 The newspaper notice advertising the very first rugby international match - inconspicuous by being slotted in between other items (From The Scotsman, 27.3.1871) In December 1870, following a series of England v. Scotland eleven-a-side football matches played in London (all of which were won by England), a group of Scots players issued a letter of challenge in The Scotsman and in Bell's Life in London, to play an England XX at the carrying game.The English could hardly ignore such a challenge and this led to the first-ever rugby international match being played at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, on Monday 27 March 1871.The Scots won the encounter by a goal and a try to a solitary try scored by England (a points scoring system had not then been devised).