Scottish Exiles (rugby union)
| Full name | Scottish Exiles District |
|---|---|
| Union | Scottish Rugby Union |
Scottish Exiles is a select provincial rugby union team that draws its players mainly from England; however, this draw also extends to any Scots diaspora rugby players playing outside Scotland.
This 'non-native' district side was formerly called the Anglo-Scots but changed its name so to include Scottish rugby union players playing anywhere outside Scotland.
Formed as the Anglo-Scots it was treated by the Scottish Rugby Union as a distinct non-native District side.
The Anglo-Scots often played matches against international and non-international touring teams.
The Scottish Inter-District Championship was established in the 1953–54 season. The Glasgow District, Edinburgh, South and North and Midlands sides would play off to see which district was best in Scotland. The Anglo-Scots District joined the Inter-District Championship from 1981.
With many Scottish players now playing further abroad than England, notably in France, the team's name was changed to better reflect the diaspora it represented in 1993.
With the advent of professionalism in 1995, the Scottish Rugby Union realised that not even the best semi-professional Scottish club teams could compete in the new Professional Era in rugby union, which was beginning to gain great momentum in the professional leagues of the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere.
In an attempt to stay in touch with the leading nations the SRU formed four professional teams out of the four native amateur districts of Scotland in 1996. It was these newly professional teams that would represent Scotland in the Heineken Cup and in the Celtic League.
This meant the Scottish Exiles side was then excluded from the subsequent professional Scottish Inter-District Championship, as its players were generally based in English professional sides.
The Scottish Exiles side still plays and is used as a gateway for recognition for Scottish-Qualified players, particularly in England, to signal their availability and desire to play for the Scottish national team.
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