Melrose Cup

The tradition wants that the Rugby to seven was born in Scotland, in 1883, when the members of the Melrose Football Club sought a means of reinflating their finances and that Ned Haig proposed a tournament of football.

However, the attempt to make play several matches in one afternoon with 15 players per team failed. The decision was made to reduce the teams to 7 on each side; the first part take place on April 28th, 1883.

The majority of the clubs of the area took share with the competition, played with the rules of Rugby and each match lasted 15 minutes. The reward was a silver cut presented by the Ladies of Melrose.

The final opposed Melrose to Gala, at the end of the 15 minutes, the score being virgin for the two teams the two captains were of agreement to play 15 minutes additional. Melrose registered a test after 10 minutes and immediately left the ground to claim the cut.

With the passing of years the trophy, known under the name of Ladies Cup , represented the origins of the Rugby to seven and it was inevitable to celebrate this event by a World cup afterwards more than one century.

The Scottish Rugby Union decides to present this sport to IRB and to create a trophy which will be disputed at the time of a World cup of Rugby to seven which will be inaugurated with Edinburgh in April 1993.

A new trophy is created while taking as a starting point the Ladies Cup and which will be called Melrose Cup in homage instead of birth of the sport.

The jewellers Scot Hamilton & Inches manufacture the trophy with yellow gold 9 carats. High of 25 cm, it weighs 790 G and rests on a base in drowning on which is a gold plate 9 carats where are registered the champions teams.

England, carried out by its captain Andrew Harriman, was the first team to register her name on the trophéee by beating Australia in finame with Murrayfield in 1993. Four years after it with the turn of the Fiji of insrire its name is by beating South Africa in HongKong.

A hat trick of Jonah Lomu made it possible New Zealand to beat Australia in 2001 at Mar del Plata in Argentine.

The Fiji take again their title in 2005 in HongKong vis-a-vis in New Zealand.

See too

External bonds

  • Melrose Cut on the official site
  • Official site World cup 2005

Category: Seven Rugby

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