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User:PeemJim86/Edinburgh Rugby (sandbox)

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Edinburgh Rugby
Full nameEdinburgh Rugby
Nickname(s)Gunners
Founded1872
LocationEdinburgh, Scotland
Ground(s)Murrayfield Stadium (nicknamed "The Castle" for Edinburgh matches) (Capacity: 67,500 (12,464 for Edinburgh matches))
ChairmanScotland Gavin Hastings
CEOEngland Nic Cartwright
Coach(es)England Andy Robinson
League(s)Magners League
2006-078th
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.edinburghrugby.org

Edinburgh Rugby (formerly Edinburgh Reivers, Edinburgh Gunners) is one of two professional rugby union teams in Scotland competing in the Celtic League along with Glasgow Warriors, Edinburgh's oldest rivals. Edinburgh currently play their home games at Murrayfield Stadium, although the stadium has been rebranded "Murrayfield Castle" (shortened to "Castle") for Edinburgh matches since the 07/08 season[1].

The original Edinburgh district team played the first ever inter-district match against Glasgow in 1872, winning the match 3-0.[2][3]The team were reformed in 1996 to compete in the Heineken Cup, their best performance coming in the 2003-04 tournament where they became the first Scottish side to reach the quarter-finals[4].

History

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Edinburgh District played in the world's first ever inter-district match against Glasgow in 1872.

1996: Professional Era & Establishment

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With the game turning professional in 1995 the Scottish Rugby Union did not believe that Scottish club sides could compete against the best teams from France and England. They therefore decided that the four district teams were to be Scotland's vehicle for professional rugby and in 1996 the Edinburgh District team was reformed as Edinburgh Rugby to compete in the Heineken Cup. Due to the SRU's high debt, partly as a result of the redevelopment of Murrayfield Stadium, retrenchment was called for and the 4 professional sides were reduced to 2. After two seasons, Edinburgh were merged with the Border Reivers to form a team known as Edinburgh Reivers.

For the 1999 and 2000 seasons the Scottish Rugby Union and Welsh Rugby Union joined forces, with the expansion of the Welsh Premier Division to include Edinburgh Reivers and Glasgow Caledonians under the name Welsh-Scottish League. However further change was imminent and in 2001 an agreement was made between the Irish Rugby Football Union, Scottish Rugby Union and Welsh Rugby Union to create a new competition which would bring in the four Irish provinces. 2001 would see the very first incarnation of the Celtic League. In that inaugural season Edinburgh achieved the highest finish by a Scottish side in the competition, finishing sixth.

The following season, to coincide with the re-establishment of the Border Reivers, a Scottish League competition modelled on the Tri-Nations was introduced alongside the Celtic League, however this only survived for one season, Edinburgh becoming the only champions.

thumb|Edinburgh Rugby Previous LogoWith the reintroduction of the Border Reivers for the 2001/2002 season, the Reivers label was dropped by Edinburgh and the team simply became Edinburgh Rugby, nicknamed the "Gunners". For the 2005/2006 season, the nickname was incorporated into the team's official name, making them the Edinburgh Gunners. The term Gunners was dropped on 29 September 2006, after the club had become Scottish rugby's first private franchise during the summer, and the team reverted back to being known as just Edinburgh Rugby. One of the reasons for this reversion being that the word Gunners was already a registered Trademark of Arsenal Football Club[3]. Another being that the new owners wanted to rebrand the team in order to help provide a fresh new look, and to further aid this a new club logo was also introduced.

In August 2007 the club returned to SRU control as the relationship between the new owners and the SRU broke down and the SRU bought the franchisee's out. This was followed by the appointment of a new chief executive for the club - Nic Cartright and then the appointment of former Scotland fullback and captain, Gavin Hastings, as chairman. In the transition back to SRU control the club had parted company with then head coach Lyn Howells, and on October 1st 2007 they announced the signing of former England coach Andy Robinson as the new head coach.

Edinburgh's best achievements to date came in the 2003/2004 season, when they reached the final of the Celtic Cup and became the first Scottish side to reach the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup.

Private Ownership: 2006-2007

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Edinburgh playing against Munster at Murrayfield Stadium in the 2007-08 Magners League.

Scotland's first private franchise: 2006

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In 2006, it was announced that from the end of the 2005/6 season, Edinburgh would become a franchise. Finance was to come from a private company headed by businessmen Alex and Bob Carruthers[5]. Previously the Scottish Rugby Union had warned that funding problems could force it to scrap one of its Celtic League sides[6]. The SRU were to retain a seat on the new company board and continue to provide funding and support to the new owners in development.[5]

Funding dispute & return to SRU: 2007

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In July 2007, a dispute arose between the Scottish Rugby Union and the owners of the newly-franchised Edinburgh team. According to owner Bob Carruthers the SRU owed Edinburgh a six-figure sum which had not been paid. Carruthers also claimed that SRU had threatened to pull the plug on funding should Edinburgh continue with legal action relating to the sum.[7] In the midst of the dispute Alex Carruthers resigned along with then Managing Director Graeme Stirling[8]. The dispute caused much disruption in Scottish rugby at the time, leading to the temporary withdrawal of 12 players from the Scotland squad training for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. This included leading players such as Chris Paterson and Mike Blair[8]

The dispute escalated when on July 9th, 2007 Edinburgh revoked their associate membership of the SRU[9]. This led to doubts over whether Edinburgh could fulfill fixtures in the Magners League and Heineken Cup and whether Edinburgh players were insured for playing at club level. The resignation was withdrawn on July 12th, with Bob Carruthers asking to "talk directly to someone" and insisting the proposed signing of Australia stand-off Stephen Larkham would go ahead[10]. Despite this, the dispute continued, with both sides initiating legal action against the other[11][12]. The situation was resolved in August 2007 with the termination of the franchise agreement and the return of Edinburgh to the direct control of the SRU[13].

