Robert Bruce Young

Dr. Robert Bruce Young was a Scottish rugby union player who played for Glasgow University and Glasgow District. He became the 16th President of the Scottish Rugby Union and a referee.

Robert Bruce Young

Birth name	Robert Bruce Young
Date of birth	(1858-08-02)2 August 1858
Place of birth	Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death	16 March 1927(1927-03-16) (aged 68)
Place of death	Glasgow, Scotland
Rugby union career
Position(s) Forward Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) - Glasgow University () Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 1881- Glasgow District () Refereeing career Years Competition Apps 1887- 1889- Scottish Unofficial Championship Scottish Districts
16th President of the Scottish Rugby Union
In office 1888–1889
Preceded by	William Sorley Brown
Succeeded by	Andrew Ramsay Don-Wauchope

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

Young played for Glasgow University.[1]

Provincial career

He was capped by Glasgow District in 1881. It was the first match won by Glasgow in the Inter-City series.[2]

Referee career

He refereed in the Scottish Unofficial Championship.[3] He also refereed Scottish District matches.[4]

Administrative career

He was President of the Royal HSFP.[5]

He was the Vice-President of the Scottish Rugby Union in 1887.[3]

He was made the 16th President of the Scottish Rugby Union in 1888-89.[6] The Glasgow Herald reported his succession:[7]

A gentleman who has long taken an interest in the rugby game, and who, from experience and general ability, is well qualified for the position.

During his tenure as President, the Scottish Rugby Union had a conflict with the English Rugby Union. The Scottish Rugby Union together with the Welsh Rugby Union and the Irish Rugby Football Union founded the International Rugby Board, now World Rugby to oversee the game. The English Union refused to join.

Young was reported in The Sporting Life thus:[8]

The attitude of the latter country [England] was, he considered, most unsportsmanlike. She had taken a stand against the other three countries against which she could not bring the charge of being actuated by any desire to get the better of England or destroy football. The other nations had the welfare of football at heart. He believed that the International Board would win, and that England would be defeated in this battle. The Scottish members of their board always had the greatest satisfaction in feeling that they had the unanimous support of the clubs in their union.

The Glasgow Herald opined that on the dispute Dr Bruce Young had performed admirably, such that his:[9]

wise counsel last year in dealing with the international dispute with England, greatly strengthened the position of Scotland in that matter.

Outside of rugby

Young was a doctor of medicine.

References

1. "Register | British Newspaper Archive". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.
2. "The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
3. "Register | British Newspaper Archive". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.
4. "Register | British Newspaper Archive". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.
5. "Register | British Newspaper Archive". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.
6. "Scottish Rugby record" (PDF). s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
7. "Register | British Newspaper Archive". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.
8. "Register | British Newspaper Archive". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.
9. "Register | British Newspaper Archive". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.