A mouth-watering clash against leading Welsh region the Scarlets
will be the highlight of Jersey RFC's programme of pre-season
matches ahead of the 2015/16 season.
The Scarlets, one of four Welsh sides playing in the Guinness
Pro 12 alongside the leading teams from Ireland, Scotland and
Italy, will take on Jersey at St Peter on Saturday August 15th. The
match will be sponsored by CPA Global, the world's leading
provider of IP Solutions, while it has also been confirmed that the
following weekend - August 22nd - will see a return fixture between
Jersey and Blackheath.
Based in Llanelli, one of the most famous rugby towns in the
world, the Scarlets region represents the whole of west and north
Wales; the current squad includes Welsh internationals such as
Scott Williams, Ken Owens and Jake Ball, plus other capped players
such as John Barclay of Scotland and Michael Tagicakibau of
Fiji.
"Having the Scarlets on the Island as we build up to the new
season is a real coup for Jersey, and I'm sure Island supporters
will relish the chance to see our new-look squad mixing it with
top-flight opponents," said Jersey RFC Chairman Bill Dempsey.
Tim Griffiths, Chief Executive of CPA Global, said: "We're
delighted to be sponsoring the game between Jersey and the Scarlets
- it promises to be a fantastic occasion."
Llanelli RFC played their first match in 1876 and some of the
biggest names in Welsh rugby such as Ken Jones, Delme Thomas, Ray
Gravell, Phil Bennett and Derek Quinnell represented the club in
the 1960s and 70s. More recently, the famous scarlet jersey was
worn by players such as Jonathan Davies, Stephen Jones and George
North. The Scarlets region was formed officially in 2003 and in
2008 the team made the move to their 15,000-capacity home ground
Parc y Scarlets.
The Scarlets played their final game of the 2014/15 season last
weekend, winning 17-13 in Italy against Benetton Treviso to seal a
sixth-placed finish in the Guinness Pro 12 and ensure qualification
for next season's European Challenge Cup.
On Saturday August 22nd Jersey will take on Blackheath, the
National One club from south-east London, one of the former clubs
of Jersey Head Coach Harvey Biljon. Blackheath is another historic
rugby name, as it is the oldest club in England dating back to
1858. The two sides met in National One in 2011/12 and more
recently in a pre-season match at St Peter last August.
Blackheath's visit to the Island is expected to include fixtures
for the two clubs' 2nd XV and ladies teams, as well as the 1st XV
match.
A potential third pre-season game for the Islanders remains to
be confirmed - this is likely to take place on Saturday August
8th.
