It is called the Calcutta Cup because the trophy was created in the 1870s by the Calcutta Rugby Football Club in India, using melted-down silver rupees from the club’s funds, and then gifted to the Rugby Football Union in England.

Quick Scoop: Origin of the Name

  • The name “Calcutta Cup” comes from the Calcutta Rugby Football Club, which was based in the city then known as Calcutta (now Kolkata) in British India.
  • Rugby was popular among British soldiers and expatriates there in the early 1870s, and a famous England vs Scotland match was played in Calcutta in 1872.
  • The club later folded as interest in rugby declined and sports like cricket and tennis took over.

How the Trophy Was Made

  • When the Calcutta Rugby Football Club disbanded, its remaining members decided to do something “of lasting good for the cause of Rugby Football.”
  • They withdrew the club’s remaining funds, converted them into silver rupees, and had those coins melted down and crafted by Indian silversmiths into a decorative silver cup.
  • This new trophy, the Calcutta Cup, was then presented as a gift to the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in England.

Why It’s Linked to England vs Scotland

  • The RFU decided that this Indian-made trophy should be used for matches between England and Scotland, who already had the oldest international rugby rivalry.
  • The first Calcutta Cup match was played in 1879, and the cup has since been awarded to the winner of the annual England–Scotland game (now within the Six Nations).

Today’s Context and “Trending” Angle

  • The Calcutta Cup is often talked about each year during the Six Nations because it is considered the oldest international rugby trophy and carries this unusual India–Britain backstory.
  • Modern articles and match previews still highlight that a fiercely contested England–Scotland clash is named after a long-vanished rugby club from colonial Calcutta, which is part of what keeps the story trending whenever the sides meet.

In short, it’s called the Calcutta Cup because it was born in colonial Calcutta from melted silver rupees of a defunct club, then adopted by the RFU as the historic prize for England vs Scotland.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.