Strathmore Silverbacks facts for kids
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| Club information | |||
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| Full name | Strathmore Silverbacks | ||
| Nickname(s) | The Silverbacks | ||
| Website | [1] | ||
| Founded | 2015 | ||
| Current details | |||
| Ground(s) |
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| Coach | David Vernon | ||
| Manager | Stuart Gray | ||
| Competition | Scottish National League | ||
| 2019 | 1st (champions) | ||
| Uniforms | |||
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The Strathmore Silverbacks are a rugby league team from Scotland. They are part of the larger Strathmore Rugby Football Club. The team is based in Forfar, a town in Angus. They play their home games at Inchmacoble Park. The Silverbacks compete in the Scottish National League.
Contents
Team History
How the Silverbacks Started
The Strathmore Silverbacks team was created in 2015. It was started by David Vernon and Stuart Gray. David Vernon was a professional rugby league player. He also played for the Scotland A international team. Stuart Gray was already involved with Strathmore RFC.
Early Successes
In their very first season, 2015, the Silverbacks did very well. With David Vernon as their head coach, they won the Edinburgh 9s tournament. They also finished second in the league. The team even beat the champions, Aberdeen Warriors, twice that season. One of those wins was a close 39-32 game.
Becoming Champions
The next year, 2016, the Silverbacks again finished second to the Warriors. They played in the Grand Final in Montrose. However, they lost that game 32-48. In 2017, the Silverbacks finally became Scottish Champions! They won a thrilling game 32-30 against Edinburgh Eagles. This big win meant they could play in the 2018 Challenge Cup. The Challenge Cup is a famous rugby league competition. In 2019, they won the Scottish Championship again.
Silverbacks on the International Stage
Players Representing Scotland
Even though the club is quite new, some Silverbacks players have already played for Scotland. This means they were chosen to represent their country.
In September 2015, Murray Mitchell was picked for the Scotland Under 19s team. He played in a match against Cumbria. The next year, in July 2016, three more players got this chance. Ewan Maguire, Jack Wilson, and Darren Bell played for the Scotland Under 19s. They played against England Under 19s at Post Office Road, Featherstone.
In 2017, Niall Hall was invited to train with the Scotland students squad. This was to get ready for the World Cup in Australia. In November 2017, three Silverbacks players were chosen for the Scotland Under 23 team. Murray Mitchell, Niall Hall, and Ali Olivier played in the Commonwealth 9s. This event took place in February 2018.
Team Achievements
The Strathmore Silverbacks have won several awards and titles:
- Edinburgh 9s (1): 2015
- Strathmore 9s Runners-Up (1): 2016
- Scotland 9s (1): 2017
- Scottish Cup Runners-Up (1): 2019
- Scottish Runners-Up (3): 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021
- Scottish Champions (2): 2017, 2019
See also
- Rugby league in Scotland
- List of rugby league clubs in Britain
