Norrie Rowan

Norman "Norrie" Rowan (born 17 September 1951) is a former Scotland international rugby union player.

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

He played for Forrester and later Boroughmuir.

Provincial career

He played for Edinburgh District.

He received thirteen caps playing as prop forward for the national team.

He was nominated for Rugby World'''s "Unsung Hero" award in 1989 – he was the only Scot to be given an award in that year, after playing in all Five Nations matches that year.

Business and political career

As a businessman he has run a number of pubs and bars in Edinburgh, including the Tron Tavern in the Old Town, where it was traditional for the Scotland team to entertain visiting rugby players after international games.

Rowan stood for the Scottish Parliament elections in 1999. The poster said the council was 'bringing 1100 junkies to a street near you'.

In 2022 he maintained his anger over homeless people. He stated that 'These homeless people don't belong in the Old Town'. He also attacked the Spaces For People measures; and attacked the council decision to ban strip clubs in the area.

Edinburgh Vaults

Inside the Edinburgh Vaults, partly excavated by Norrie Rowan.

Rowan helped excavate the Edinburgh Vaults, after he found a tunnel leading to them in the 1980s. From this tunnel he helped Romanian rugby player Cristian Raducanu escape the Romanian secret police and seek political asylum weeks before the Romanian uprising of 1989.