Jersey v London Scottish
Saturday 19th April, K-O 2pm
Dear London Scottish Supporters
All at Jersey RFC are looking forward to welcoming you to Jersey
ahead of our game in the Greene King IPA Championship. To help your
trip go as smoothly as possible, here is some info to assist you.
We hope your visit to JRFC will be part of a really enjoyable
weekend.
FRIDAY NIGHT
The club will be open on Friday evening before the game. A good
chance to meet some 'native' supporters, engage in some pre-match
banter, have a 'recce' of the ground, visit the club shop and pick
up your tickets for the game the next day. The Barclays Pavilion
will be open between 5.00 and 7.00pm, the Liberation Ale will be
tapped and Sean the Club Manager will be providing free
nibbles.
PRE-MATCH ON SATURDAY
There is a pre-match lunch on the day for members, sponsors and
corporate guests in the Clubhouse, and also an adjacent marquee.
London Scottish representatives have been invited through the
official channels, but beyond this we're afraid lunch is sold out.
As a result, the Clubhouse is only available (pre-match) to the 200
lunch guests.
The Pavilion Bar adjacent to the Clubhouse will be open to all
supporters from 11.30am, offering full bar, including
locally-brewed Liberation Ale on handpump, plus food such as
'special of the day', 'posh dogs', pasties, burgers etc. It gets
pretty busy in the hour leading up to kick-off. Other mobile units
around the ground will also be serving food and drink, including
the almost legendary Pork van.
There are various other 'off-site' options, the first of which is
the neighbouring Jersey Bowl which backs onto the club and does a
good trade in pre-match rugby lunches (and Liberation Ale!) and
tables can be booked there. Another 150 yards away you can indulge
your inner plane spotter at the Jersey Aero Club, overlooking the
runway.
There are three pubs within walking distance of the ground. Two are
in St Peter's Village: the Star & Tipsy Toad and the St Peter's
Inn, although they're not particularly 'rugby pubs' as such and are
probably 15 minutes walk away. We've had some decent feedback from
some fans about the Star, and there's a betting shop next door.
General de Gaulle had a swift half in the St Peter's in 1940 en
route to an important meeting with Winston Churchill in London. Or
there's the Mermaid opposite the airport and adjacent to the
Lakeside Manor Care Home (5 minutes walk from the Club).
Other pre-match options might be some of the restaurants in St
Aubin which is a 5-minute taxi ride away. The Boathouse is one
venue that offers transport up to the club, and the Salty Dog,
Cheffins & Old Court House have a rugby lunch as well, while in
nearby St Brelade the Oyster Box & Sugar Reef have a similar
pre-match option, as does the Prince of Wales in Greve de Lecq. Or
if you want to look at the surf at St Ouen's Bay try (options going
south-north) La Pulente, Le Braye, El Tico, The Watersplash or Big
Vern's. A booking at any restaurant and a 1pm taxi should work
fine.
THE MATCH
For the match itself Ground Admission is £15, or £5 for full-time
students with suitable ID. Under 17s are free, proof-of-age is
required. Sorry, but there's no senior citizen concession. It's a
good idea to arrive at least 30-40 minutes before the off. Our
small stand is fully subscribed, with the exception of seats for
the invited officials as above. For those with particularly severe
mobility issues, JRFC will try and help out with vacant stand
seats, but these are at a premium and can't be guaranteed. We have
allocated two tiered benches for anyone who has difficulty in
standing for long periods of time. Please call the club on 01534
499929 between 10am and 1pm on Thursday if you need to arrange a
seat.
While the game won't sell out, supporters can purchase tickets in
advance to avoid match-day queues. Tickets can be obtained on
Friday evening at the club, or match-day sales commence at
11.30am.
There's not a great deal of space under cover (standing or seating)
at St Peter, so it's wise to have warm/ waterproof gear in case of
inclement weather, and some sensible footwear. We'd recommend
Jersey Met Office, www.jerseymet.gov.je - their five-day forecast
is published daily at 9am.
MATCH PROGRAMME
Did anyone buy a programme when they came to Jersey last year?
Rubbish, wasn't it?! We're pleased to say it's had a total revamp.
Please give it a second chance - we think you'll approve!
POST-MATCH
In recent seasons we have had difficulty accommodating everyone in
the Clubhouse after the match. Therefore, and to begin with, access
will once again be limited to players, officials, JRFC members and
anyone in possesion of a wrist-band. Ideally, we do not want to
exclude anyone from the clubhouse and, as soon as we are below our
fire limit, we will let all supporters in, typically at around
5.30pm. The Pavilion bar stays open all afternoon from 11.30am to
approx 7pm. Normally things start to wind down between 7pm and 8pm,
when people head for St Aubin or St Helier.
TRANSPORT
For those flying in/out on the day, the ground is less than 10
minutes walk from the airport. A taxi to/from the ground to town
(St Helier) will be around £15. Or there's the No 9 bus to/from St
Helier (£1.70) which stops outside the ground or the number 15 to
the Airport (also £1.70; get off at the penultimate stop, The
Mermaid, and it's a 5-minute walk). Return bus times will be posted
at the main gate on the day of the match or you can visit www.libertybus.je . If you have a car, there is
free parking available close to the ground, but traffic can be
busy, so please allow lots of time.
NEWS ABOUT THE GAME
The Jersey Evening Post will have a match preview in
Saturday's edition (on sale from 7am). A preview will be posted on
Jersey's website www.jrfc.je , with team news on Friday at 12noon
and the latest news is on Twitter - twitter.com/jerseyrfc or Facebook.
MOBILE PHONES
We've had feedback from some visiting supporters who have received
large phone bills on their return from the Island because the
small-print on their tariffs didn't include Jersey, leading to
higher call/ roaming/ data charges. If you're in doubt about this,
it might be a good idea to check out your phone contract in
advance, or use the phone sparingly.
Finally, we hope you have an enjoyable trip to Jersey and look
forward to your company.
Jersey RFC, April 2014
