The political parties contending for victory in today's Scottish referendum can be distinguished between the "Better together" and the "Yes Scotland". Scots with the oval ball, the word together, and England rugby players are three factors that you just can't put into the same equation. The visceral hatred that flows between the blue blood of the highlanders and that of the English nobility who invented rugby is as violent as it is healthy. Already healthy, we are always in the world of the oval ball, so when we speak of hatred and violence, we are referring to student spirit and atavistic antipathy between two peoples.
Traditions, cultures, populations that are reduced to ancient villages when they meet on green expanses – it doesn't matter whether or not there are large poles placed in the shape of an "Acca" to delimit them, we always talk about war. Until the tough highlanders had to surrender to the excessive power of the English empire and merge their white cross into the Union Jack, the clashes were fought in very violent pitched battles. Since then, an English boy named Webb Ellis started running against his opponents during a football match with the ball under his arm - so the legend of the genesis of rugby has it - the fights changed into matches that every time have the flavor of a story as long as Loch Ness.
First with the 5 Nations, and then with the 6 Nations since 2000 with the entry of Italy, the English and the Scottish meet in two of the most fascinating stadiums in world rugby. In Edinburgh, Murrayfield is the home of every Scotsman, from the old man complete with pipe, bagpipes and kilt, to the child who paints his face with white and blue and shouts “Flower of Scotland”. In London, among the many authentic football stadiums, one stands out which in terms of size and prestige is not second even to the famous Wembley, the Twickenam. This is the home and cradle of Rugby, yes with a capital R.
Both with a capacity capable of hosting something less than 100 people, when they fill up with Scots and English they give a heart-pounding atmosphere. In Edinburgh – in style scottish – the reception for the English is cordial and kind and, as is the case, the English anthem entitled “God Save the Queen” is played, and the queen will need to be saved that day, who in fact there is some left at Buckingham Palace. The embarrassing silence of all those thousands of Scots is only broken by the many Englishmen who have arrived to support their colours, but who are unable to silence the mute din of the Scots – all highlanders at Murrayfield – who are just waiting for their moment.
Silence. The bagpipes of bearded musicians in colorful kilts begin to sing the first notes, and the Scottish chant “Oh flawers of Scotland, when will we see…” gradually rises. From then on, all you can do is turn up the volume – if you haven't been lucky enough to fly to Edinburgh – and feel Scottish to the core. Exactly halfway through the hymn, the bagpipes stop playing, and the hymn continues, highly tuned, a capella. More than 60 Scots singing in unison that they will not surrender to King Edward's army, that they will still see their flowers of Scotland blowing in the wind, and will send the army of the red rose back, towards the south.
Regardless of what the result of today's referendum will be, in rugby the division between English and Scottish will be clearer than ever, and we will hardly see any banners saying "Better together" at Murrayfield. Even if the technical level of the two teams has always been unequal - in favor of the English masters - the desire to prevail over the unpopular British cousins that every Scotsman has inside, makes the 6 Nations match between Scotland and England one of the most exciting held every year.
