INTERNATIONAL RUGBY
Scotland boasts a proud rugby heritage and our international rugby weekends are always something to look forward to.
The majority of Scotland's international matches are played at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, just to the west of the city. Experience the camaraderie and friendly banter between thousands of visiting fans and the local support, which creates a truly unbeatable atmosphere in the capital, during competitions including the Men’s and Women’s Guiness Six Nations, the Calcutta Cup and the Autumn International Test series.
THE SCOTTISH BORDERS AND RUGBY SEVENS
Rugby is popular right across the country but nowhere displays the passion for the ruck and scrum as they do in the Borders. All of the main towns have a local rugby team who compete in the various Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) leagues.
It was in the Borders that the Rugby Sevens was born. A brilliant spectator event, it is shorter, faster and higher scoring than the 15-a-side equivalent. Each team only has seven players and the games are seven minutes per half. With so few players on the pitch, the pace of every match is guaranteed to be fast and furious, full of quick-paced rugby and bags of tries. If you fancy a day out at the rugby, be sure to add the Melrose 7s Rugby Festival to your bucket list.
PROFESSIONAL RUGBY
Scotland is home to two professional rugby union teams, Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors, who battle it out each season in the United Rugby Championship (URC) (previously known as the (previously known as the Guinness Pro14 League, RaboDirect PRO12 League, Celtic League and the Magners League) against 14 other Irish, Welsh, South African and Italian regional clubs.
Edinburgh Rugby play at the Hive Stadium, located right next to Murrayfield Stadium and holds a capacity of 7,800 rugby fans and is easily accessible by bus, rail and tram. Scotstoun Stadium is home to Glasgow Warriors in the west end of Glasgow, a sell-out crowd of just under 7,500 roaring in their team week in, week out.
Both teams also compete in the prestigious European Rugby Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup, going up against 22 of the best pro teams from England, Ireland, Wales, France and Italy.
BT CUP FINALS DAY
Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium is a fitting setting for the exciting climax of the Scottish club rugby season.
Teams from across Scotland compete during the season, until a lucky few are left to battle it out for the silverware on rugby's Super Saturday at the end of April. The final of the BT Cup, BT Shield, BT Bowl, Sarah Beaney Cup, BT Women's Bowl and BT Women's Plate, are all staged on the same day, with both the men's and women's teams competing for glory.