The club, formed on 4 January 1922 at a meeting at the Palace Hotel in Inverness “where over 50 being present it was resolved to form a rugby club called Highland Rugby Football Club,” are striving to return to some of their halcyon years where their men’s first XV climbed the leagues under the guidance (among others) of the late Nairn MacEwan on the pitch and George Barrie off it, to reach the top tier of Scotland’s club game.

Highland have nurtured such talent as Ernie Michie, John Frame, MacEwan, George Mackie, Gregor Mackenzie, Moray Low and Jamie Dobie who have all gone on to play for Scotland and with their tremendous new pitches and clubhouse at Canal Park – opened by Scottish Rugby’s patron, HRH The Princess Royal in March 2018 – they are well placed to grow both the men’s and women’s game in the capital of the Highlands. A signed jersey by Scotland Women’s back-row forward, Black Isle product, Jade Konkel, adorns their clubhouse.

The 100^th anniversary started well on the pitch, too, with Highland 2^nd XV overcoming a 5-21 first-half deficit, to post a 43-35 victory over their Moray counterparts from Elgin.

Pictured below with the Calcutta Cup are Highland hooker Kevin Brown and prop Stephen Murray, plus and Euan MacEwan (brother of former Scotland coach and flanker, the late Nairn MacEwan) and his wife Ann.

Photo credit: Phil Downie