ENRFC: Back in Action!

Greetings fellow Northerners,

We hope that the first blog entry of the 25/26 season finds you well. 

The summer has ended, and the season of mists and fruitfulness - autumn - is now upon us. In days of yore, this seasonal transition would be marked by the end of Fringe Fireworks, but they've got rid of those in the interests of the Red Pandas - #woke. 

Instead, the surefire measure of this seasonal adjustment of Edinburgh from tourist hub into functioning metropolis is the return of roadworks, rain and of course, the playing fields of the city being filled by young(ish) men playing amateur grass roots rugby! 

With that let's both look forward, and back on the happenings at Edinburgh’s premier social rugby club!

Gentleman of the North Tour 

“Achtung, Northern!” was the cry amongst the locals as a small band of intrepid over-35s led by new(ish) Gents captain Wilson Craig ventured to Cologne for their annual overseas jolly.

Alongside visiting the cultural sites of Germany’s fourth biggest city, our tourists consumed many a bottle of Kölsch – like Grölsch, but with a K - and more than a few rounds of Schnapps and a lot of sausages as they made the most of their short time in country. 

As always, the rugby took on secondary importance, but we are pleased to report that our silver foxes lost narrowly 20-15 to their hosts in the first game, before finding redemption in a 50-7 victory over Esch.

Club Dinner

One of the big things about this club is the impetus we put on our social occasions – we can’t claim to be Edinburgh most social rugby club, without backing it up. 

It was therefore with delight that Edinburgh Northern held its annual club dinner on Saturday 30 August, and were delighted to welcome former Scotland international and British & Irish Lion Iain Milne back to the club for the evening. Our guest spoke tremendously, as did our other speakers that evening. 

As ever, the catering was provided by our wonderful friends at Herringbone – thank you once again – and we hope those in attendance thoroughly enjoyed themselves. 

Club Pre-Season

It has in many respects been an excellent pre-season for the club, conducted by coach Jamie McCann and new club captain Crebhan Hughes. Many new members have joined us, including several new faces to the game entirely, and we welcome those new characters into the melting pot of our fine club. 

In terms of games, Northern played three pre-season friendlies last month against Broughton, Corstorphine and Royal High. As with all pre-season fixtures, the scoreline is largely irrelevant – even more so when we consider the lofty status of our opposition. What has been excellent to see in these fixtures has been the improvement of individuals and structures from game to game, and the lesson of August will stand the entire squad in good stead for the season ahead. 

This Weekend

Both teams’ domestic seasons kicks off this weekend with a home double-header at Inverleith Park. The weather forecast is typically September in the city, and we have been assured by the bar convenor that the fridges are stocked, and the lines are clear – what more can you ask for. 

For the 1st XV, they host nearly neighbours Trinity Academicals, presumably on the pitch closest to the Bunker. It was a tough season for the Bangholm men last year losing twelve of their fourteen fixtures, but they have retained a large number of their squad and will prove a real challenge for the rest of the pack in East 3. 

The Northern 1st XV is as follows: Smith, Ellice-Freeman, Bernard, Breslin, McIntyre, Cavens, O’Dea; Harper, Brown, Candlish, Rutter, MacDonald, McCall, Hughes ©, Kinnear. Subs: Thorburn, Blacklock, Walker, Milligan, Holland, McCann, Munro. 

For the 2nd XV, they host Currie Chieftains 3rd XV in the newly formed East Reserve league. There are a number of positives to the SRU’s usual aimless tinkering with league structures this year – firstly, the 2nd XV, like Scotland and the 5 Nations, will remain perpetual East Reserve 2 champions.

Secondly, after the strides the squad has made in recent years, the opportunity has come for us to test ourselves against a sterner level of opposition. Pleasingly, the toughest challenge is first up – Currie being the highest ranked team to drop down into our sphere.

The Northern 2nd XV is as follows: Forbes, MacKay, Reece, Young ©, Scully, Mawdsley, Gallagher; Parks, Tierney, Letham, McFarlane, Brackenbury, Burns, Pounds, Tennant. Subs: Hilson, Taylor, Parish, McMahon, McLean, Murray, Rodriguez.   

So, with that, we bid you adieu and hope to see you at the Bunker on Saturday for the start of another great season in this club's fine history. 

Yours in rugby, 

ENRFC