The Scorpions RFC is an invitation rugby team in East Africa that was established upon principles that have many parallels with the Barbarian F.C. in terms of values, playing style, selection policy and the lack of a home ground. The team wears black shirts and white shorts and, like the original Barbarians and the French Barbarians, players wear socks of their choice provided that they have played for the team that the socks represent (the socks shown to the right are the original Harlequins socks which were also worn by Kenya Harlequins in the 1950s and 1960s).
Foundation The club was founded in 1959 in Dodoma, central Tanganyika (now Tanzania) to function as an invitation touring side. The idea was first put forward by W.K.L. Ken Thomas who also became the club's first captain and chairman. With marginal rainfall, rocky outcrops, thorny scrub and dry sandy soil, Dodoma is an ideal habitat for the scorpions after which the club is named, but a less suitable place to play rugby is hard to imagine. The touring element drifted almost immediately into obscurity and the club eventually became based in Kenya as rugby in Tanzania dwindled during the 1970s.
Aims and Principles The over-riding principle behind the team is to play and foster the playing of rugby football of the best possible type and to insist upon the highest standards of discipline and behaviour, both on and off the field.
The vast distances and primitive transport networks of Colonial East Africa made the playing of rugby difficult, particularly so in Tanganyika. The intention behind the founding of the Scorpions was to allow players in Tanganyika to play high quality rugby that would otherwise be unavailable to them, thus membership (which is by invitation only), would be available to any player in Tanganyika. With time the net was thrown wider to include any player in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania). The Scorpions are able to introduce younger players to a higher level of rugby and to experiment by trying players in unusual positions, something that representative selectors are unable to attempt for fear of criticism.
The club has no club-house, they usually play their matches at the RFUEA Ground and, in order to stimulate interest in rugby to as wide an audience as possible, they never take a gate allowing spectators from all financial backgrounds to watch them play.
Match List The Scorpions have built up a sporting tradition of encounters with famous clubs on tour. The majority of these games have been lost but the Scorpions have endeavoured to live up to their principles and have scored notable victories over Anti-Assassins (1964) and London Wasps (1973) and also earned a draw with Blackheath F.C. in 1979.
Blackrock College RFC is a club originally formed by old-boys of Blackrock College, an institution founded by the Congregation of the Holy Ghost in 1860. In 1939, the same order set up St. Mary's School, Nairobi to be run under the same Spiritian ethos, an ethos that embraces the benefits of sport in general and rugby union in particular. This has begun a long connection between the order and the East African rugby community; St. Mary's School hosts an annual schools rugby festival and (along with Lenana School, Rift Valley Academy and Strathmore School) it is one of the major producers of rugby players in Kenya. In addition, Blackrock College RFC toured East Africa in 1971 and the Fourth Tuskers played a return fixture during their tour of Ireland the next year.
When, in 1973, the Scorpions played the Old Georgian Club from Argentina, the former England captain Dick Greenwood was in Kenya on a coaching assignment for the RFU. He was selected to play in the second row by Scorpions who lost by one point after a non-stop display of running attacking rugby that ranks among the most thrilling matches ever played on the RFUEA Ground. Dick then travelled to Italy to become the Coach of Rugby Roma Olimpic (1973–1976) and, using the contacts that he had made in Kenya, an East African tour was arranged for the Italian club in 1976 during which they too played against the Scorpions.
