Edinburgh Napier University beat University of Glasgow 54-0 to clinch the Division 1 Scotland title and a spot in the playoffs.
The first game of 2026 saw the second-ranked Glasgow Tigers travel to the capital to face the first-place Knights in ‘The Swamp’. Following heavy rain throughout the week, the home field lived up to its nickname, resembling a WWI battlefield more than a gridiron.
Glasgow’s offense found themselves bogged down throughout the game, as second year quarterback Zaigham Askari was thrown in the deep end of the mud for his first start of this season.
Napier’s offense was unfazed by the conditions, having weeks to prepare for the unsure footing. They opened the scoring with a pair of rushing touchdowns from Archie Inglis and Cameron Dunn, followed by a 14-yard pass to Oscar Szambelan who broke a tackle to score. Kicker Aaron Steel went 3/3 on extra points as Napier jumped out to a 21-0 lead early on.
The Knights’ special teams got involved in the second quarter with a 65-yard punt return score by Gregor Pert to put them up 27-0.
The first half ended with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Knights backup Lachlan McFie to Pert on a slant into the endzone. The two-point attempt was stuffed by the Tigers defence to leave the score at 33-0.
Following a frigid intermission, Gregor Pert returned the opening kick-off 70 yards for his third score of the game, with Steel adding the extra point to begin the running clock.
Not content with the hat trick, Pert continued to dominate on special teams with yet another punt return touchdown. Archie Inglis punched in the conversion to give the Knights a 48-0 lead in the final minutes.
The Tigers’ offense never managed to get out of first gear, suffering two interceptions by Charlie Brown and Sam Christian, as well as two fumbles recovered by Manny Falomo and Sam Christian.
Napier quarterback Cameron Dunn capped off the scoring with a 65-yard scamper as time expired, giving a final scoreline of 54-0.
Wide receiver Gregor Pert was named game MVP for his electric four touchdown performance. Edinburgh Napier have now secured the division title and playoff football for this year. Meanwhile, Stirling overcame the University of Edinburgh 42-0 and look poised to secure second place in Scotland.
The Knights and their well-worn field can enjoy a bye week to recover before facing a rematch against the University of Edinburgh on Super Bowl Sunday.
View the league table here.
Image by Mhairi Chambers
