Ulster Rugby vs Barbarians

BARBARIAN FC FAQ'S

WHO ARE THE BARBARIANS? The Barbarians are a rugby club which brings together players from different clubs to play a few matches each year to enjoy the camaraderie of the game and play attacking, adventurous rugby without the pressure of having to win.

WHEN DID THE CLUB FIRST PLAY AN OVERSEAS TEAM? The date most people will recall is 1948 when the club first played an International touring side. The Home Unions Tours Committee invited the Barbarians to play a match to raise funds for the tourist's journey home via Canada. The 45,000 crowd at Cardiff Arms Park saw the Barbarians win by 9 - 6 and the Home Unions Tours Committee has since then included such a match whenever possible in the itinerary of touring teams. WHO CAN PLAY FOR THE BARBARIANS? The only criteria a player must fulfil to receive an invitation from The Barbarians are: that the player's rugby is of a good standard and that they behave themselves on and off the field. Players from over 25 different countries have worn the famous black and white hoop jersey. Once invited a player becomes a life member of the club. WHY WAS THE CLUB FORMED? The club was formed in 1890 by a player from Blackheath, London, W P Carpmael. At that time the rugby season finished in March so he decided to invite a group of players to join him on an end- of-season tour to the North of England. This he saw as an opportunity to play with friends from various clubs who were normally opponents. It was such a success that he formed the Barbarian Football Club to continue touring on an informal basis and the first tour took place in December of that year playing Huddersfield and Bradford.

BARBARIANS

WHO IS THE MOST FAMOUS BARBARIAN? Many of the best rugby players in the world have represented the Barbarians at one time and selecting the most famous would be a matter of opinion. In terms of appearances Tony O'Reilly of Old Belvedere & Ireland made 30 appearances for the club 1955-62 and scored 38 tries, the most by any Barbarian. Other notable players who have played more than 20 matches include Budge Rogers, Ron Jacobs, John Spencer and Phil Bennett. IS THERE A MATCH FOR WHICH THE BAA-BAAS ARE MOST FAMOUS? Many would claim that the 1973 match when the Barbarians beat the All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park is the best display of rugby ever seen. The match included the try by Gareth Edwards which took play from inside the Barbarians 25 through 7 pairs of hands to score by the comer post. John Bevan, Fergus Slattery and JPR Williams scored the other Barbarian tries in a 23 - 11 victory. An equally acclaimed victory at the time was achieved in 1961 when the Barbarians played the South African Springboks captained by Avril Malan. The Springboks were unbeaten on their tour of Great Britain and Ireland. In their last match of the tour the Barbarians held on to a 6 - 0 lead thanks to some fierce tackling and carried off the Springbok head - a trophy traditionally presented by the South African tourists to the first side to beat them when on tour.

33

www. ULSTERRUGBY .com