Bizarrely, we didn’t entertain our fellow Exiles in a home fixture until 22^nd January 1949 at Herne Hill – by which time we had 16 different ‘home’ grounds.  Scottish had left Old Deer Park for the Athletic Ground in 1894 – we never played them as the away side at ODP – and the game at SE24 drew a crowd in excess of 3,000, the biggest since 3,500 witnessed the visit of Newport nearly 30 years previously.  In 31 seasons of rugby at Herne Hill, no English opposition drew a bigger crowd to Burbage Road.

Meetings of the two clubs in league and cup have been shared equally.  A second round cup-tie at the Athletic Ground in 1973 resulted in a comfortable 22-7 away win, but ten years later at ODP our neighbours exacted their revenge with a 15-6 victory.  On both occasions, Welsh had felt that cup success was in their grasp.  The 1972-73 campaign began with victory over Quins in front of a crowd in excess of 10,000 at HQ, and after sweeping the Scottish aside we had a famous trip to Penryn before falling to Bristol in the now infamous semi-final.  Ten years on, under the captaincy of Bruce Bradley and bolstered by the arrival of Bob Ackerman, already capped as a teenager against New Zealand, Welsh overpowered the joint-holders, Gloucester, at Kingsholm in the third round before comfortably disposing of Lichfield to set-up the local derby in the last eight.  That Scottish then lost at home in the semi-finals to a Leicester side whom we had already defeated home and away did little to dispel the belief that it should have been ‘our year’.

In league rugby, we spent the first three years together before following divergent paths.  The first meeting, in the spring of 1988, resulted in a 24-24 draw at ODP – the only home game we didn’t lose that season.  In those days, league games were considered optional, but with one point awarded for a defeat (two for a draw and four for a win) there was an incentive to fulfil the fixtures.  Yet teams met only once per season in the league, and until the home-and-away format was adopted Welsh always had fewer home fixtures due to the unavailability of Old Deer Park from mid-April to mid-September.  The following season, both clubs were relegated, although Welsh had the satisfaction of claiming their only victory of the year against the Scots, 29-10, again at ODP.  But in 1989-90, Scottish bounced-back with a clean-sweep of 11 wins from 11, including a narrow 18-14 win over the Welsh at the Athletic Ground, thus being promoted alongside runners-up Wakefield.  We also left Courage Three after just one season – but in the opposite direction.

Just two years later, Scottish and West Hartlepool were promoted to Courage One, replacing the relegated Nottingham and Rosslyn Park.  However, the leagues were restructured at the end of the 1992-93 season to allow for home-and-away fixtures, and Scottish were among the four teams relegated to Courage Two in order to trim the top flight from 13 clubs to ten.  Five years later, they returned to the top flight – now the Allied Dunbar Premiership – after beating Bristol in a two-legged promotion/ relegation play-off.  Scottish left the Athletic ground for The Stoop – Richmond, already promoted twelve months previously, were now calling the Madejski ‘home’ – but owner Tony Tiarks, who had bankrolled the push for promotion after buying the club for £500,000 in 1996, lost interest faster than he was losing money.  There was talking of merging with (or selling out to) Bristol, in order for the fallen West Countrymen to secure a fast-track back to the Premiership, but ultimately, in a stitch-up which conveniently fit with the RFU’s plans to reduce the size of the top flight by two, both Scottish and Richmond were ejected from the Premiership after entering administration.  Surely nobody could seriously suggest such a Draconian punishment…

The two professional clubs were ostensibly merged with London Irish, while their amateur arms began life in Herts/ Middx One – where London Welsh Amateurs will play this season - alongside the likes of Old Hamptonians and London New Zealand.  Six promotions in nine years found Scottish back in National One (level three) last year – the place where our paths last crossed 20 years previously.  They finished the season as runners-up to Esher, with a return of 22 wins and a draw from 30 games, and are widely expected to be serious challengers for promotion again this season.

Like London Welsh, they start the new season with a new Head Coach – and like London Welsh, he’s a recognised sevens specialist.  Simon Amor is an Old Hamptonian and Cambridge Blue who won the inaugural IRB Sevens Player of the Year in 2004, and he’s inherited a squad which scored 130 tries last term.  Winger Charles Broughton bagged 20, while Amor himself was joint-twelfth highest try scorer with two – alongside former Druids captain, tight-head Andy Fahey.  Despite a number of recent departures across the golf course (including Matt Vines, Matt Fitzgerald, Rory Greenslade-Jones, Lee Cholewa, Gareth Swales, Steve Millard, Jonathan Pettermerides, Dave Ramsay and Dan Beard) only three former London Welshmen are listed in the current Scottish squad – Fahey, Owain Walbyoff and Darryl Ball.  Chief Executive Tony Copsey also made two appearances in the scarlet jersey at the start of the 2002-03 season, as well as 114 in the not-so-famous scarlet of Llanelli and 16 in the red of Wales.  It will be good to renew old friendships both on and off the pitch for what is a welcome return to the fixture list for supporters of both clubs.