Springtime has rolled around again, and with it, one of my favourite international tournaments: the Six Nations. The rugby competition features some of the most storied fixtures in history, with England first playing Scotland in 1871. Coming to Edinburgh, I was excited to experience the passion of that rivalry in a city as dense as Edinburgh.
Last year, in my first experience of this cauldron, I was in the former home of students at Edinburgh, Teviot Row House; to be more specific, I was in the Sports Bar. This was a sacred place, a pub with prices that were cheaper than London and with a cheery, intimate atmosphere.
Yet, this place has unfortunately been snatched from the clutches of new students everywhere, as the Edinburgh University Student Union (EUSA) has closed it for maintenance and repairs. While these operations are admirable, they have unfortunately lurched those for whom the Library Bar was hallowed ground into a state of worry, as the replacement venue has been touted as the Potterrow Dome.
While the dome is fine in and of itself, it pales in comparison to the holy grail that was Teviot. The heaviest loss suffered is the ability to watch sports in a university bar. The Calcutta Cup, arguably rugby’s greatest rivalry, felt positively tame at Potterrow in a way that the Sports Bar, an enclosed, acoustic space, never did. Flower of Scotland, an anthem that gets even an Englishman onto his feet, ready to send King Edward homewards, felt lost in the airy space and didn’t begin to register as the intimidating dirge it should have. I had hope for this game (although misplaced), whereas last time I was dreading the match at least half an hour ahead of kick-off.
This lack of atmosphere has held true for every game of the Six Nations I have attended at Potterrow, which is all but the opener, and it makes me long for those days of Teviot. Indeed, there is something about the dinginess of the Sports Bar that became cosy, and there is no way for Potterrow to replace this. I pity those who will spend their formative student years without an understanding of the joy and beauty of Teviot Row House.
Photo via Sam Lewis