In Association with The Famous Grouse
The cultivation of ‘Bubbles’ has been key to rugby’s ability to remain a community-binding presence in the Western Isles in the 21st Century.
The ‘Bubbles’ in question are Bubble senior and Bubble junior, less commonly known as Angus and David Mackay, who have been stalwarts of Stornoway Rugby Club for the past few decades.
“One of my friends in school, his sister nicknamed me Bubble, because I looked like a bubble,” explains the white-bearded Angus, with a wry smile. “That was 40-something years ago, and it just stuck. That’s the way it is on the island; it’s an island thing.”
There are fewer clubs that better epitomise the spirit of rugby than this tight bunch of people in the far north-west of the UK islands, and that comes through clearly when we join the players in the first of The Famous Grouse series of short films.
The whisky brand typifies Scotland’s approach to skill, craft and an unwavering dedication to be the best of the best, and The Famous Grouse is celebrating these common values through its The Spirit of Rugby campaign, which shines a light on the soul of grassroots rugby and the characters that make the sport so special.
Stornoway is one of the most remote rugby clubs in the United Kingdom – Shetland being the only club further from the mainland – and its soul enwraps visitors to the clubrooms instantly. That comes from an incredible commitment to playing and being part of a team.
For away games, the Stornoway players face anything from six to 24 hours travelling just to get to the venue. They compete in Scottish Rugby’s Arnold Clark Caledonia North Region League, where teams are scattered across the Highlands and Islands – an area of 26,000 square kilometres and 20 percent bigger than the whole of Wales.
In rugby terms, that means away days start from their island, the Isle of Lewis, with a near three-hour ferry trip to mainland Scotland. From Ullapool, the players then face a three-and-a-half-hour trip by road – in good weather – cross country to Aberdeen, where five of their current opponents are based. They also play Shetland and Orkney, which can mean a journey of ferries, planes, trains, buses and cars, and then you’re talking two days of travel there and back.
Throw in the challenges of weather in this winter game, and to ferry sailings, and persuading enough players to agree to such lengthy journeys, when clubs across the UK are finding travel to be a major reason for player unavailability, and you realise the different kind of commitment required to play for Stornoway.
How they maintain enthusiasm and motivation through countless seasons is something to behold. In the wonderful short film created by the team at Studio Something, players emerge from less than salubrious changing rooms to train in the snow, and they talk about the difficult times when teams would leave the island with fewer than 15 players hoping opponents would lend them some bodies to enable matches to go ahead.
Chairman Christopher Adams admits they were extremely close to folding just eight years ago, but, with player numbers having grown, says that there is a much more optimistic feeling now. The club is just two games from a first-ever appearance at Scottish Gas Murrayfield in Scottish Rugby’s Finals Day, and have their 75th anniversary looming in 2027.
The Spirit of Rugby film hears the Stornoway men talk of how they came together to raise funds when tragedy struck a former player, and laughter greets the memory of a “nudie calendar” – “that was something special!” says Bubble senior.
“There’s something different about rugby,” he says, as the current players train in the snow. “I don’t know if I can put my finger on it, but it’s just about that willingness to do that little bit more for your pal, you know? You drag people through or they drag you through.
“We’ve gone through those years and taken it on the chin, and stuck at it, purely because of the legacy; the guys that have gone before us.”
Through its The Spirit of Rugby campaign, The Famous Grouse is shining a light on the soul of grassroots rugby and the characters that make the sport so special.
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