Under Andy Robinson: 2007 to present

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Following the return to SRU control the club coach Lynn Howells was dismissed. SRU head of player development was appointed interim coach and Nic Cartwright appointed Chief Executive.[13] Former British and Irish Lions captain Gavin Hastings was subsequently appointed Chairman[14] stating his "desire and passion to see this game and this club grow". The proposed signing of Stephen Larkham fell through after the SRU were unable to honour the terms of the agreement.[15]This was viewed as a disappointment at the time as the signing was considered a coup for the beleaguered SRU when the signing was initially announced.[16].

Following an application process[17] it was announced on October 1st, 2007 that Andy Robinson, the former England head coach, would become the club's new head coach.[18] Edinburgh showed progress under Robinson, performing well at home in the Heineken Cup posting wins against Leinster[19] and Leicester Tigers[20] and a narrow bonus point loss to Toulouse.[21] Following disappointing performances by Scotland in the 2008 6 Nations Championship, there were rumours of Robinson taking a post within the Scotland set-up after helping Edinburgh to climb to 3rd in the Magners League. [22][23]

Current squad

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Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Sean Crombie Hooker   Scotland
Ross Ford Hooker   Scotland
Andrew Kelly Hooker   Scotland
Steven Lawrie Hooker   Scotland
Augusto Allori Prop   Argentina
Geoff Cross Prop   Scotland
Ryan Grant Prop   Scotland
Allan Jacobsen Prop   Scotland
Gavin Kerr Prop   Scotland
Craig Smith Prop   Scotland
Kyle Traynor Prop   Scotland
Ben Gissing Lock   New Zealand
Craig Hamilton Lock   Scotland
Matt Mustchin Lock   New Zealand}
Fergus Pringle Lock   South Africa
Simon Cross Flanker   Scotland
Allister Hogg Flanker   Scotland
Allan MacDonald Flanker   Scotland
Scott Newlands Flanker   Scotland
Roland Reid Flanker   Scotland
Player Position Union
Ross Rennie Flanker   Scotland
Dave Callam Number 8   Scotland
Mike Blair Scrum-half   Scotland
Greig Laidlaw Scrum-half   Scotland
Ben Meyer Scrum-half   New Zealand
David Blair Fly-half   Scotland
Phil Godman Fly-half   Scotland
Alistair Warnock Fly-half   Scotland
Ben Cairns Centre   Scotland
Nick De Luca Centre   Scotland
Matt Dey Centre   Scotland
Andrew Easson Centre   Scotland
John Houston Centre   Scotland
Andrew Maxwell Wing   Ireland
Mark Robertson Wing   Scotland
Andrew Turnbull Wing   Scotland
Simon Webster Wing   Scotland
Calum MacRae Fullback   Scotland
Hugo Southwell Fullback   Scotland

Coaches

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International players—past and present

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Magners League 2006/2007

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Results

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Date Home Team Score Away Team Score Venue Match Report
Sep 2, 2006 Ospreys 17 Edinburgh 11 Liberty Stadium [1]
Sep 8, 2006 Edinburgh 20 Leinster 14 Murrayfield [2]
Sep 15, 2006 Edinburgh 20 Ulster 15 Murrayfield [3]
Sep 22, 2006 Connacht 22 Edinburgh 22 Galway Sportsground [4]
Sep 29, 2006 Edinburgh 14 Glasgow Warriors 9 Murrayfield [5]
Oct 13 2006 Munster 10 Edinburgh 21 Thomond Park [6]
Nov 3 2006 Edinburgh 13 Cardiff Blues 23 Murrayfield [7]
Nov 10 2006 Newport Gwent Dragons 17 Edinburgh 10 Rodney Parade [8]
Dec 1 2006 Edinburgh 17 Border Reivers 3 Murrayfield [9]
Dec 22 2006 Glasgow Warriors 34 Edinburgh 27 Hughenden [10]
Jan 5 2007 Edinburgh 24 Llanelli Scarlets 14 Murrayfield [11]
Jan 26 2007 Edinburgh 49 Connacht 31 Murrayfield [12]
Feb 16 2007 Leinster 13 Edinburgh 6 Donnybrook [13]
Mar 2 2007 Edinburgh 12 Ospreys 30 Murrayfield [14]
Mar 23 2007 Border Reivers 10 Edinburgh 3 Netherdale [15]
Apr 6 2007 Edinburgh 30 Newport Gwent Dragons 20 Murrayfield [16]
Apr 14 2007 Cardiff Blues 48 Edinburgh 0 Cardiff Arms Park [17]
Apr 29 2007 Llanelli Scarlets 42 Edinburgh 17 Stradey Park [18]
May 4 2007 Edinburgh 9 Munster 35 Murrayfield [19]
May 11 2007 Ulster 16 Edinburgh 10 Ravenhill [20]

