Edinburgh Eagles are a rugby league team based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The club plays in the Scottish National League and North East Rugby League. The club was founded in 1998. The Eagles have won the Scottish title a record 10 times. They currently play at Royal High School, but home games have been played at a number of grounds including Corstophine RFC and Broughton RFC.
The Edinburgh Eagles club was founded in February 1998 and were admitted to the Scottish National League that same year, finishing as runners-up after losing out to Border Eagles in the final 14âÂÂ40. The following season saw the club go one better when after defeating fellow Edinburgh side Portobello Playboys in the Grand Final 48âÂÂ20, they lifted the Scottish title for the first time.
Edinburgh were invited to enter the 2000 Challenge Cup. At the first round stage on 4 December 1999 they were defeated 12âÂÂ17 by Woolston Rovers. Despite losing just one match during the regular season they were beaten by Glasgow Bulls in the Grand Final 22âÂÂ47. The following season the same two sides met in the final again, Eagles winning 30âÂÂ16. That victory was the start of a hat-trick of triumphs as they beat Portobello Playboys 46âÂÂ24 in 2002 and Fife Lions in 2003.
It was three more years before they won the title again, after losing to Fife Lions in the 2004 final they failed to reach the next two finals. There was also three first round exits in the Challenge Cup against Leigh East, Oulton Raiders and Heworth A.R.L.F.C. Another hat-trick of titles from 2007 was next as they saw off Fife Lions twice and Carluke Tigers in 2009, 18âÂÂ10 in a game that went to extra-time.
In the challenge Cup, history was made by the club, when on 25 January 2009 Edinburgh became the first Scottish side to win a game in the competition, beating the RAF 18âÂÂ16. In the second round they lost to Leeds Met University. They repeated this feat in 2010 when, after knocking out Gloucestershire Warriors 36âÂÂ32, they lost out to Blackwood Bulldogs in the second round. In the league Carluke gained revenge by defeating the Eagles in the 2010 final 10âÂÂ18. 2011 and 2012 brought the title count up to nine, with victories over Ayrshire Storm 26âÂÂ10 and Aberdeen Warriors 36âÂÂ10. Following three years out of the Finals the Eagles were runners up in 2017 behind Strathmore Silverbacks. After a 6-year wait 2018 saw the Eagles lift their 10th title with victory over Strathmore Silverbacks on points difference. 2019 saw the Eagles enter the North East Rugby league Competition which they went on to win, beating Jarrow Vikings in the grand final on golden point 38âÂÂ34, along with defeating Strathmore for the 2019 Scottish Cup which sees them entered into the 2020 Challenge cup competition.
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The Eagles team has gained international recognition with several of its players being selected: Paddy Coupar, Giles Lomax, Nick Broere, Callum Cockburn, Craig Borthwick, David Lynn, Andrew Todd and John Cox have all come through the ranks of the Edinburgh Napier University Knights, Edinburgh Eagles and Scotland 'A' before going on to represent their country at full International level.