The first rugby football match between Scotland and England took place in 1871 at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh Academy's playing-field near the school. Several years before that an inter-school game was played on the same pitch below the spectators' Mound. It took place on 11 December 1858 between teams of twenty boys representing the Academy and Merchiston Castle. A hundred and fifty years later a closely fought contest reaffirmed the event's significance as 'the oldest regular fixture in world rugby', according to sports journalist Allan Massie. A prior match was played between Merchiston and the High School on 13 February -- but where? The Town Council had not yet granted use of the Holyrood field to the High School so it must have been on ground near the Napier tower-house. A wall on one side and a paling fence on the other were all that Merchiston boys knew of 'side touch', which became a point of dispute at Raeburn Place.

According to the High School's latest chronicler John Murray, 'Evidence exists to show that some form of the handling game had been played by the High School boys from as early as 1810.' This is surely a claim too far, from a time before William Webb Ellis at Rugby School. The Edinburgh lads would have been engaged in an older game equivalent to Kirkwall's Uppies and Doonies heaving back and forth in the street. Struggling while upright made it feasible to play on hard gravel, as in the pre-rugby 'muddles' of the Academy Yards in front of the school. What makes the Raeburn Place encounter interesting is the full Merchiston Chronicle report which followed. It shows that 'the Rugby rules', as written down by boys of that school for their spacious green, had just reached Scotland:

'Last year there was no order in the game whatever; it was each for himself, each kicking recklessly straight ahead, very little running with the ball, and "off-side" scarcely heard of. Now it is far different; each one has a place assigned to him for which he is most suited, whether goal-keeper, muddler, dodger, or as a member of that useful body the light-brigade.' The charging pack is here linked with Tennyson's recent poem. 'Last year we were disappointed in playing the Academy; but now, to our great delight, it was fixed as the first match of the season.' More than one prior match is implied. 'Comparisons are odious, yet we could not help observing that the Academy goals were a good deal easier to kick over than ours, being both lower and broader.'

There was no turn round for a shot at the easier goal posts, nor any idea of a half-time break -- though play stopped often. An Old Fettesian described the 1870s when 'umpires and referees were unknown, and the two Captains argued out all disputes; a dispute sometimes lasted for fifteen or twenty minutes, so that a plausible tongue and an obstinate mind were valuable qualities for a Captain to possess.' The Raeburn Place match went on for two and a half hours, with spectators wet and cold. Tries counted for nothing unless a goal was achieved by the ball being kicked over the bar between posts which might rise as little as a foot above it. The whole affair was reminiscent of a school playground dispute, although knee-grazing gravel was exchanged for grass. The Merchistonian chronicler praised toe-stamping in mauls by 'the sturdy Campbell', along with the spotlessly-trousered McFie who kicked the ball an unlikely '80 or 100 yards' out of defence. Unfamiliarity with rules was the main theme of this 'Foot-Ball Match' report:

'All of a sudden Lyall made a rush, and to our great astonishment runs into "touch" right behind our goal. Here an expostulation was made on the plea that the rules prohibited running into "touch", but, finding that it only related to side touch, we were obliged to yield and allow the "try at goal". Fortunately for us the wet had so completely saturated the cover of the ball and made it so slippery that, when kicked, instead of going between the goal-posts, it flew out to the side... A little after one the game was all at the Academy's goal; and here we thought we had a goal, for the great MacFie kicked the ball easily over; but it stood for nothing as it was handed to him "off his side"... A few minutes after time, 2 p.m., was called, and the match was over without a goal being scored by either side.'