Scotland have always played in blue, right? Well, not in the first rugby international of 1871, if you believe what you can read online. According to Wikipedia and even recent reports in The Times, the Press & Journal and BBC History magazine, the Scotland team on that historic day wore brown shirts.
It is a myth, however - one of those mistaken stories which has persisted over the years. Now, on the 150th anniversary of the match, it is time to set the record straight.
It all goes back to one newspaper report, the Glasgow Herald's account of the game, which stated 'the Scotch' wore a brown jersey with a thistle. As the Herald was one of the first newspapers to be digitised, a researcher must have come across this version which has been widely quoted ever since. However, it does not stand up to scrutiny.
It is a myth, however - one of those mistaken stories which has persisted over the years. Now, on the 150th anniversary of the match, it is time to set the record straight.
It all goes back to one newspaper report, the Glasgow Herald's account of the game, which stated 'the Scotch' wore a brown jersey with a thistle. As the Herald was one of the first newspapers to be digitised, a researcher must have come across this version which has been widely quoted ever since. However, it does not stand up to scrutiny.
Glasgow Herald, 28 March 1871, with a match report which mistakenly describes Scotland in brown jerseys.
It is abundantly clear from other reports that Scotland played in dark blue, with England in white, as they have done ever since.
North British Daily Mail, 28 March 1871 (BNA)
The Scotsman, 28 March 1871 (BNA)
There was some uncertainly in the English press in advance of the match, with Bell's Life and The Sporting Life both reporting in the build-up that Scotland would wear scarlet jerseys, but they were careful to correct that mistake in their match reports. The Scottish papers, including The Scotsman and North British Daily Mail, were clear beforehand that Scotland would have dark blue jerseys.
When match reports appeared the day after the game, every paper mentioned Scotland's dark blue, with the sole exception of the Glasgow Herald who, inexplicably, went for brown.
One question which has never been answered is why Scotland traditionally play in blue, and England in white. The reasons behind the choice of colours are not explained, although there was clearly a logic as the Scotland and England association football teams made the same decisions for their first match in 1872.
Not only have these colours persisted ever since, but also the team badges: Scotland's rugby players had a thistle, England a rose, and the same emblems are still found today. In football, the national team emblems of lion rampant for Scotland and three lions for England have also been retained.
When match reports appeared the day after the game, every paper mentioned Scotland's dark blue, with the sole exception of the Glasgow Herald who, inexplicably, went for brown.
One question which has never been answered is why Scotland traditionally play in blue, and England in white. The reasons behind the choice of colours are not explained, although there was clearly a logic as the Scotland and England association football teams made the same decisions for their first match in 1872.
Not only have these colours persisted ever since, but also the team badges: Scotland's rugby players had a thistle, England a rose, and the same emblems are still found today. In football, the national team emblems of lion rampant for Scotland and three lions for England have also been retained.
Advert in the Scotsman, 28 March 1871 (BNA)
A final piece of trivia is where Scotland bought their blue shirts. There were two main sports shops in Edinburgh at the time and JC Stewart was proudly able to advertise the day after the game that he had supplied the jerseys and thistle badges of the Scotland Twenty. His great rival Percival King, however, provided the match ball.
The St Andrews Gazette, 1 April 1871 confirmed the team colours and the supplier of the match ball, but also commented that the English players were 'altogether a more handsome set of men than the Scotch'. (BNA)
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