Ninian Finlay
| Birth name | Ninian Jamieson Finlay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 31 January 1858 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Newhaven, Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 7 March 1936 (aged 78) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ninian Jamieson Finlay (31 January 1858 – 7 March 1936[1]) was an international rugby player for Scotland.[2] He played nine caps for Scotland between 1875 – 1881.[2] He is generally considered to be the youngest player ever to play for Scotland. He was seventeen years and thirty six days old when he played his first cap against England on 8 March 1875.[3] He eagerly competes for this record against Charles Reid, who was the same age when he played his first cap. Reid, however, was a day older because of an extra leap year day when he capped in 1881.[3]
Rugby Union career
[edit]Amateur career
[edit]Finlay was attending Edinburgh Academy when he played his first cap for Scotland.[3]
- "Ninian was still a schoolboy, but was such an incredibly powerful runner and sublime drop-kicker that he became the first real superstar of Scottish rugby."[4]
He later played for Edinburgh Academicals[2] and Edinburgh University RFC.[1]
Provincial career
[edit]Finlay played for Edinburgh District.[5]
He played for East of Scotland District in 1876.[6]
International career
[edit]The first historian of Scottish rugby, R.J. Phillips, said of Ninian Finlay: "There was never such glamour and reputation attached to any Scottish player till A.R. Don Wauchope reached the zenith of his powers."[7]
Law career
[edit]In later life he was a Writer to the Signet.[1]
Family
[edit]Ninian was the brother of James Finlay, who played four caps for Scotland (1871–75), Arthur Finlay, who received a single cap (1875)[2] and Robert Finlay, 1st Viscount Finlay.
All three brothers played in the 1875 0-0 draw against England at Raeburn Place, with James drawing his last cap and Arthur and Ninian drawing their first.[4]
References
[edit]- Sources
- Bath, Richard (ed.) The Scotland Rugby Miscellany (Vision Sports Publishing Ltd, 2007 ISBN 1-905326-24-6)
- Godwin, Terry Complete Who's Who of International Rugby (Cassell, 1987, ISBN 0-7137-1838-2)
- Massie, Allan A Portrait of Scottish Rugby (Polygon, Edinburgh; ISBN 0-904919-84-6)
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