A major rugby match will take place at Mansfield Park on Tuesday 11th October between the cream of the South of Scotland’s club players and the legendary rugby club The Barbarians in aid of the Bill McLaren Foundation.
It will be the first time the South team will have played a match since their revival after 12 years against Northumberland at the end of 2009.
This is the first of a number of major announcements with regards the South of Scotland which will be made over the coming weeks, and the thought of a game between the two famous teams in red and white and black and white will no doubt make the mouths of all rugby fans water.
One of the South’s greatest sons, John Jeffrey, is Scotland’s representative on the Barbarians committee. He said:
“I was very fortunate to play for both teams and am really excited about this first ever match between the two. The Barbarians are looking to select a strong, attractive team to entertain the crowd at Mansfield Park but like the South they are proud and do not like to lose so it promises to be an absolute cracker of a match. The supporters are in for a real treat as well as contributing to such a worthwhile cause as the Bill McLaren Foundation.”
Barbarians President Micky Steele-Bodger added: “It’s a great honour for the Barbarians to be invited to play a part in this very significant and worthy initiative. It goes without saying that Bill McLaren represented all that is best in rugby union and we would like to think that his values mirrored our own, not least in terms of the spirit that the game should be played.
“We also view the fixture in October as a welcome opportunity for the Barbarians to return to Scotland and play in a real rugby community. We are looking forward to the occasion and the match and fully support the work of the Bill McLaren Foundation.”
Foundation Secretary, John Thorburn, said: “This game promises to be quite a spectacle when it gives the best of the Border rugby players the opportunity to play against the most famous rugby invitation side in the world – The Barbarians. It is great testimony to the name of Bill McLaren that the Barbarians will be in Scotland in October and playing in Bill’s home town.”
Tickets will be priced at £10 for stand seats and £5 for admission to the ground and will go on sale in April.
For more information contact John Thorburn, Secretary of the Bill McLaren Foundation on 07929 655132 or go to website www.billmclarenfoundation.co.uk
1 Response
Great news for the Bill McLaren Foundation and the South. Hope that this leads to a revival of the Inter-Districts again. I’ll be interested to see the attendance at this match and how it compares to the average Borders pro team crowd!