Hawick RFC

Hawick Rugby Football Club is an amateur rugby union side, currently playing in the Scottish Premiership and Border League. The club was founded in 1885 and are based at Mansfield Park at Hawick in the Scottish Borders.

Hawick
Full nameHawick Rugby Football Club
UnionScottish Rugby Union
Founded1885
LocationHawick, Scotland
Ground(s)Mansfield Park (Capacity: 5,000)
PresidentNeil Hamilton
Coach(es)Head Coach: Stuart Johnson

Forwards Coach: Matthew Landels

Backs Coach: Matthew Douglas
Captain(s)Shawn Muir
League(s)Scottish Premiership
2019/20203rd (Play Offs cancelled due to Covid19)
Team kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.hawickrfc.co.uk

Splinter from Hawick and Wilton RFC

The premier club of Hawick was Hawick and Wilton RFC. This was formed by the Hawick and Wilton Cricket Club members as a sport to play in the winter. It ran the Hawick and Wilton Sevens; the fourth oldest rugby sevens tournament in the world (behind Melrose [1883]; Gala [April 1884] and Selkirk Cricket Club [May 1884]). For the members of Hawick and Wilton RFC however cricket came first and this led to the splinter club of Hawick RFC forming in 1885. Hawick and Wilton RFC continued on after Hawick RFC formed as rivals; and for a time both the Hawick and Wilton Sevens and the later Hawick Sevens co-existed. Hawick and Wilton RFC eventually folded in 1890 as its members decided to purely focus on cricket.[1]

Establishment of the Club

1885 saw some rugby players of Hawick and Wilton RFC found a new club to instead solely concentrate on rugby: the Hawick Football Club, moving to new premises at the Volunteer Park, just beyond the cricket pitch. New colours were adopted, dark green jerseys and stockings with white shorts, and in 1886 Hawick was admitted to membership of the Scottish Football (later Rugby) Union, only the 19th club to be admitted, the only earlier Border clubs being Gala and Melrose RFC.

In 1888 Hawick Football Club moved to its present home, Mansfield Park, at the other end of the town. The early seasons brought keenly contested games against Edinburgh Academicals, Gala, and Watsonians, and in 1896 Hawick won their first Scottish Unofficial Championship.[2]

1945 to 1972 – Scottish Domination

Between 1945 and 1972 Hawick club firmly established among the leaders of Scottish rugby, winning the unofficial championship eight times, taking the Border League title fifteen times, and earning fame as sevens specialists.

In the 1950s, all 15 of Hawick RFC were approached by rugby league scouts from Yorkshire.[2]

In this period, Hugh McLeod, George Stevenson, Adam Robson, and Derrick Grant alone won 100 international caps between them, while fifteen other Greens played for their country.

1972 onwards

The official Scottish championship began in season 1973–74 and since that time Hawick has won the championship on twelve occasions. The proud record of winning the first Border League in 1901–02 and the first Scottish championship in 1973–74 was added to in 1995–96 when the club were also first winners of the Scottish Cup. Indeed, in season 2002–03, the Greens completed the treble, winning Scottish League championship, Scottish Cup and Border League championship.

In 2009 the club was relegated to the 2nd tier for the first time in their history. Hawick regained their place in the Premiership at the end of the 2012–13 season with a 39–38 playoff victory over Dundee HSFP.[3]

Hawick Force

The club run a 2nd XV called Hawick Force who play in the top Scottish Reserve League.

Forwards Coaches: Lee Stewart, Greg McLeod

Backs Coach: Steven Anderson [4]

Honours
  • Scottish Unofficial Championship
    • Champions (10 + 4 shared): 1895-96, 1899-1900 (with Edinburgh Academicals and Edinburgh University), 1908-09 (with Watsonians), 1926-27, 1932-33 (with Dunfermline), 1948-49, 1954-55, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1963-64, 1964-65 (with West of Scotland), 1965-66, 1967-68, 1971-72
  • Scottish Premiership
    • Champions (12): 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 2000–01, 2001–02
  • Scottish League Championship, second tier
    • Runners-Up (1): 2012–13
  • Scottish Cup
    • Champions (2): 1995–96, 2001–02
    • Runners-Up (1): 2014–15
  • Langholm Sevens
    • Champions (29): 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1922, 1923, 1927, 1932, 1946, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1991, 2000, 2004, 2009, 2012, 2015
  • Melrose Sevens
    • Champions (28): 1887, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1900, 1901,1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1919, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1933, 1946, 1953, 1955, 1966, 1967
  • Hawick Sevens
    • Champions (49): 1886, 1887, 1888, 1892, 1894, 1895, 1898, 1900, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1921, 1924, 1927, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1948, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1957,1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1998, 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
    • Hawick hold the record for most consecutive victories (6): 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
  • Gala Sevens
    • Champions (42): 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1992, 2007
    • Hawick hold the record for most consecutive victories (6): 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898
  • Jed-Forest Sevens
    • Champions (28): 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1912, 1919, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1949, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1966, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1988, 1991, 2009
  • Peebles Sevens
    • Champions (1): 1926
  • Kelso Sevens
    • Champions (15): 1923, 1925, 1929, 1935, 1945, 1951, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968
  • Earlston Sevens
    • Champions (12): 1925, 1926, 1946, 1948, 1956, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970
  • Selkirk Sevens
    • Champions (15): 1919, 1924, 1927, 1930, 1933, 1939, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1959, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1981, 1986
  • Walkerburn Sevens
    • Champions (3): 1998, 2000, 2007
  • Hawick Linden Sevens
    • Champions (1): 2019 (won by Hawick Force)
  • Hawick and Wilton Sevens
    • Champions (3): 1886, 1887, 1888[5]

Notable players

Hawick RFC have already seen 58 players represent Scotland.

1888 British Isles tourists

Three Hawick players took part in the 1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia

Other famous players

The famous rugby commentator Bill McLaren also played for Hawick.[2]

See also

References
  • Bath, Richard, ed. (1997). Complete Book of Rugby. Seven Oaks Ltd. ISBN 1-86200-013-1.
  • Bath, Richard (ed.) The Scotland Rugby Miscellany (Vision Sports Publishing Ltd, 2007 ISBN 1-905326-24-6)
  • Godwin, Terry Complete Who's Who of International Rugby (Cassell, 1987, ISBN 0-7137-1838-2)
  • Jones, J.R. Encyclopedia of Rugby Union Football (Robert Hale, London, 1976 ISBN 0-7091-5394-5)
  • Massie, Allan A Portrait of Scottish Rugby (Polygon, Edinburgh; ISBN 0-904919-84-6)
  1. https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/hawick-and-wilton-sevens/
  2. Bath, 1997, p89
  3. RBS 2012/2013 Season Playoff Game Result
  4. http://www.hawickrfc.co.uk/rugby/force_fixtures.shtml
  5. https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/hawick-and-wilton-sevens/
  6. Jones, p43,4
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