Border Reivers (rugby union)

The Border Reivers were a continuation of the amateur South of Scotland rugby union team, reshaped as a professional side in 1996.

Scotland had four district sides: North and Midlands, South, Glasgow District, and Edinburgh District.

The district sides capped the best amateur players from their areas' club sides to play inter-district matches and matches against touring sides. Unlike the Scottish clubs (and Ireland's provincial sides), the Scottish district sides had no settled home and were not members of their Rugby Union. This meant when Scottish rugby embraced professionalism, it was not clear if a model based on districts or clubs would be used.

It was not clear which route professionalism would go in Scotland. This created a turbulent start for professionalism in Scotland and left Scotland far behind fast-embracing Ireland in the set-up of its professional structure. The first season of the Heineken Cup in 1995–96 was run without any Scottish teams in European competition.^{[citation needed]}

The SRU were concerned that the existing and long-established Scottish amateur club sides could not compete against the best teams from France and England and that by professionalising the district sides they would be more capable of advancing Scottish Rugby.^{[citation needed]}

The four amateur district teams – Glasgow, Edinburgh, South of Scotland, and North and Midlands – were to become the professional sides Glasgow Warriors, Edinburgh Rugby, Border Reivers, and the Caledonia Reds, respectively.^{[citation needed]}

 

The Border Reivers were created in 1996 to compete in the Heineken Cup, because the Scottish Rugby Union did not think that Scottish club sides would be able to compete against the best teams from France and England.^[1]

Border Reivers and the other three Scottish districts competed in the Scottish Inter-District Championship to determine their European qualifying; the leagues positions determining whether they entered the Heineken Cup or the Challenge Cup.

Then financial difficulties – the SRU's high debt, partly as a result of the redevelopment of Murrayfield – called for retrenchment. After two seasons, financial difficulties forced the Union to merge the four teams into two. The Border Reivers side merged with Edinburgh Rugby to form a team to be known as Edinburgh Reivers, causing outrage with many Border rugby fans, as effectively the Border side was disbanded.

 

The establishment and early success of a Celtic League caused the SRU to rethink its professional district structure. The Border Reivers side was resurrected in 2002 as The Borders and joined the second season of the Celtic League.

Since their return as a team in 2002, the Borders failed to challenge for the Celtic League title; however, they performed well during the 2005–06, finishing mid-table.

On 27 March 2007, Scottish Rugby Union announced the Reivers were to disband at the end of the season as a cost-cutting exercise.^[2] Many fans and sections of the Scottish media have claimed that the Reivers suffered due to SRU's determination, despite poor crowds and results, to make rugby a success in Glasgow.^{[citation needed]} At the end of the 2006–07 season, several Borders players transferred to Glasgow Warriors. The success Glasgow later achieved with sell out crowds and a Pro 12 title win suggests this was a wise strategy.

Following the decision by the SRU to disband the Borders Reivers, the Border Reivers Action Group was formed to fight against the disbandment.^[3]

However, in April 2007, the Borders Rugby Action Group conceded defeat as the SRU insisted there would be no finance available from the governing body. The action group pledged an attempt to resurrect the team in 2008; however, no such attempt was made.^[4]

On 19 December 2011, former Scottish internationalist Keith Robertson gave an interview to The Herald newspaper. Robertson claimed that he was in contact with "people in the Borders who are interested in getting involved in funding a professional team". However the interested parties were said to be unwilling to afford any direct shareholding to the SRU. Robertson went on to claim that if the project came to fruition, the team would feature many "Borderers" – an attribute he felt the defunct Border Reivers had lacked.^[5]

Competing as Border Reivers unless otherwise stated.
ᵜ Competing as Scottish Borders.
^β Competing as The Borders.

Season	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	BP	Pts	Notes
1996–97 ᵜ	3rd	3	1	1	1	59	61	-2	-	3
1997–98	4th	3	0	0	3	34	68	-34	-	0
1998-2002	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No Pro Borders Team
2002–03 β	2nd	8	4	0	4	164	224	-60	2	18
2002–03 β	6th in Pool B	7	2	0	5	142	169	-27	4	12
2003–04 β	12th	22	4	0	18	363	750	-387	6	22
2004–05 β	11th	20	3	0	17	337	556	-219	6	18
2005–06	9th	22	7	0	13	386	501	-115	8	44	(All deemed + 2 games: 8 pts)
2006–07	11th	20	2	0	18	201	545	-344	4	12

Season	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	BP	Pts	Notes
1996–97 ᵜ	5th in Pool 2	4	1	0	3	80	178	-98	-	2
1997–98	4th in Pool 3	6	0	0	6	129	222	-93	-	0
1998-2002	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No Pro Borders Team
2002–03 β	2nd round	4	2	0	2	172	68	+104	-	-	(lost to Montauban on aggregate)
2003–04 β	4th in Pool 4	6	1	0	5	39	183	-144	0	4
2004–05 β	2nd round	4	2	0	2	242	84	+148	-	-	(lost to Clermont on aggregate)
2005–06	3rd in Pool 4	6	3	0	3	155	177	-22	3	15
2006–07	3rd in Pool 6	6	1	0	5	121	166	-45	2	6

The following former Border Reivers players have represented Scotland at full international level.

The following is a list of notable non-Scottish international representative former Border Reivers players:

• Steve Bates

• Scottish Rugby Union
• Celtic League
• Heineken Cup
• European Challenge Cup
• Border Reivers
• South of Scotland rugby union team

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Border Reivers (rugby).

• Border Reivers at Scottish Rugby (archived)
• Unofficial Supporters Club site
• Borders secure Heineken spot with record victory - The Scotsman, 27 May 2006
• Border Reivers video vault on Channel XV