Royal Bank of Scotland Scottish Varsity Matches Launched

Details of the 2017 men’s and women’s Royal Bank of Scotland Scottish Varsity matches between the Universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews – which will be played on the international pitch at BT Murrayfield on Saturday 23 September – have been announced, at the same time as tickets were released for sale.

Tickets cost £5 for students and under-18s and £10 for adults.  They can be bought online at http://www.scottishrugby.org/how-buy-tickets or in person from the Scottish Rugby Ticket Centre at BT Murrayfield.

RBS is continuing its sponsorship of the event in a new two-year agreement, clear indication of how the matches, to be played for the third successive year on the international pitch, are acting as standard bearers for student rugby in Scotland.

Further confirmation of that comes as Edinburgh University revealed that the 66-times-capped Scotland back-row forward and British Lion, Simon Taylor, was joining their coaching team, while St Andrews announced that erstwhile Scotland 7s cap and Scotland Club International forward, Rory McKay, was enlisting with their coaches.

Taylor, a law graduate from Edinburgh University who coached in the BT Premiership at Watsonians last season, will work alongside head coach David Adamson.

The profile of university rugby is very much on the rise and students have a big contribution to make to the game in Scotland. There’s always been strong competition between Edinburgh and St Andrews and I look forward to working with the coaching team and players for what I am sure will be a special occasion.”

Having someone of Simon’s international standing within the game joining our coaching team is symptomatic of the level of support and quality of programmes available to the best student rugby players at both Edinburgh and St Andrews.Our Team Performance Programme is among the best in Scotland, and so having Simon to further enhance this with the vast knowledge and experiences he's gained over the years, will be invaluable to our young players moving into the season ahead. Plus, being an alumnus of Edinburgh, I'm sure it will add extra significance to his own involvement."

Read the full story on the Scottish Rugby website.