How Scottish bagpipe music pulled me into rugby!

History

Years ago, I played Korfbal, the Dutch counterpart to Netball. Our sports complex hosted soccer, hockey, tennis, and one rugby club Hilversum. Because of my Saturday games and Sunday rugby in the Netherlands, I hadn’t encountered much rugby. That changed during a training session when we heard bagpipe music. We went over for a look and found a rugby match underway—a Dutch team against a Scottish side. The piper’s music intensified the excitement, and I was captivated by the players’ passion, emotion, physicality, and ball-handling skills.

People came over and asked me who and what then invited me over for next week’s training. I was hooked! Running with the ball was liberating, tackling an attacker was crazy, the hard and no shit culture so different from my sport and how I was brought up. I found a new family!

Much later I learned that the match I saw was The Dutch National Team playing under the name The Impala’s and the Scottish club side Boroughmuir. The Dutch player motivating his team was Bert Jan Boegschoten. It is still imprinted on my retina!

Fast Forward 40+ years

When I walked to the entrance to the Amsterdam Sevens venue I spotted these blokes with a bagpipe and told them the bagpipe pulled me into rugby. This got their interest obviously and after some Q&A one of them said: “I played in that game” and introduced himself as Norrie Rowan. How crazy is that!

Do we still appreciate our game?

When I go to a school for a rugby clinic and empty my ball bag the kids get all excited about throwing and kicking this egg! For us it is normal. When is the last time we scored a try and how great was that feeling? Our game is special but we seem to take it all for granted.

Things we should talk about more:

• As the Ball Carrier, you bear the weight of leading the attack and making crucial decisions.
• The Followers play a vital role by supporting your choices, regardless of the outcome.
• Respecting each other’s decisions, including those made by the referee, is fundamental.
• Rugby demands hard work, dedication, and passion.

When you hold the ball and charge forward, you’re not just playing a game—you’re embodying the spirit of the sport. And that universal question—“I have the ball, I am going forward, will you stop me?”—unites rugby fans worldwide. Because both asking the question and answering it can hurt! It is a real challenge, an invitation, and a celebration of the game’s intensity.

And you?

But what drew you to rugby in the first place? Was it the camaraderie, the physical challenge, or the sheer excitement of the game? Everyone has their unique story of how they fell in love with rugby. Feel free to share yours, as it is these stories that continue to inspire new players and fans alike.

Update!

I learned some more people I know played in that game: AAC – George de Vries, RC Hilversum’s John van Altena, Jan Rosman and Chris Schroder.

Subscribe and get notified when I add new posts to the Blog;