Jersey will lock horns with Aviva Premiership side
Bath in August as part of the clubs' preparations
for next season.
The match at St Peter will take place on Saturday August 23rd,
giving Jersey fans the chance to see their team take on the club
who currently sit third in the Premiership and have progressed to
the final of the Amlin European Challenge Cup.
Home supporters will hope to get a first-hand look at many of
the star names in Bath's ranks, including internationals such as
England caps George Ford, David Wilson, and Rob Webber, plus Gavin
Henson and Paul James (Wales), Peter Stringer (Ireland) Horacio
Agulla (Argentina) and Francois Louw (South Africa).
Probably the most enticing prospect is the potential return of
'Banners' - Matt Banahan has won 16 England caps since joining Bath
eight years ago and will be playing at St Peter for the first time
since leaving his native Island as a teenager.
"I'm really excited that we can confirm the visit by Bath as the
centre-piece of our pre-season fixtures," said Jersey Chairman Bill
Dempsey. "Having secured our place in next season's Championship,
we will be looking to get off to a good start, and testing
ourselves against a top side like Bath should prove excellent
preparation.
"We'll be looking forward to seeing Matt Banahan run out at St
Peter. When he left the Island it didn't seem realistic that he
might return with his Premiership team-mates to take on Jersey, so
it'll be a memorable occasion when the day comes."
The pre-season challenge match will be sponsored by EFG Wealth
Solutions, who also sponsor another of Bath's internationals,
England lock Dave Attwood. Christian Büsel, Head of Private Banking
at EFG in the Channel Islands said: "We are delighted to be
involved in bringing such a prestigious club as Bath to Jersey. It
promises to be a great game of rugby - a not-to-be-missed
opportunity for rugby fans in Jersey to see some great
international players performing on a local stage"
Details of the kick-off time, ticket prices and sponsorship
opportunities for Jersey v Bath will be announced shortly. There
are also provisional plans to host the touring players, plus
supporters of both clubs, at a Friday night barbecue at JRFC.
Jersey will have two other pre-season games at St Peter.
Ayr RFC, who Jersey faced twice in this season's
British & Irish Cup, will be coming to the Island for the
opening match of the season on Saturday August 16th, while on
Saturday August 30th Jersey will take on the oldest rugby club in
England - Blackheath were founded in 1858 and met
the Islanders twice in National League One in 2011/12.
Dempsey added: "We are currently finalising our 1st XV squad for
next season and expect to confirm these details next week. This
trio of home games will offer an exciting and testing mix of
opposition to our squad as they get ready for the new season, and
it's great that our supporters will be able to see these matches on
home soil."
