GORDON Bulloch, the former Scotland captain, will lead fellow British and Irish Lions in the colours of the Barbarians next month as the famous tourists help celebrate Edinburgh Academical's 150th anniversary.
The Accies have more pressing issues this weekend with their Division 1 survival on a knife-edge, but Scotland's oldest rugby club, and second oldest in the world, have worked hard behind the scenes to stage this Baa-Baas fixture and have secur
ed sponsorship from Cornelian Asset Managers.
The Barbarians are to bring a team drawn from ten nations to Raeburn Place for the one-off match against the hosts on Wednesday, 9 April (6pm kick-off). The team are to be coached by John Jeffrey, the former Scotland and Lions flanker, and will feature 11 internationals, including three Lions – Bulloch, Rob Henderson and Tyrone Howe, the former Ireland backs.
Dan Teague, the Accies captain, said: "This is a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity for the players and for the club to play against the Barbarians. The Barbarians are a team all rugby fans and players can associate with; we've grown up watching their matches and admiring the great names that have played for them and the exciting style in which they play.
"The club have put a great deal of planning into the event and I look forward to captaining the Accies 1st XV on a memorable day."
There are also exhibition matches on the day involving the mini section and the BATs Under-15s against Edinburgh Academy Under-15s, while on the previous day some Edinburgh pro players will hold a coaching clinic with local youngsters.
The capacity of Raeburn Place will be around 3,000 with temporary stands either side of the pitch, and more than 2,000 tickets have already been sold. The match will be all-ticket, and they are available from www.edinburghrugby.org and the ticket hotline 0131 346 5180.
China seven in Melrose drawTHE PEOPLE'S Republic of China will light up a Melrose Sevens draw for the first time this weekend when the Borders club pull the names from the hat for the Mathon 125th Anniversary Sevens.
The draw will also feature teams like Leicester, Roma, Ulster, the holders the Shimlas from South Africa, and the Gold Coast Breakers from Australia.
The full article contains 386 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
