BT Premiership Division One
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BT Premier League Div 1 is Scotland's national rugby union league.
Up to season 1972-73, Scotland's rugby union clubs participated in what was known as an 'unofficial championship'. It provided very unbalanced competition: some clubs played more fixtures than others and some fixture lists provided stiffer opposition than others. The resulting league table at the end of each season gave a very unbalanced and difficult-to-comprehend set of results.
Starting in season 1973-74, the Scottish Rugby Union organised the full member clubs into six leagues. This suited some of the 'open' clubs but many of the older former pupils clubs found it difficult to compete successfully and were forced into going 'open' themselves to try to recruit some of the better players. In the first 14 seasons of league rugby the Division I championship was won by Hawick on 10 occasions.
One consequence was soon apparent: fewer players were selected from English clubs to represent Scotland. For the first time since before the First World War, the domestic game was producing an adequate number of players of genuine international class. Though the SRU's administrators were often seen as backward looking, Scotland had a national league before England, Wales or Ireland.
The new situation suited some of the 'open' clubs but many of the older former pupils' clubs found it difficult to compete successfully and were forced into going 'open' themselves to try to recruit some of the better players. Those that didn’t declined. Open clubs kept their old FP or Academical name, and still played on grounds owned by the schools.
In the first 14 seasons of league rugby the Division I championship was won by Hawick on 10 occasions. Heriot’s FP became the first city club to win the championship, they had already attracted "outsiders"; their leading try-scorer was Bill Gammell, a Fettesian already capped for the Scotland national rugby union team while playing for Edinburgh Wanderers. League rugby drew the crowds, and the 20 years that followed its introduction were the best in the history of Scottish club rugby. In that period the title of champions rarely went out of the Borders: with Hawick, Gala and Melrose enjoying long periods of ascendancy.
Since the advent of the leagues, the Scottish Rugby Union have, from time to time, taken opportunity, more than once, to re-organise the competition and have added, in the mid-1990s, a sponsored knock-out cup competition.
Past winners
1973 Hawick
1974 Hawick
1975 Hawick
1976 Hawick
1977 Hawick
1978 Hawick
1979 Heriot's FP
1980 Gala
1981 Gala
1982 Hawick
1983 Gala
1984 Hawick
1985 Hawick
1986 Hawick
1987 Hawick
1988 Kelso
1989 Kelso
1990 Melrose
1991 Boroughmuir
1992 Melrose
1993 Melrose
1994 Melrose
1995 Stirling County
1996 Melrose
1997 Melrose
1998 Watsonians
1999 Heriot's FP
2000 Heriot's FP
2001 Hawick
2002 Hawick
2003 Boroughmuir
2004 Glasgow Hawks
2005 Glasgow Hawks
2006 Glasgow Hawks
See also
- Border League
- Celtic League (rugby union)
- Scottish Rugby Union
- Premiership Division Two
- Premiership Division Three
- National League Division 1
- Edinburgh and District League
| Rugby union in Scotland | [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit ] | |
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Federation Scottish Rugby Union | ||
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Competitions European Challenge Cup | European Shield | Heineken Cup | Celtic League BT Premier League Division One | BT Premier League Division Two | BT Premiership Division Three | ||
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National team Scottish National team | ||
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Celtic League Border Reivers | Edinburgh Gunners | Glasgow Warriors | ||
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BT Premier League Div 1 Aberdeen GSFP | Ayr | Boroughmuir | Currie | Dundee HSFP | Glasgow Hawks | Hawick | Heriot's | Melrose | Watsonians | ||
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BT Premier League Div 2 Biggar | Cartha Queens Park | Edinburgh Academicals | Gala | Glasgow Hutchesons | Hamilton | Hillhead Jordanhill | Jed-Forest | Kelso | Selkirk Stewart's Melville FP | Stirling County | | ||
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BT Premier League Div 3 Berwick | Cambuslang | Dunfermline | Ellon | Haddington | Kirkcaldy | Livingston | Murrayfield Wanderers | Musselburgh | Peebles | Perthshire | West of Scotland | ||
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