Tunes for 'Team GB' (Rugby Sevens) ?

[Tomo]

This Great Britain thing has put me off.

I think the driver for this is that the HSBC series is pre-qualifier for the Olympics - were the UK competes as Team GB. The home nations still compete individually in the Commonwealth Games - which included 7s in it's program before it was adopted bz the Olympics.

There is however a longer GB tradition in the form of the British and Irish Lions, who tour every four years. Flower of Scotland, The Fields of Athenry, Jerusalem, Men of Harlech and Delilah are popular with supporters. Flower of Scotland was first used on the 1974 tour, many years before the SRU adopted it as an anthem in 1990.

The British and Irish Lions do not traditionally have an anthem, only the hosts anthem is played before matches. However, an official Lion's anthem 'The Power of Four' was commissioned for the 2005 Tour - it did not prove popular with fans or players and has not been used since.

Interestingly, neither Scotland, nor the UK, has an official national anthem. In 2015, the Scottish Parliament closed a petition to adopt Flower of Scotland as an official national anthem stating that "this is not something that should be led by the Scottish Government but is likely to be determined informally over time". By the same token, God Save the King is the de facto national anthem of the UK that derives its status from custom and use, rather than a Royal Proclamation or Act of Parliament.

Don't let it put you off - not sure how many Scotland players are in the squad though...