{"id":87695,"date":"2025-05-09T15:31:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T15:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/87695\/"},"modified":"2025-05-09T15:31:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T15:31:09","slug":"glasgow-accies-host-barbarians-this-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/87695\/","title":{"rendered":"Glasgow Accies host Barbarians this weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TicketsTickets are still available for Glasgow Accies’ match against Barbarians at New Anniesland tomorrow [Saturday] afternoon. Image: Franz St\u00fccker <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n

WITH the sun out, and Warriors away from home, sports fans in Glasgow have an opportunity to celebrate the great game of rugby tomorrow [Saturday] afternoon by heading along to New Anniesland to watch Glasgow Accies take on the world famous Barbarians invitational side in a match which is being staged to celebrate the host club\u2019s contribution to Scotland\u2019s first ever Grand Slam success back in 1925. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The game will kick-off at 2pm, with gates opening at noon, and a celebratory dinner will be hosted in the clubrooms on Saturday evening when club legend John Beattie <\/strong>will host chats with the likes of Emma Wassell, Matt Fagerson, Duncan Weir <\/strong>and Ally Miller.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was actually four Glasgow Academicals who played for Scotland that year,\u201d explains Niall Campbell,<\/strong> the Glasgow Accies Chairman. \u201cJ<\/strong>immy Nelson<\/strong> scored a try\u00a0in the final match against England and Herbert Waddell<\/strong> (who would later become President of the Barbarians) scored the winning drop goal. Then there\u2019s Jimmy Dykes<\/strong> and James Gilchrist<\/strong> as well, who didn\u2019t that day but played earlier in the campaign.<\/p>\n

URC: Benetton v Glasgow: Huw Jones returns and Scott Cummings slots into the back-row<\/a><\/p>\n

URC: Connacht v Edinburgh: Sean Everitt backs Darcy Graham to bounce back from Lions snub<\/a><\/p>\n

Relief and delight for Sione Tuipulotu after fearing injury had wrecked his Lions chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, that\u2019s where the idea of this match came from, and we then got in touch with John Spencer<\/strong> (the former England and Lions centre who is now President of the Barbarians) to see if they were interested. They were already scheduled to play Durham University as part their 150th celebrations last weekend (a 33-64 win for the Barbarians), and they said yes to coming to Glasgow as well, which was great.\u201d<\/p>\n

The arrival of the Barbarians at Anniesland this weekend perhaps does not bring the same sort of celebrity power as the side\u2019s last visit in 1988 for the Herbert Waddell Memorial Match a few months after the great man\u2019s death, when Welsh legends\u00a0Jonathan Davies<\/strong> and Paul Thorburn<\/strong> lined up at stand-off and full-back respectively, England skipper Will Carling<\/strong> was in the centre, Donal Lenihan<\/strong> of Ireland was in the second-row, and Finlay Calder<\/strong> and Iain Paxton<\/strong> flew the flag for Scotland in the back-row \u2013 but the resourceful Campbell can\u2019t be accused of lacking ambition in trying to attract some stardust to the occasion.<\/p>\n

\u201cHenry Pollock<\/strong>\u2018s old man, John Pollock<\/strong>, is a Glasgow Academical, so I phoned up Northampton and asked if there was any chance of Henry coming up to play, but they weren\u2019t keen,\u201d he chuckles.<\/p>\n

While this weekend\u2019s Barbarians squad is predominantly made up of players from the third and fourth tiers of the English league structure who have representative honours playing for their county or England students, Campbell believes an entertaining and competitive match will ensure the day is a roaring success.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world has changed a bit but they are coming here to play traditional Barbarians rugby,\u201d he stresses. \u201cWe\u2019re not bringing in any ringers either, so it should be a really good match played in the finest spirit of the game. I think we\u2019ve sold about 1,000 tickets so far, so it should be a good day.\u201d<\/p>\n