remained as a significant rugby ground with a flourishing clubhouse, firstly as the home of Daniel Stewart's Former Pupils club and then, following the merger of Daniel Stewart's College with Melville College in 1972, as the home of the combined Stewart's Melville Rugby Club.
Sources:
- Eric Liddell and Rugby - Kenneth R Bogle (Grosvenor House 2022)
- The History of Scottish Rugby - Sandy Thorburn (Cassell Ltd 1980)
- Scottish Rugby Game by Game - Kenneth R Bogle (Luath Press Limited 2013)
- The Scottish Rugby Union Official History - AMC Thorburn (SRU/Collins 1985)
- World Rugby Museum scrapbooks and spreadsheets 1871-2024 (compiler: Richard Steele)
About the Author
A professional musician and arts administrator, Richard Steele has been on the committee of the World Rugby Museum at Twickenham since 2005 and is the co-author of the RFU's 150th anniversary book England Rugby 150 Years.
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