Calcutta Cup: rugby's oldest international rivalry

The first international rugby match was played between Scotland and England in Edinburgh in March 1871. More than 150 years later the fixture is still played every year, and still carries its own trophy.

Fact file

First match: 27 March 1871, Raeburn Place, Edinburgh. Scotland won.
First played for the cup: 1879, a draw at Raeburn Place
The trophy: Made from silver rupees of the Calcutta Football Club
Played: Every year, as part of the Six Nations

A trophy from India

The Calcutta Cup arrived in 1879. Members of the Calcutta Football Club, which was being wound up, had the club's remaining silver rupees melted down and made into an ornate trophy, and presented it to the Rugby Football Union to be contested between England and Scotland. It has been played for ever since.

Test matches · Test Match 27 March 1871

Scotland 1G 1T

England 1T

Raeburn Place, Edinburgh Match page

Where international rugby began: Scotland won by a goal and a try to a try.

The record

England and Scotland have met more than 140 times. The record below counts every meeting on file and updates after each match.

Head-to-head · Rugby Union

England v Scotland

144Played

77England won

19Drawn

48Scotland won

First meeting: 27 Mar 1871 · Scotland v England · 1G 1T – 1T
Most recent: 14 Feb 2026 · Scotland v England · 31–20
Biggest England win: 11 Mar 2017 · England v Scotland · 61–21

Full England v Scotland record

Matches that mattered

1879 The first Calcutta Cup A draw at Raeburn Place.
1990 The Grand Slam decider Both sides arrive at Murrayfield unbeaten. Scotland win 13–7.
2000 Slam denied again Scotland win 19–13 at Murrayfield. England still take the title.
2017 England's biggest win 61–21 at Twickenham.
2019 38–38 The highest-scoring draw in the fixture, at Twickenham.
2025 One point in it England win 16–15 at Twickenham.
2026 Scotland strike back A 31–20 win at Murrayfield.

Why it still matters

The Calcutta Cup is never a dead rubber. Whatever the state of the wider championship, the match carries its own history and its own silverware, and it regularly produces some of the tightest contests of the Six Nations.

See every meeting on our England v Scotland head-to-head page, and this season's fixtures on the Six Nations hub.