Full Scotland international caps are to be awarded retrospectively to 56 former players who represented their country in matches that, at the time, did not carry Test status.
Among those to be recognised are 29 players who were involved in Services Rugby or Victory Internationals during or after World War Two, while players who appeared in tour matches from late 1960s through to the early 1990s against countries such as Japan, Argentina, Fiji, Tonga, Canada and Zimbabwe – who were not regarded as full Test nations at the time – are also on the list.
Existing chronological Scotland cap numbers will not be affected by this initiative. Nor will the past caps and points records of other players who won full caps be adjusted for those games.
All 56 retrospective capped players will be added in a panel after Scotland’s most recent new cap – Cameron Henderson of Leicester Tigers, who was cap number 1140. Their numbers will run forward from 1141 to 1196.
“Those individuals who wore the thistle with pride and distinction will now join the fabled ranks of the 1,140 other men to have been capped by Scotland since 1871,” said Scottish Rugby Union President Colin Rigby.
“Given this year marks the 150th anniversary of the formation of the Union, we wanted to look afresh at our history and recognise the rich and enduring contribution those players have made to our game.
“Awarding a cap retrospectively may seem purely symbolic or belated by some people, but I know from conversations with some of those players and their families what this decision will mean to them and that granting cap status will be cherished.
“Our plan is to reach out to the relatives of those sadly no longer with us and conduct a cap presentation for those from the Services and Victory international matches in tandem with our annual poignant service of remembrance at the war memorial at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Armistice Day in November,” added Rigby
“Therefore, we welcome contact from any relatives of those players from the 1940s, so we can begin to plan for that ceremony.
“Thereafter, we will look to award caps during our home matches in next year’s Six Nations Championship.”
Scottish Rugby have also committed to ensuring that all players to have represented Scotland Women will also receive a cap, as the physical cap presentation was not always a part of the women’s game in the past.
Scottish Rugby will also embark on a project to ensure that all international referees, in both the men’s and women’s game, will be recognised with a physical cap.
