Scotland national rugby union team

Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union, a founder member of the International Rugby Board in 1886 with fellow Celtic nations Ireland and Wales. The thistle is the national flower, and also the symbol of the Scotland national rugby union team. According to legend the "guardian thistle" has played its part in the defence of Scotland against a night attack by the Danes, one of whom let out a yell of pain when he stepped barefoot on a thistle, alerting the Scottish defenders. The Latin Nemo me impune lacessit ("No-one provokes me with impunity!" in English) is an ancient Scottish motto, "me" in this case being the prickly thistle itself.

Scotland's greatest XV

This has been selected by popular vote on the SRU's website and, subject to further voting, is as follows. Naturally it tends to exclude pre-1945 players, some of whom might make an all-time great Scottish XV but whose play would only have been seen by a few fans voting in the internet age.

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15 Gavin Hastings

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14 Andy Irvine

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13 Alan Tait

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12 Jim Renwick

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11 Roger Baird

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10 John Rutherford

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9 Gary Armstrong

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8 Simon Taylor

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7 Finlay Calder

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6 John Jeffrey

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5 Scott Murray

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4 Gordon Brown

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3 Iain Milne

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2 Colin Deans

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1 David Sole, captain

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Scotland's greatest XV on the SRU website

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