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Edinburgh Evening News announces
Rugby: Bill Lothian selects his top Capital rugby moments of the past decade
Published Date: 24 December 2009
NO.10 WATSONIANS' EPIC FIGHTBACK
YOU had to be there. Watsonians' 39-37 Scottish Premiership victory over Glasgow Hawks on 6 November, 2006 was described in a contemporary report as one of the most remarkable games in 33 years of organised league rugby while other headlines spoke of an "epic".
Trailing 0-24 after half an hour at Myreside, Watsonians fought back to 12-27 by half-time then slipped into the lead for the first time when winger Craig Sorbie claimed their sixth and final try in the closing moments. Cut and thrust, ebb and flow.
For excitement, commitment, sportsmanship and skill it didn't come any better.
NO.9 ACCIES ROLL BACK THE YEARS
A SELL-OUT crowd of 3000 packed Raeburn Place on 10 April, 2008 to commemorate the world's first-ever international match and also mark Edinburgh Academicals' 150th anniversary in style against the Barbarians.
The rugby in the Baa-Baas' 43-0 win was first class but outshone by a feeling of exhilaration that there was still plenty of goodwill for the often maligned club game while afterwards Accies' up and comings spoke of how much they had learned mixing with the predominantly professional opposition.
The lesson, namely that players learn out on the pitch, is one currently being trumpeted by Ian McGeechan in his autobiography but has still to be absorbed on high where so much emphasis is placed on off-field preparations.
NO.8 AUSTRALIA SENT PACKING
THE longest losing sequence in top-flight international rugby was finally ended as a spectacular defensive display saw Scotland beat Australia 9-8 at Murrayfield on 21 November, 2009.
Indeed, the Scots made more than 200 tackles with ten individuals claiming double- figure hauls!
And yet ... at the death Australia looked certain to claim the spoils as Matt Giteau lined up a conversion but his miss was to smash to smithereens Scotland's claim to being unsurpassed champions of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
NO.7 TEARING INTO TOULOUSE
ON 8 December, 2003, at Meadowbank, Edinburgh tore into Heineken European Cup champions Toulouse to win 23-16 and reach the knockout stages of the competition for the only time so far.
Visiting skipper Fabien Pelous favourably compared Edinburgh's team with the Scotland side and if a late conversion had succeeded then they would have denied Toulouse a losing bonus and altered the draw for the quarter-finals where lying in wait were ... revenge-hungry Toulouse.
NO.6 SPRINGBOKS DEFEATED
THE 21-6 victory over the Springboks at Murrayfield on 16 November, 2002, was Scotland's first over a country which had lifted the World Cup and came 33 years in the making following on from a 6-3 win in Edinburgh in 1969.
The marketing department at the SRU set the tone with a massive display of pipes and drums as the teams took to the field in a scene resembling the Tattoo.
You just sensed it would be Scotland's day and the players, who included Chris Paterson, now just two caps away from a century, rose to the occasion with tries from Nikki Walker and Budge Poutney while Brendan Laney added 11 points with the boot which meant he could be excused an easy penalty miss, otherwise the winning margin would have been greater.
NO.5 IRISH ROCK MURRAYFIELD
ON 23 May, 2009, Murrayfield saw a classic encounter which saw the old stadium at its most atmospheric as Leinster edged out Leicester 19-16 to lift the Heineken European Cup.
By far the majority of the 66,500 crowd had travelled across the Irish Sea and abiding memories of the occasion include seeing Edinburgh Accies' ground at Raeburn Place set up as a temporary camp-site, each tent or caravan flying the Leinster flag.
The game itself produced a try apiece plus a huge drop goal from Johnny Sexton who later slotted the winning penalty sparking celebrations including the man dressed in full Sylvester Stallone boxing regalia in tribute to Leinster talisman "Rocky" Elsom.
NO.4 ROBINSON APPOINTMENT DIVIDES FANS
PUTTING an ex-England international player and coach in charge of Scotland is nothing if not a momentous move – if it isn't then what has been the point of 138 years of intense rugby rivalry?
To those who believe the coach should be subject to the same eligibility rules as players and that the appointment of Andy Robinson should reflect the country's rugby structure, it will continue to be anathema.
For others it is about getting the best man for the job and Robinson – appointed on 4 June, 2009 – has got off to a good start with two wins from his first three Tests, including the unforgettable defeat of Australia.
By comparison his success rate with England was nine wins out of 22 or approximately 40 per cent.
NO.3 YORKSHIREMEN SPLASH £10M
BEFORE Bradford Bulls beat Leeds Rhinos 24-18 at Murrayfield in rugby league's Challenge Cup Final on Saturday, 29 April, 2000, the Navy had to be sent in to make sure this groundbreaking rugby event even went ahead.
The senior service's own rugby league team were part of a mopping up operation after the ground had been flooded to a depth of three feet when the Water of Leith burst its banks less than 72 hours before kick-off. It was only at noon on the eve of the match that the go-ahead was given and Murrayfield began preparations in earnest for a visit of the 13-a-side code's most venerable competition, something that would have been unthinkable before the arrival of professionalism to rugby union in 1995.
The match attracted 50,000 visitors from the north of England, who boosted the Capital economy by an estimated £10million.
NO.2 A BRIT OF ALL RIGHT
A LANDMARK occasion in the history of those poor relations of the professional rugby era – the clubs – saw Heriot's host Nottingham (an entertaining 0-5 defeat) in the opening round of the inaugural British and Irish Cup on 21 November, 2009.
At long last a competition arrived allowing our bread-and-butter outfits the chance to measure themselves outwith traditional boundaries after more than a decade of obstacles being placed in their way. And you know what? The doomsayers were forced to eat their words especially as, within a week, the other Scottish qualifiers, Ayr, had beaten Rotherham from the English national league which was portrayed as a cut above.
Sadly, there is no indication yet as to whether the competition will be repeated next year or whether calls to expand so as to challenge an additional number of Scottish clubs will be heeded.
DUNCAN DEFIES ODDS TO HELP DEFEAT ENGLAND
SCOTLAND'S 19-13 Six Nations Championship win at Murrayfield on 2 April, 2000 was very nearly off the scale in terms of upsets with the English 1-14 and Scotland 10-1 according to some bookmakers.
Preparations had been badly disrupted with Andy Nicol appointed captain only three days beforehand for the injured John Leslie while hooker Gordon Bulloch was another late casualty and prop Dave Hilton was deemed ineligible when the IRB declared him "English" after an ancestry probe.
In the opposition camp, England came seeking a clean sweep in the first season of Six Nations rugby but were made to think again by Scotland's stand off.
Duncan Hodge claimed all the points with a try, conversion and four penalties on a day which had begun with commentary legend Bill McLaren being given the "freedom of Scottish rugby".
By full time even the voice of rugby was left speechless.
This article was originally posted on 24-Dec-2009, 12:45 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 24-Dec-2009, 12:47.
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