Portobello RFC, formerly known as Portobello FP, is a
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
side based in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, Scotland.
The first XV currently play in . Their 2nd XV play in the East Reserve League 2.
History
Portobello was founded as a former pupils club of
Portobello High School
, established =
, opened =
, type =
, district = City of Edinburgh
, principal = Ruth McKay
, enrolment = 1297
, colours = ...
, once one of the largest schools in Europe. It is no longer purely a haven for former pupils and welcomes players from all over the rugby world. They play their rugby at Cavalry Park in the shadow of
Arthur's Seat
Arthur's Seat ( gd, Suidhe Artair, ) is an ancient volcano which is the main peak of the group of hills in Edinburgh, Scotland, which form most of Holyrood Park, described by Robert Louis Stevenson as "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtu ...
The club was reformed in 1954 and enjoyed fixtures against the elite of the established "circuit". Portobello tried for many years to climb out of the old Edinburgh District League achieving that in the 1970s climbing through Divisions 7 to 2 in successive seasons.
As recently as 2007 we were a club in doldrums with playing membership down and results on the field less than inspiring. Rather bizarrely the event that acted as a catalyst for improvement was a fire which decimated the clubhouse in May of that year. This unfortunate inferno brought friends, members and players (current and past) together to rebuild the club physically and metaphorically.
The subsequent season saw a significant upturn in the playing fortunes with 1st and 2nd XV both turning in more than respectable performances. The icing on the cake was a glorious cup run culminating in an appearance in the National Plate final at Murrayfield on 3 May 2008.
The 2008–09 season saw the 1st XV finishing runners up in their league while the 2nd XV finished top of the tree in their respective division. In 2009–10 the top team were once again pipped for the title by North Berwick and the SXY2S finished 3rd in their respective league.
The club also runs a thriving Youth Section with teams at all Micro (Primary 1 and Primary 2), Mini (Primary 3 – Primary 7), Midi (S1 up to under-16) and Colts (under-18) levels. All coaching is run by experienced and qualified coaches
The
Gaelic football team,
Dúnedin Connolly GAC currently share their ground.
Portobello Sevens
The club run the Portobello Sevens tournament.
Honours
*Portobello Sevens
** Champions: 1983, 1984, 1990
*
Edinburgh and Lothian U-16
** Champions: 1993
** Runners up: 1992
*
Peebles Sevens
Peebles Sevens is an annual rugby sevens event held by Peebles RFC, in Peebles, Scotland. This was one of a group of Sevens tournaments instated after the First World War extending the original Borders Spring Circuit. The Peebles Sevens began i ...
** Champions: 1987, 1990
*
Walkerburn Sevens
Walkerburn Sevens is an annual rugby sevens event held by Walkerburn RFC, in Walkerburn, Scotland. The Walkerburn Sevens was the sixth of the Border Sevens tournaments to be instated, in 1911, after the bigger events of the Border Sevens sprin ...
** Champions : 1974, 1981, 1983, 1984
*Livingston Sevens
** Champions: 1974, 1978, 1979, 1981
*Grangemouth Sevens
** Champions: 1983
* Gala Y.M. Sevens
** Champions: 1973
* Royal HSFP Sevens
** Champions: 1984, 1986, 1987
* Preston Lodge Sevens
** Champions: 1986
* Broughton Sevens
** Champions: 2009
* Alloa Sevens
** Champions: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977
* Lismore Sevens
** Champions: 1978
* Holy Cross Sevens
** Champions: 1995
* Glenrothes Sevens
** Champions: 1980
* Haddington Sevens
** Champions: 1982, 1984, 1985
* Edinburgh Northern Sevens
** Champions: 1970
* Edinburgh District Sevens
** Champions: 1973, 1974, 1983
* Musselburgh Sevens
** Champions: 1984
* North Berwick Sevens
** Champions: 1979
Notable former players
Glasgow Warriors players
References
* Massie, Allan ''A Portrait of Scottish Rugby'' (Polygon, Edinburgh; )
External links
Portobelloon pitchero.com
Scottish rugby union teams
Rugby union in Edinburgh
Portobello, Edinburgh
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