Sport & Exercise

Scottish Varsity Match Date Announced

Royal Bank of Scotland Scottish Rugby Varsity Matches return to BT Murrayfield on 22 September 2018

Scottish Varsity 18 Launch Photo

The much-anticipated Royal Bank of Scotland Scottish Rugby Varsity Matches 2018 will take place at BT Murrayfield on Saturday 22nd September from 3pm.

Over the last three years, the matches have sparked the imagination of the student and wider rugby communities with over 10,000 spectators flocking to the games at the international stadium. The event is hosted in partnership with Scottish Rugby and supported by Royal Bank of Scotland, Campus Living Villages, Playerlayer and Macron.

Scottish Varsity 18 Launch Photo

The event, which sees the men’s and ladies 1st teams from University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews play out an ancient rivalry on the International pitch at BT Murrayfield, is the finale of the wider Kingdom v Capital varsity competition between the two ancient universities, with the Men’s rugby fixture widely accepted as the world’s oldest varsity match. Vice-President of the SRU, Dee Bradbury said:

"The Varsity matches have always provided a competitive game and are a great advert for student rugby.

We are excited that BT Murrayfield will once again be hosting what has become one of the best attended fixtures in the Scottish rugby calendar."

Tickets for the matches will be available from Friday 3rd August, and will be priced at just £5 for students and U18’s, and £10 for the wider community. 

The match also represents the first test for the new Director of Rugby at St Andrews, Scott Lawson who only took up the post at the beginning of June. He is sure to be looking to reclaim the Men’s title that Edinburgh took with their 37-7 victory in the 2017 match and to make further progress against the dominance of the Edinburgh Ladies team.

“Having been recently appointed as Director of Rugby at St Andrews the fixture that initially jumps out for me is the Varsity match at BT Murrayfield. It is a great occasion that will be the career highlight for most involved.  The Men’s varsity is the showcase event but the day also incorporates a whole range of other sporting events across student sport. I’m keen to build on the constant progression being made by the woman’s team while also looking to start the Men’s season off on a high.”

Scott Lawson, University of St Andrews, Director of Rugby

 

Edinburgh head coaches David Adamson (Men’s) and Claire Cruikshank (Ladies) are both looking to repeat the performances and victories from last year

Following last year’s victory, we’re determined to follow this up with an equally strong performance against St Andrew’s who will be buoyed by the arrival of their new Director of Rugby, Scott Lawson. Scott will no doubt add a steeliness to his side, and this, coupled with his wealth of experience in the international and pro game, means we’ll be under no illusions, come the 22nd September at BT Murrayfield, of the task that faces us to retain the Scottish Varsity Trophy.

Dave AdamsonUniversity of Edinburgh, Head Coach – Mens Rugby

 

The Varsity match is a great way to start our season. The opportunity to play on the international pitch in front of 10,000 fans is undoubtedly one of the most exciting and unique experiences that many of the team will have in their University or sporting career. I know the whole squad is relishing the chance to build on the successes of the last few years but also know to expect a stern challenge from an ever improving St Andrews team

Claire CruikshankUniversity of Edinburgh, Head of Performance Sport and Head Coach – Ladies Rugby

 

Find out more about the Scottish Varsity at http://www.scottishvarsitymatch.com/ and keep up to date at @ScottishVarsity on Twitter and Facebook