Its first ever match was in December 1857 against Edinburgh Academicals FC – in 2007 the two clubs replayed that fixture to celebrate the 150th anniversary of EURFC's founding using replica period kit, ball and complying to the older rules.

EURFC has produced 72 young full-international (for major IRB countries) players whilst still students representing the club; these include 1924 Olympic 400m Gold Medallist Eric Liddell, 1904 British Lions captain David Bedell-Sivright – one of the seven EURFC members also to play as British Lions whilst still students at the club, Norman Mair – the future legendary sports writer and Scotland cricketer, Black & MacDonald the great 1950 British Lions half-back partnership, and Ian Smith 'The Flying Scot' from the 1920s who held the 5-nations try-scoring record for many years.

In 1901, after winning the Scottish unofficial championship, the Club provided an extraordinary eight members of the Scotland XV to defeat Wales that February.

Of these, Alex Frew not only won three Scotland caps from EURFC but also captained South Africa in its first ever match against the touring British Lions on his lone appearance for that country in 1903.

Timms had the distinction of representing the Club throughout that year and the British & Irish Lions on tour to South Africa without ever winning an international cap before or after.

'Charlie' Timms may have made up for his lack of international caps by going on to be awarded four Military Crosses in World War I as a Medical Officer – another great and possibly unique rarity.

Until 1983, EURFC enjoyed regular home and away fixtures with Oxford and Cambridge Universities often with distinct success; many players have interchanged between the three University Clubs on graduations – two of many notable examples of this being Ian Smith, 'The Flying Scot' who joined Edinburgh from Oxford and played for 4 seasons from 1924, and Barbarians' president Micky Steele-Bodger of England – a 1947 Edinburgh postgraduate from Cambridge destined to become future Chairman of the International Rugby Board.

However great ambition coupled with reorganisations in the British University competition saw the Club qualify for admission to BUCS Premier North 'B' League at the first available opportunity; this inevitably saw a deeply reluctant departure from the SRU league structure to aid concentration on the enormous travelling requirements south of the border.

As well as Japan and Brazil the club has also had sides in USA, Ireland, Canada, France, Australia, Argentina and Spain in recent years.