DateOpponentFromLocationResultScore1959-08-04 Nondescripts RFC Parklands Sports Club, Nairobi Won 25-91959-08-06Kitale Rugby ClubKitale Sports Club, KitaleLost8-261959-08-08Nakuru RFCNakuru Athletic Club, NakuruLost3-91959-08-10Kenya HarlequinsRFUEA Ground, NairobiLost11-151960-10-08Kampala RFCNakivubo Stadium, Kampala1961-05- Pretoria Harlequins Nakuru Lost 0 - 141964- Anti-Assassins RFUEA Ground, Nairobi Won -1966-04-24Blackheath F.C.RFUEA Ground, Nairobi1968-03-23Queens University RFCRFUEA Ground, Nairobi1968-07-14 Middlesex RFUEA Ground, Nairobi Lost 0 - 471969- Anti-Assassins RFUEA Ground, Nairobi Lost 14 - 481971-03-28 9 Parachute Squadron RE, British Army RFUEA Ground, Nairobi -1971-07-04 Blackrock College RFC RFUEA Ground, Nairobi Lost 13 - 161972-04- Rosslyn Park F.C. RFUEA Ground, Nairobi -1972-07-30 Richmond F.C. RFUEA Ground, Nairobi Lost 12 - 181973-05-05 London Harlequins FC RFUEA Ground, Nairobi Lost 6 - 411973-07-29 Wasps FC RFUEA Ground, Nairobi Won -1973- Old Georgians RFUEA Ground, Nairobi Lost 21 - 221976-06-05Rugby Roma Olimpic RFUEA Ground, Nairobi Lost13 - 161979-05-12 Blackheath F.C. RFUEA Ground, Nairobi Drawn 17 - 171982-05-22 Anti-Assassins RFUEA Ground, Nairobi -1984-05-16 Suttonians RFC Impala Ground, Nairobi Lost 10 - 191988-08 Sherborne RFC / RC Granvillais / RFUEA Ground, Nairobi Won -01-06-2023Bryncethin RFC Wales Mae Zedong Stadium, Zanzibar Won 38 - 5
Match details
Blackheath 1979 Team ListsSCORPIONS Player Club HonoursFB 15P.D. Evans Nondescripts RFC and East AfricaRW 14B. Omolo Blak Blad RFC OC 13J. Omaido Mean Machine RFC and East AfricaIC 12A. Scutt West Kenya RFC LW 11S.L. Rigby Nondescripts RFC FH 10G. Roy Impala RFC SH 9 R.G Leask (c)Impala RFC and East AfricaLP 1 D. Wallace Nondescripts RFC HK 2 J. Ellis Kenya Harlequins and East AfricaTP 3 C.J. OnsottiKenya Harlequins and East AfricaLL 4 M.A. Riley Nondescripts RFC RL 5 W.J. OkwirryImpala RFC OF 6 M. Evans Nondescripts RFC and East AfricaBF 7 G. Chief Edebe Mean Machine RFC and East AfricaN8 8 W.G. Hadman Nondescripts RFC Substitutes: 16E. Kabetu Mombasa Sports Club and East Africa 17C.J.S Taylor Nondescripts RFC 18E. Ayodo Impala RFC 19D. Awimbo Mwamba RFC 20T. Ollerhead Nondescripts RFC 21J. Omany Impala RFC Coach: None BLACKHEATH F.C. Player Club HonoursFB 15B. Kelsey-Fry Blackheath F.C. Kent CountyRW 14K. Purchase Blackheath F.C. Kent and U19OC 13J. Kelly Ebbw Vale RFC and Cross Keys RFC IC 12N Walker Sevenoaks RFC Kent U21LW 11J Percival Blackheath F.C. Hampshire CountyFH 10R. Whiteman Blackheath F.C. Oxford University RFCSH 9 P. McFarland King's College Hospital RFC Staffordshire U19LP 1 C. Bailward Blackheath F.C. England Trialist and Eastern CountiesHK 2 J. Murphy Blackheath F.C. Kent CountyTP 3 K. Cairns Saracens RFC England TrialistLL 4 R. Hill (c) Blackheath F.C. England Trialist and KentRL 5 N. Joyce Leicester F.C. England TrialistBF 6 C. Hooker Blackheath F.C. South v OF 7 R. Naish Blackheath F.C. Surrey and London CountiesN8 8 G.J Adey Leicester F.C. Barbarians and Substitutes:SH 16 I. Tharby Blackheath F.C. Kent SchoolboysH 17 A. Johns Blackheath F.C. L 18 P Lovett Blackheath F.C. Notts/Lincs/Derby U23P 19 J. Montgomery Blackheath F.C. Kent County and Ulster U21 20 D. Blacklocks Blackheath F.C. 21 Manager:John Legge Kent County Coach
Members
Past Administrators
Past Captains
Notable players Dick Greenwood (former captain) E. Ted Kabetu (first black player to be selected by Scorpions and to represent East Africa)
Other Players P.E L'Estrange
References