The Calcutta Cup

On Christmas Day 1872, a game of rugby, between 20 players representing England on one side and 20 representing Scotland, Ireland and Wales on the other, was played in Calcutta.

The match was such a success that it was repeated a week later. These lovers of rugby wanted to form a club in the area and the aforementioned matches were the agents which led to the formation of the Calcutta Football Club in January 1873.

The Calcutta Club joined the Rugby Football Union in 1874. Despite the Indian climate not being entirely suitable for playing rugby, the club prospered during that first year. However, when the free bar had to be discontinued, the membership took an appreciable drop. Other sports, such as tennis and polo, which were considered to be more suited to the local climate, were making inroads into the numbers of gentlemen available. The members decided to disband but keen to perpetuate the name of the club, they withdrew the club's funds from the bank, which were in Silver Rupees, had them melted down and made into a cup which they presented to the RFU in 1878, with the provision that it should be competed for annually.

It was decided to use the cup in an international game, and at the time there were only 3 international teams; England, Scotland and Ireland.

Ireland weren't up to much, so it was decided that the cup would be awarded annually to the winner of the game between England and Scotland.

Since the cup was first competed for in 1879, England has won over half of the 123 matches, and today won it again for the 9th time in a row.

Happy days for England supporters. Sad times for Scotland supporters. I'm happy England won, but sad that Scotland played so badly.