The Calcutta Cup is called that because the original trophy came from the old Calcutta (now Kolkata) Rugby Football Club in British India.

Quick Scoop

  • The Calcutta Rugby Football Club was founded in the early 1870s in Calcutta by British expats and soldiers who played rugby there.
  • When the club later disbanded, members melted down 270 silver rupees from the club’s funds and had them crafted into a decorative rugby trophy.
  • That silver trophy was gifted to England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) as a “challenge cup” to be played for between England and Scotland, the oldest international rugby rivals.
  • Because it was created by the Calcutta club and made in Calcutta by Indian silversmiths, the RFU named it the Calcutta Cup , and the name stuck.

A bit of story

In 1872, a big rugby match was played on Christmas Day in Calcutta between teams representing England and Scotland, sparking enough interest that a formal Calcutta Rugby Football Club was set up soon after. When enthusiasm for rugby in the city faded and the club closed a few years later, some members wanted a lasting legacy instead of simply splitting the remaining money.

They withdrew the balance in silver rupees, melted them down, and commissioned an ornate cup featuring cobras as handles and an elephant on the lid, very much in Indian decorative style. This cup was sent to the RFU in London with the suggestion it be used as a special challenge trophy, and it was assigned to the England–Scotland fixture.

Why that matters today

  • The name “Calcutta Cup” keeps a visible link between modern Six Nations rugby and its 19th‑century imperial roots in India.
  • It’s now one of rugby’s most historic and emotionally charged prizes, especially for Scottish and English fans, but its name still points back to a long-vanished club in colonial Calcutta.

So, “why is it the Calcutta Cup?”
Because the trophy was literally born in Calcutta, from melted Indian rupees, as a farewell gift from a defunct club to the RFU – and the name honours that origin.

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