Duncan Paterson
- December 22, 2009
- 66 years
About Duncan Paterson
Duncan Paterson, 66, Scottish rugby union player and administrator.
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Duncan Paterson (27 March 1943 – 22 December 2009) was a Scottish rugby union player. He played at scrum-half, for Gala RFC at club level and was capped at international level for Scotland. While he had a short and quiet international career, he served in the administrative offices of the Scottish Rugby Union in the late 1990s.
Playing career
Paterson earned his first international cap for Scotland against South Africa in December 1969. During the high-point of his career, Paterson started all of his country's matches during the 1971 Five Nations Championship. His most memorable match took place that same year against England at Twickenham Stadium, where the Scots had not won since 1938. With Scotland trailing 5–9 early in the first half, Paterson picked up a loose ball near the centre of the pitch following a line-out, and successfully booted a drop-goal. With about six minutes remaining in the match, however, England held a 15–8 advantage. Paterson, receiving the ball from a ruck, box-kicked the ball down the right-hand touch line, where Billy Steele appeared to knock it on. No knock-on was called however, and in a moment of hesitation by the English backs, Paterson swooped in and dotted the ball down for a try. Scotland went on to win 16–15 on a Peter Brown conversion of Chris Rea's last-minute try. These would be the only points which Duncan Paterson scored for his country.
After the 1971 Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham, Paterson was in the match against England at Murrayfield that next week. The match was the hundredth anniversary of Rugby's first international. Scotland defeated England for 26-6.
Rugby administrator
With his international playing career behind him, Paterson turned his attention to a successful career in business, primarily in the knitwear and property sectors. In 1986 Paterson's role within the Scottish Rugby Union began in earnest when he was elected to the union's general committee. In 1990 he then succeeded Bob Munro as the team manager of the Scottish national team.
Paterson steered the Scottish team through two Rugby World Cups, the team reaching the semi-finals in 1991 and the quarter-finals in 1995. He was also the team manager for the 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament, which was held in Scotland.
Paterson is the uncle of Chris Paterson, Scottish rugby's all-time leading points scorer.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Paterson
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Duncan Paterson's archived record and the sources above.
1.Who is Duncan Paterson's famous nephew in the world of Scottish rugby?
- A.Bob Munro
- B.Peter Brown
- C.Chris Rea
- D.Chris Patersoncorrect
Duncan Paterson is the uncle of Chris Paterson, who is Scottish rugby's all-time leading points scorer.
Source: rugby administrator section
2.In which sectors did Duncan Paterson primarily work after his international playing career?
- A.Knitwear and propertycorrect
- B.Agriculture and retail
- C.Banking and finance
- D.Technology and logistics
After retiring from international rugby, Duncan Paterson had a successful career in business, specifically in the knitwear and property sectors.
Source: rugby administrator section
3.Against which country did Duncan Paterson earn his first international cap for Scotland in 1969?
- A.South Africacorrect
- B.France
- C.Wales
- D.England
Duncan Paterson earned his first international cap for Scotland in a match against South Africa in December 1969.
Source: playing career section
4.What year was Duncan Paterson elected to the Scottish Rugby Union's general committee?
- A.1986correct
- B.1999
- C.1990
- D.1995
Duncan Paterson began his formal role within the Scottish Rugby Union in 1986 when he was elected to the general committee.
Source: rugby administrator section
5.How did Duncan Paterson score points in the 1971 match against England at Twickenham?
- A.A penalty kick
- B.A conversion
- C.A forward pass
- D.A drop-goalcorrect
Duncan Paterson picked up a loose ball near the centre of the pitch and successfully booted a drop-goal during the 1971 match against England.
Source: playing career section
6.Who did Duncan Paterson succeed as team manager of the Scottish national team in 1990?
- A.Chris Rea
- B.Bob Munrocorrect
- C.Peter Brown
- D.Billy Steele
In 1990, Duncan Paterson succeeded Bob Munro as the team manager for the Scottish national team.
Source: rugby administrator section
7.What specific stage did the Scottish team reach in the 1991 Rugby World Cup under Duncan Paterson's management?
- A.Semi-finalscorrect
- B.Quarter-finals
- C.Group stage
- D.Finals
Under the management of Duncan Paterson, the Scottish team reached the semi-finals of the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
Source: rugby administrator section
8.When did Duncan Paterson pass away?
- A.23 December 2009
- B.27 March 2009
- C.21 October 2012
- D.22 December 2009correct
Duncan Paterson died on 22 December 2009.
Source: biographical introduction
9.What was the final score in the 1971 match against England at Twickenham, where Duncan Paterson scored a try?
- A.26-6
- B.9-5
- C.16-15correct
- D.15-8
Scotland won the 1971 match against England at Twickenham with a final score of 16-15.
Source: playing career section
10.Which tournament was held in Scotland under Duncan Paterson's management in 1993?
- A.Five Nations Championship
- B.Rugby World Cup
- C.Calcutta Cup
- D.Rugby World Cup Sevenscorrect
Duncan Paterson served as the team manager for the 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament, which was hosted in Scotland.
Source: rugby administrator section
11.Which player scored the winning try in the 1971 match against England at Twickenham?
- A.Billy Steele
- B.Peter Brown
- C.Chris Reacorrect
- D.Duncan Paterson
Scotland won the match following a last-minute try scored by Chris Rea.
Source: playing career section
12.In the 1971 match at Twickenham, what maneuver did Duncan Paterson use to help set up his try?
- A.A penalty pass
- B.A line-out throw
- C.A box-kickcorrect
- D.A drop-goal
Duncan Paterson received the ball from a ruck and performed a box-kick down the right-hand touch line.
Source: playing career section
13.What milestone did the match against England at Murrayfield celebrate the week after the 1971 Calcutta Cup match?
- A.The 100th anniversary of Rugby's first internationalcorrect
- B.The retirement of the Scottish captain
- C.The 50th anniversary of the Calcutta Cup
- D.The 25th year of Duncan Paterson's career
The match at Murrayfield in 1971 marked the hundredth anniversary of the first international rugby match.
Source: playing career section
14.How many matches did Duncan Paterson start during the 1971 Five Nations Championship?
- A.Allcorrect
- B.One
- C.Two
- D.None
During the 1971 Five Nations Championship, Duncan Paterson started all of Scotland's matches.
Source: playing career section
15.What was the date of Duncan Paterson's birth?
- A.10 January 1945
- B.27 March 1943correct
- C.22 December 1938
- D.15 April 1940
Duncan Paterson was born on 27 March 1943.
Source: biographical introduction
16.Which position did Duncan Paterson play for Gala RFC?
- A.Scrum-halfcorrect
- B.Prop
- C.Full-back
- D.Fly-half
Duncan Paterson played rugby union at the scrum-half position.
Source: biographical introduction
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