1879 - First Calcutta Cup match played at Raeburn Place

The Calcutta Cup, which is the oldest trophy in world rugby, is competed for annually by Scotland and England. The trophy was donated to the RFU and first played for in 1879 at Raeburn Place.

The cup was crafted by Indian silversmiths from melted-down silver rupees which were the balance of the funds of the Calcutta Football Club, which disbanded in 1878. Benjamin Burns, who had accepted the Scottish challenge on behalf of the English clubs, had subsequently moved to Calcutta where he played for the Calcutta Football Club. He seconded the motion to use the remaining club funds in this way. Burns had been a pupil at the Edinburgh Academy at the same time as the Rt Hon Francis Moncreiff, captain of EAFC and Scotland.

The cup has been played for annually with only three breaks: for the duration of both World Wars, March 1914 to March 1920 and March 1939 to March 1946, and during the Great Dispute of the 1880s which ultimately led to the establishment of the IRB (now World Rugby).