Rugby rivalry renewed

One of the oldest rivalries in rugby is to be renewed in a unique match in London.

Two of the founding members of the Scottish Rugby Union, the Universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews, will meet in London for the first time.

The Scottish Varsity Match renews a rivalry that dates back over 150 years and predates the Oxford vs Cambridge Varsity match played at Twickenham every year.

All alumni, supporters, friends and family are welcome to attend the game, which will take place at the Richmond Athletic Ground of London Scottish rugby club.

Alesha Dixon of Strictly Come Dancing fame will be among the celebrities in attendance, while former Scotland and British Lions coach, Sir Ian McGeechan, will present the winning team with a specially commissioned trophy.

This is the oldest varsity rugby fixture in the world. Our historians have told us we pre-date the Oxford v Cambridge match that was first played in 1872. This is an opportunity for us both to showcase Scottish university rugby on a wider scale but also to make links to our alumni and give them the chance to support their former universities.

David Ross

University of St Andrews Director of Rugby

Match details

Admission for the contest, which is being held in London for the first time, is free.

With both universities having many alumni in south-east England, a large crowd is anticipated.

Those wishing to attend can turn up on the night, or pre-register for a fast-track pass at:

Scottish Varsity match

Wednesday 30 November 2011, 8pm - 10pm Richmond Athletic Ground, Kew Foot Road, Richmond, TW9 2SS

London Scottish is delighted to be hosting the oldest Varsity clash in the world at the Richmond Athletic Ground. We see this match forming a key part of our annual St Andrew’s Day celebrations, and we are also delighted to be able to assist in the development of Scottish University rugby.

Tony Copsey

London Scottish chief executive

Rugby prowess

The fixture comes as Edinburgh University Rugby Club enjoys recent success.

Last season, the 1st XV won the Scottish Universities title with nine wins from 10 matches. The team played St Andrews twice, winning both fixtures.

This season, the team is playing in the British Universities Premier B League, regularly competing against the best university sides in the .

The University of Edinburgh also has a long tradition of producing strong rugby teams, as well as players who represent their national sides.

Distinguished rugby players from Edinburgh include former British Lions David Bedell-Sivright, Angus Black, Dan Drysdale and C.G. Timms.

Eric Liddell, featured in the film Chariots of Fire, also captained Edinburgh prior to winning 400 metres gold at the 1924 Olympics.

Both universities have a proud history and, in terms of that rivalry, I think our boys want to get one over on St Andrews. This match is a great opportunity for us to show a wider audience that we’re playing a good standard of open and attractive rugby.

David Adamson

University of Edinburgh rugby development officer

A winning university

Our sports facilities and programmes are among the finest in the UK.

We were rated 5th out of 147 institutions in the (British Universities & Colleges Sport) league table.

We provide bursaries, training programmes and a range of support services to help gifted students realise their sporting potential.