It is an exciting time for student sport as the annual Glasgow Rugby Varsity, for the first time ever, features a face-off between the women’s rugby clubs of the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow University.
The event will be hosted by the Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium on 24 February.
Strathclyde Women’s Rugby Captain Laura Grant said: "This is the right year to have the women's rugby teams from both Strathclyde and Glasgow Uni participate in Varsity. Both teams are performing at the same level, making this match a competitive one."
The women’s club will kick off at 5:30 pm, with the men’s match following at 7:15 pm.
Sports Union President Ronan Welch said: “The Sports Union staff, Sports Executive and I are very excited to see a return to a full calendar of events, including the return of Rugby Varsity – this year as a doubleheader across both the Men’s and Women’s clubs!”
The Glasgow Rugby Varsity is an annual rugby showcase between Glasgow’s biggest university rivals. With over 3,000 seats, Scotstoun’s Main Stand is expected to sell out again this year.
Tickets for the event are priced at £10. Don’t miss out and get your ticket now:
We anticipate an impressive performance from our Men’s 1st XV team, who have yet to lose a Varsity match.
1st XV Men’s Team Captain Adam Campbell said: “The team has high hopes heading into Friday's huge fixture against Glasgow Uni.”
“We have a talented squad this year and competition for a spot on Friday’s squad has been high. We expect GU to be tough opposition, having just won their respective league. They will be fired up and are a very physical team, but I am confident that we are prepared for the challenge.
The first-ever women’s rugby varsity fixture is a must-see event. The Strathclyde women’s club is on a high this season after winning 29 - 24 against one of their biggest opponents, Edinburgh Women’s 2 last month.
We sat down with the Women’s Rugby Club President Courteney Flower and Team Captain Laura Grant to discuss the team’s preparation for the upcoming game.
Laura Grant said: "We are always ready to give Glasgow Uni a run for their money."
Courteney Flower added: "The team is excited to play. We expect that Glasgow Uni will bring their A-game, and we are bringing the energy to match."
Glasgow Uni and Strathclyde faced one another early in the rugby season last October. Strathclyde successfully took home a win of 29 - 10 against Glasgow Women’s 1.
Grant said: "From our first league fixture against Glasgow Uni we found they rely on their backs a lot - which means ours will have to step up going into this match. Our forwards have more experience playing together and they gel very well giving us an edge in that respect:”
“Our coach, Stuart, has been able to implement a training routine which really works for us, and it shows in our success thus far in the season.”
Training for the women’s club will continue as normal, but as the match approaches the focus will shift to game tactics and will ease up on intense contact training.
With many senior players graduating from university at the end of 2020, the current Strathclyde women’s team consists of mostly new players.
Flower said: "We have a lot of rising stars on the team this year, but we are especially looking forward to the performance of Beth Tobin.”
“Beth started with the Strath women's team three years ago - having never played rugby. She has since come out of her shell and has become a formidable player. Beth's background is in athletics - she was a sprinter for Scotland, and now she brings new energy to the game and to the team."