History of the Calcutta Cup ahead of England vs Scotland Six Nations clash

One of the biggest rivalries in sport is renewed on the Six Nations opening weekend when England and Scotland face each other at Twickenham.

England are the defending champions, while Scotland finished fourth in last year’s tournament that only ended in late October.

As well as wanting to get their 2021 campaigns off to a good start, there’s the added incentive of silverware in the shape of the Calcutta Cup.

England won that last year too, when they beat Scotland 13-6 at Murrayfield.

But why is this fixture called the Calcutta Cup, and what is the history surrounding the match?

Here's all you need to know.

What is the Calcutta Cup

The Calcutta Cup is up for grabs every year when England and Scotland play each other in the Six Nations.

The contest dates back to 1872 when a game featuring 20 players for England, and another 20 representing Scotland, Ireland and Wales, was played on Christmas Day in Calcutta, India.

A week later the match was repeated, and because of its success the Calcutta Football Club was formed in January 1873.

The following year CFC joined the Rugby Football Union, but because the climate wasn’t suitable for rugby, membership dropped significantly when the free bar was discontinued.

The club was dissolved soon afterwards and members withdrew its funds from the bank to have the silver rupees melted down and made into a cup.

This was presented to the RFU in 1878 with the provision it should be competed for annually.

What is the history of the Calcutta Cup match?

The club originally wanted an English domestic knockout tournament to decide who wins the trophy, but the RFU were unwilling as ‘competitiveness’ went against rugby union’s amateur nature.

Instead it was decided to award the trophy to the winner of the annual fixture between England and Scotland.

Typically, the first match – on March 10 1879 – ended in a draw.

A year later England were the winners, and apart from hiatuses for the two World Wars, it has been contested annually ever since.

Since then, England have won 71 times and Scotland on 40 occasions, with 16 draws.

Unsurprisingly, the original trophy is very fragile.

It is so delicate it cannot attend functions or tours, but both nations have full-sized replicas.

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