Tunes for 'Team GB' (Rugby Sevens) ?

[OC Richard]

This weekend is Rugby Sevens in Southern California.

For several years when they were held in Las Vegas I attended, supporting Scotland.

I had my pipes, I played up in the stands. I was advised by the guy in charge of the piping at Murrayfield to play Flower of Scotland and Highland Cathedral at the beginning of a match, then Scotland the Brave at each Try.

Then I wasn't able to attend for a few years. Now the venue has changed (much closer to me) but also the teams have changed!

No longer are there separate Scotland, England, and Wales Sevens teams. Now it's "Team GB".

What would a piper play? God Save the King at the start? That plus Flower of Scotland? (Seems there are four Scottish players.)

This Great Britain thing has put me off.

[Jock Scot]

The British National Anthem of course, followed by Colonel Bogey and then the Dam Busters theme tune, perhaps?

[Tomo]

This Great Britain thing has put me off.

I think the driver for this is that the HSBC series is pre-qualifier for the Olympics - were the UK competes as Team GB. The home nations still compete individually in the Commonwealth Games - which included 7s in it's program before it was adopted bz the Olympics.

There is however a longer GB tradition in the form of the British and Irish Lions, who tour every four years. Flower of Scotland, The Fields of Athenry, Jerusalem, Men of Harlech and Delilah are popular with supporters. Flower of Scotland was first used on the 1974 tour, many years before the SRU adopted it as an anthem in 1990.

The British and Irish Lions do not traditionally have an anthem, only the hosts anthem is played before matches. However, an official Lion's anthem 'The Power of Four' was commissioned for the 2005 Tour - it did not prove popular with fans or players and has not been used since.

Interestingly, neither Scotland, nor the UK, has an official national anthem. In 2015, the Scottish Parliament closed a petition to adopt Flower of Scotland as an official national anthem stating that "this is not something that should be led by the Scottish Government but is likely to be determined informally over time". By the same token, God Save the King is the de facto national anthem of the UK that derives its status from custom and use, rather than a Royal Proclamation or Act of Parliament.

Don't let it put you off - not sure how many Scotland players are in the squad though...

[OC Richard]

Thanks for all the recommendations and fascinating information.

Yes I had read that "Team GB" was something forced on everybody by the Olympics. The odd thing to me is that the HSBC Sevens adopted it.

A sidenote is that, interestingly, it's "Team GB" not "Team UK". I had read that the Olympics people considered NI to be part of "Team GB" while the IRFU considered NI to be part of Ireland.

Anyhow last I read the 2025 Scottish "core players" were

Robbie Ferguson
Jamie Farndale
Ross McCann
Kaleem Barreto

I can't recall if there were any Welsh "core players".

About National Anthems, I knew that about Scotland but I didn't know that God Save The King wasn't official. Goes to figure, so many things are by tradition and custom.

Interestingly the United States didn't have an official National Anthem until 1931. The Star-Spangled Banner was put forward in 1930 by a petition started by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Prior to that Hail Columbia, My Country 'tis of Thee, and America the Beautiful often filled that function.