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It’s the oldest trophy in worldwide rugby and the topic of a fierce sporting rivalry courting again to Britain's Victorian period.
The Calcutta Cup, which Scotland and England compete for annually, turned the main focus of the rugby world on Saturday when the 2 outdated foes met in entrance of about 70,000 rugby followers at Murrayfield Stadium within the Scottish capital Edinburgh.
The conflict was a part of European rugby's annual Six Nations Championship, through which England, France, Eire, Italy, Scotland and Wales compete for the proper to be known as the very best males's worldwide rugby crew within the Northern Hemisphere, and Scotland misplaced 30–0. Is. 21 winners, sending the house assist into raptures.
Why is the trophy known as Calcutta Cup?
The trophy is so known as as a result of it was created by Indian silversmiths in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1878 throughout British colonial rule over the Indian subcontinent.
In January 1873, Calcutta Rugby Soccer Membership was based by, amongst others, troopers of the Royal East Kent Regiment 1st Battalion, who had been stationed in Calcutta, the then capital of British India. Nonetheless, because of the rise in reputation of polo and the departure of a lot of its founding members from the world, the membership disbanded after 4 years.
This prompted its honorary secretary and treasurer, GA James Rothney, to write down to the Rugby Soccer Union (RFU) about “doing a little lasting good for rugby soccer” utilizing the remaining membership funds of 270 Indian rupee cash. At the moment, one Indian rupee was price roughly 1 shilling and 10 pence (about 22p in trendy UK coin phrases).
With the approval of the British Governor-Common it was determined to soften down the cash to create an ornate silver trophy, with three handles within the type of a king cobra and, within the phrases of World Rugby, “an Indian elephant… positioned on the lid.” and the elephant procession that carried the rulers of India for greater than 2,500 years.”
The RFU determined that it needs to be awarded to the winners of future Scotland–England rugby matches. The primary Calcutta Cup event was performed in 1879, which led to a draw.
Why is that this 12 months's Calcutta Cup so particular?
Scotland's victory over England on the weekend means the crew has now lifted the trophy for 4 consecutive years – a feat it final achieved in 1896 through the reign of Queen Victoria.
However Scotland's latest dominance on this fixture represents one thing of a reversal in fortunes.
Certainly, England, the far bigger and better-resourced of the 2 constituent nations of the UK, has historically held the higher hand within the Calcutta Cup, dropping solely thrice between 2000 – when the Six Nations had been first established. – and 2017, once they demolished Scotland 61–21 at London's Twickenham Stadium.
Even through the ultimate decade of the outdated 5 Nations Championship, which ran from 1910 to 1931 and 1947 to 1999 earlier than Italy joined the competitors, England continued to dominate and had been crushed by Scotland between 1990 and 1999. Misplaced solely as soon as.
Saturday's consequence means the Scottish “David” now holds bragging rights over the English “Goliath” for at the very least one other 12 months.
Why is the rivalry between Scotland and England so fierce?
Regardless of being a part of the UK, Scotland and England – populations of 5.4 million and 56.5 million respectively – have lengthy been rivals within the sporting area.
It stems from the Wars of Independence fought between Scotland and England through the thirteenth and 14th centuries, when the Scots repelled English makes an attempt at subjugation and led to the independence of Scotland's most well-known nationwide heroes, William Wallace (c. 1270–1305) and Due to this, it emerged as a sovereign nation. King Robert the Bruce (1274–1329).
And whereas Scotland and England gave up their particular person sovereignty to kind Nice Britain within the Act of Union 1707, each retained their standing as nations, with Scotland retaining its personal distinct authorized, instructional, and non secular establishments.
The institution of the devolved Parliament of Scotland in 1999 led to a polarizing debate over its constitutional future, which stays in full swing.
Thus, Scotland's latest dominance within the 145-year-old match has proved encouraging not just for followers of Scottish rugby but additionally for supporters keen to chop political ties with their extra populous English neighbour.
So, is the Calcutta Cup extra essential for Scotland?
Many in England have lengthy accused their counterparts in Scotland of getting an inferiority advanced when it comes to English sporting success on the world stage, which dwarfs Scottish success in rugby and soccer by comparability.
This contains the frequent accusation that, so far as worldwide rugby and soccer are involved, Scotland's ambitions start and finish with a want to simply defeat England.
Even the nationwide anthem of Scotland – sung by gamers and followers alike at sporting occasions – praises Robert the Bruce's defeat of King Edward II of England on the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
Certainly, Scotland's victory over England in 1990, through which they received each the Calcutta Cup and the 5 Nations Grand Slam, was a results of rising Scottish–English tensions following the choice by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to implement her authorities's new tax system. Got here within the background. The much-discussed ballot tax – in Scotland in 1989, a 12 months earlier than it was launched in England.
However after 1990, England had a number of success over its smaller rival. Throughout this era, says Tom English, creator of The Grudge, which chronicles the political and sporting story of Scotland's 1990 Grand Slam win, England considered the Calcutta Cup “as a little bit of a formality”.
Nonetheless, for Scotland, the sports activities author informed Al Jazeera, “the sport by no means misplaced its significance and the extra Calcutta Cups they misplaced, the extra coveted they turned, the extra essential the win over England turned.”
Now, English stated, the tables have turned.
He stated, “For the English rugby institution – the moneyed followers who’ve mocked the poor Scots for a few years – this can be very tough to just accept.” “An actual blow to Gaurav. A problem to their rugby identification. Their rugby psyche is being trampled underfoot by the nation they’ve change into accustomed to beating. “It’s arduous for them to abdomen.”