Final Table

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Pos Team P W L D F A Diff T B Pts
1 Ospreys 20 14 6 0 461 374 87 49 8 64
2 Cardiff Blues 20 13 6 1 447 327 120 53 9 63
3 Leinster 20 12 7 1 472 376 96 53 11 61
4 Llanelli Scarlets 20 12 8 0 490 417 73 61 9 57
5 Ulster 20 11 8 1 423 310 113 45 9 55
6 Munster 20 12 8 0 379 294 85 37 6 54
7 Glasgow Warriors 20 11 9 0 434 419 15 42 5 49
8 Edinburgh 20 8 11 1 335 423 -88 31 8 42
9 Newport Gwent Dragons 20 8 12 0 353 362 -9 36 7 39
10 Connacht 20 4 14 2 326 474 -148 29 6 26
11 Border Reivers 20 2 18 0 201 545 -344 16 4 12

Heineken Cup 2006/2007

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Edinburgh were drawn in Pool 2 along with fellow Celtic League side Leinster, French side SU Agen and English side Gloucester. Leinster advanced to the quarter finals as pool winners.

Results

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Date Home Team Score Away Team Score Venue Match Report
October 20th 2006 SU Agen 19 Edinburgh 17 Stade Armandie [21]
October 29th 2006 Edinburgh 25 Leinster 24 Murrayfield [22]
December 9th 2006 Gloucester 38 Edinburgh 22 Kingsholm [23]
December 17th 2006 Edinburgh 14 Gloucester 31 Murrayfield [24]
January 13th 2007 Leinster 49 Edinburgh 10 Donnybrook [25]
January 19th 2007 Edinburgh 7 SU Agen 19 Murrayfield [26]

Final Pool Table

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Key to colours
     Winner of each pool, plus two highest-ranked second-place teams,
advance to quarterfinals
Team Pld W D L TF PF PA +/- BP Pts
Leinster 6 4 0 2 21 174 97 +77 5 21
SU Agen 6 4 0 2 12 119 119 0 1 17
Gloucester 6 3 0 3 19 152 144 +8 3 15
Edinburgh 6 1 0 5 9 95 180 -85 1 5

Statistics

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Heineken Cup

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Season Pos Played Won Lost Drawn
1996/1997 Pools 4 0 4 0
1998/1999 Pools 6 2 3 1
1999/2000 Pools 6 3 3 0
2000/2001 Pools 6 3 2 1
2001/2002 Pools 6 1 4 1
2002/2003 Pools 6 2 4 0
2003/2004 QFs 7 5 2 0
2004/2005 Pools 6 1 5 0
2005/2006 Pools 6 2 4 0
2006/2007 Pools 6 1 5 0
2007/2008 Pools 6 2 4 0

European Challenge Cup

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Season Pos Played Won Lost Drawn
1997/1998 Pools 6 2 4 0


Welsh/Scottish League

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Season Pos Played Won Lost Drawn
1999/2000 8th 22 10 11 1
2000/2001 8th 22 11 11 0
2001/2002 6th 20 10 8 2

Celtic League

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Season Pos Played Won Lost Drawn
2001/2002 Pools 6 2 4 0
2002/2003 QFs 8 6 2 0
2003/2004 10th 22 9 13 0
2004/2005 7th 20 9 11 0
2005/2006 5th 20 11 9 0
2006/2007 8th 20 8 11 1

Scottish League

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Season Pos Played Won Lost Drawn
2002/2003 1st 8 5 2 1

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ Edinburgh Rugby - The Castle, http://www.edinburghrugby.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=68, Retrieved: April 2, 2008
  2. ^ Edinburgh Rugby Club Facts - Visit Scotland, http://rugby.visitscotland.com/professional/edinburghfacts.aspx, Retrieved: April 6, 2008
  3. ^ a b BBC Sport - Edinburgh drop Gunners from title, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/5392284.stm, Retrieved: April 6, 2008
  4. ^ ERC - Edinburgh Rugby Progress, http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/13_5538.php?section=4, Retrieved: April 6, 2008
  5. ^ a b http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/scottish/5164916.stm
  6. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/scottish/4179723.stm
  7. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/scottish/6273308.stm
  8. ^ a b http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/scottish/6271272.stm
  9. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/scottish/6283728.stm
  10. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/scottish/6896350.stm
  11. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/6927461.stm
  12. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/6903293.stm
  13. ^ a b http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/6940188.stm
  14. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/6971298.stm
  15. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/6975426.stm
  16. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/6654723.stm
  17. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/6952487.stm
  18. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/7021948.stm
  19. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/7138900.stm
  20. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/7179003.stm
  21. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/7083024.stm
  22. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/edinburgh/7241160.stm
  23. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/scottish/7159324.stm
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