XV-a-Side rugby column: Festive quiz & Christmas crackers

WEEKLY TEASERS

Our mystery player was Tony O’Reilly, and it was true – he was the Chairman and CEO of the Heinz company.

FESTIVE QUIZ P1

ANSWERS 1. 1976. ALAN LAWSON. 2. 1986. GAVIN HASTINGS 3. 1996. MICHAEL DODS 4. 2006. IRELAND 5. 2016. STUART HOGG 6. TOM DAVID. 7. FRANCE 8. ARGENTINA

FIXTURE CARD

There are no fixtures for the local clubs over the festive period. League matches recommence on Saturday January 10th, 2026.

FESTIVE QUIZ P2

This week sees a continuation of our theme of “SIX” and we look at the teams in the Six Nations competition.

SCOTLAND

Who was the BBC Scotland TV Sports Personality of the Year in 1980? Which Scotland forward was punished by the SRU for the infamous Calcutta Cup kickabout in the streets of Edinburgh in 1988? In which year was Flower of Scotland first played as the anthem of the national side?

ENGLAND

Who was the first England coach to receive a knighthood? What was known as Billy Williams Cabbage Patch? What position did Mike Tindall play in the England team?

IRELAND

What was the venue for the 2007 Ireland 43 England 13 match ? Who scored a hat trick of tries for Ireland in the 2002 win over Scotland? What was the significance of Rule 42 in Irish Rugby history?

WALES

Who was the first Welshman to win 50 caps for his country? In 2001 who became the first Welshman to reach 1,000 points for Wales? Can you name the four Welshmen inducted into the initial IRB Hall of Fame in 1997 from their initials? G.E./C.M./J.W./B.J.

ITALY

When did Italy move from the Stadio Flamini – 2001 or 2011? Italy finished bottom of the Six Nations table in their first three seasons- true or false? Which former French scrum half , captain and coach became Italy’s coach in 2005?

FRANCE

In 1910, which of the Home Nations played France for the very first time? Which former French player became an internationally famous sculptor? Which French club side did Serge Blanco play for- Biarritz, Toulon, or Stade Francais?

ANSWERS NEXT WEEK

CHRISTMAS CRACKERS

See how well you do with or special festive Rugby Mastermind . It is in multiple choice format.

Rob Andrew, Mike Gibson, and Gavin Hastings all captained a famous English university side. Was it. Oxford Cambridge London

In the first ever Scotland v England International match in 1871 how many players were there on each side? 15 20 13

David Duckham played his club rugby for this team. Wasps Coventry Bath

Who was the first former Rugby League player to captain England? Jason Robinson Bill Beaumont Bev Risman

Against which team did Italy record their first ever Six Nations win?

England

Ireland

Scotland

Wales

Who captained Wales in every single game he played?

Cliff Morgan

Gareth Edwards

Clive Rowlands

MYSTERY PLAYER

An iconic rugby picture from 1977 known as The Mudlark. Who is the player at the front of the picture?

TRUE OR FALSE?

Our Mystery Player went into business with Steve Smith a former England scrum half.