Scottish rugby has been traced back to 1851, when the game spread up from England into posh schools in Edinburgh and Glasgow. While rugby took its time to develop in England, owing to the country's population and culture of football and cricket, in Scotland it grew quicker. It is widely believed that rugby spread because in Scotland schools were not as spread apart and hence teams were able to compete against each other easily. Most schools were in Glasgow, and most schools were founded in the early part of the 19th century.

As the game rose through the school ranks it evolved into a club game. In 1871 the first ever rugby international was played when the captains of the five leading Scottish clubs challenged an English side to a game in Edinburgh, which the hosts won by a goal and a try; there was no points system in place at the time. His match did plenty for rugby in Scotland, needless to say.

Scotland's traditional rival is England, with whom it contests the Calcutta Cup annually. The Calcutta Cup came about from a game of rugby played between 20 players representing England and 20 representing Scotland, Ireland and Wales on Christmas Day 1872, in Calcutta, India. The game gained immense popularity and is now played out as part of the Six Nations. It is a keenly contested game, though Scotland's fortunes have dipped in the last decade; they have beaten England just three times since 1990.

The Scottish Football Union, rugby union's governing body in the country, was founded in 1873. In 1886, it tied up with Wales and Ireland to form the International Rugby Board.

Scotland struggled to keep up with England, Wales and Ireland owing to its small pool of clubs. There were wins over France, Wales and Swansea both at home and away in 1925, as well as a first-ever Five Nations Grand Slam title against England, but the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 hit Scottish rugby hard. Official internationals resumed in the 1946-47 season but Scotland was not as strong. A win over New Zealand apart, Scotland suffered 17 successive defeats between 1951 and 1955.

A few odd wins, another Calcutta Cup trophy and a shared Five Nations with Wales in 1964 made way for a second Grand Slam in 1983-84. Scotland also failed to ignite at the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. In 1990, however, Scotland recorded one of their better wins, against England at Murrayfield, to claim their third Grand Slam.

Scotland made it to the semi-finals of the 1991 World Cup, the quarter-finals in 1995, and after lifting the last-ever Five Nations Championship over England in 1999, made a similar exit at that year's World Cup. In 2007 they also reached the quarter-finals.

In February 2007, with a decline in tickets sales in sharp contrast to the scenario in neighboring Ireland and Wales, the SRU contemplated setting up a team in England, which would participate in the Magners League. More than £20 million in debt, the SRU's aim was to boost revenue and attract crowds.

In August the SRU regained control of Edinburgh Rugby after reaching an agreement with the club's former owners. The SRU issued a statement confirming that its contract with the Celtic League club and its holding company Murrayfield Sport and Leisure had been terminated by common consent.

Scotland’s traditional outfit has been navy blue jerseys, white shorts and red socks.