Eric Loudoun-Shand - Rugby Career

Rugby Career

Eric learnt his rugby at Dulwich College. Whilst there he played in an unbeaten first XV in 1909 which contained five future internationals dubbed the 'Famous Five'. These five would all go on to play in the 1913 Varsity match, (and also produced the captains of both Oxford and Cambridge in 1919), and all served in the First World War. They were Eric Loudoun-Shand himself and Grahame Donald who both went on to play for Scotland, William David Doherty who went on to play for and captain Ireland, Jenny Greenwood who went on to play for and captain England and the record-breaking Cyril Lowe.

From Dulwich College, Eric went to Oxford University. He was selected to play as a Centre in the 1913 varsity match against Cambridge University. In that same year he was selected to play for Scotland against England at Twickenham on 15 March. In that match, which Scotland lost by 3 point to nil due to LG Brown's try, he wore the number 4 shirt. On the opposing side were two of his former school team mates, CN Lowe and JE Greenwood. His international career was then interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War. He joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps and during the war rose to the rank of Major and received the Military Cross. He was also a holder of the Territorial Decoration.

He did not return to international rugby, but he did make a return for Oxford University in 1919. He captained the side and his opposing captain was his former school team mate J. E. Greenwood. It was due to a chance encounter with Eric Loudoun-Shand that Greenwood was allowed to captain the Cambridge side that year. It was within the prerogative of the Oxford captain to deny Cambridge the chance to field Greenwood, who had left the University just prior to the war. However, the long association proved to be to Greenwood's good fortune. Eric Loudoun-Shand played that match with a severely injured arm, an injury from the Great War. So bad was this injury that he later had to have the arm amputated.