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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.
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.
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.
BARBARIAN FC FAQ'S
BARBARIANS