Stewart's Melville RFC
 | |||
| Full name | Stewart's Melville Rugby Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | Scottish Rugby Union | ||
| Founded |
1875 (as Daniel Stewart’s Hospital) | ||
| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Ground(s) | Inverleith | ||
| President |
 Bill McNie | ||
| Coach(es) | Gordon Henderson | ||
| League(s) | Scottish National League Division One | ||
| 2016–17 | 8th | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
|
www | |||
Stewart's Melville RFC is a Scottish rugby football club in Edinburgh. Members of the Scottish Rugby Union, they play in the Scottish National League Division One, the second tier of club rugby. They play at Inverleith; this was the venue for Scotland's home games between 1899 and 1925, during which time the first matches against France and New Zealand were played.
History
The club was founded as in 1875, when a match took place between the former pupils of Daniel Stewart's Hospital and George Watson’s College. The rugby ground at Inverleith[1] was also the venue for Scotland's home games between 1899 and 1925, during which time the first matches against France and New Zealand were played.
The club took on its present form following the merger of Stewart's College FP and Melville College in 1973 when the club became known as Stewart's Melville FP RFC.
As the name suggests, many of the players in the club's history were former pupils of the Stewart's Melville College (formed in a merger of Daniel Stewart's College and Melville College) in Edinburgh. This remains the case today, although the club is now 'open' and welcomes players who did not attend the school.
The 1st XV were coached by Grant MacKenzie, a P.E. teacher who worked at the school, and who died in 2008.
In June 2014 the club resolved at an AGM to shorten the name to Stewart's Melville RFC.[2]
The club currently run three XVs on a regular basis. The 1st and 2nd XVs both play in competitive national leagues, with the 2nd XV currently in the second division of the reserve leagues. Below this level, the club operate a 'social' 3rd XV which provides rugby for those who just wish to play recreationally.
Club Honours
- Middlesex Sevens winners: 1982
Recent Internationals
- Richie Vernon
- Ross Rennie
- Graham Shiel
- Graeme Burns
- Dougie Morgan
- Alex Brewster
- Finlay Calder
- Douglas Wyllie
- Ian Forsyth
- A.J.W. Hinshelwood
- Scott Riddell
References
- Massie, Allan A Portrait of Scottish Rugby (Polygon, Edinburgh; ISBN 0-904919-84-6)
- ↑ "Meet the club: Stewarts Melville FP RFC". The Herald. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ↑ "Rugby Club AGM". www.stewmelrugby.com. June 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2017.