Ninian Finlay

Ninian Jamieson Finlay (31st January, 1858-7th March, 1936^[1]) was a Scottish international rugby players.^[2] He was capped nine times for Scotland between 1875-81,^[2] and is generally considered to be the youngest player ever to be capped for Scotland - he was seventeen years and thirty six days old when he was capped against England on 8th March, 1875.^[3] He vies for this record with Charles Reid, who was the same age when capped - however, Reid had lived through an extra leap year day, when he was capped in 1881.^[3]

Finlay attended Edinburgh Academy, which he was attending when capped.^[3] He later played for Edinburgh Academicals RFC,^[2] and Edinburgh University RFC.^[1]

The first historian of Scottish rugby, R.J. Phillips, says of Ninian Finlay, "there never was such glamour and reputation attached to any Scottish player till A.R. Don Wauchope reached the zenith of his powers."^[4]

In later life he was a Writer to the Signet.^[1]

Family

Ninian was the brother of James Finlay, who was capped four times for Scotland (1871-75), Arthur Finlay, who received a single cap (1875), ^[2] and Robert Finlay, 1st Viscount Finlay.

In the 1875, 0-0 draw with England at Raeburn Place, all three brothers played, with James winning his last cap, and Arthur and Ninian winning their first:^[5]

"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."^[5]

References

• Bath, Richard (ed.) The Scotland Rugby Miscellany (Vision Sports Publishing Ltd, 2007 ISBN 1905326246)
• Godwin, Terry Complete Who's Who of International Rugby (Cassell, 1987, ISBN 0713718382)
• Massie, Allan A Portrait of Scottish Rugby (Polygon, Edinburgh; ISBN 0 904919 84 6)

1. ^ ^{a b c} Godwin, p147
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Bath, p136
3. ^ ^{a b c} Bath, p65
4. ^ Massie, p9
5. ^ ^{a b} Bath, p52