Barbarians roadshow gets underway
Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:56
The Barbarians have made two changes to their starting XV for the Mobbs Memorial Match against Bedford Blues at Goldington Road on Tuesday.
Marc Stcherbina, the Cardiff Blues and Australia A centre, has been brought in to replace his club-mate Dafydd Hewitt who has been ruled out for ten days by a leg injury.
Former Northampton Saints player Stcherbina first played for the Baa-Baas against Leicester three years ago and is looking forward to wearing the Club's colours again.
"Playing for the Baa-Baas is always a pleasure and this match in particular is something I'm looking forward to, said Stcherbina.
"I enjoyed my rugby in the East Midlands when I was with the Saints and it is also an opportunity to team up in the centre with a good friend of mine, Paul Emerick."
Stcherbina's inclusion increases the number of nationalities represented in the match squad of 22 to nine. The countries represented are England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Fiji, New Zealand, South Africa, USA and Australia.
Tom Slater of Coventry has been called up at scrumhalf to take the place of Ross Blake, the Cambridge University player, who recently signed a short-term contract with Guinness Premiership club London Irish.
This will be the 81st Mobbs Memorial Match but the first time that Bedford Blues have provided the opposition for the Barbarians' longest continuous fixture. East Midlands, who beat the invitation side 33-21 last season, have previously provided the opposition. The Barbarians did play a fixture against the original Bedford club in 1894.
The Barbarians will be coached by Paul Turner, the Newport Gwent Dragons coach, who is a former Bedford player.
The match is played in honour of Lt Col Edgar Mobbs, the former England, Northampton, East Midlands, Olney and Bedford Modern School wing, who was killed leading an assault on an enemy machine gun post at Passchendale in July 1915.
A wreath-laying ceremony will be held on the Embankment in Bedford on Tuesday afternoon in Mobbs' memory. All proceeds from the Mobbs Memorial Match will be used to develop youth rugby in East Midlands.
Barbarian Fixtures: March-June 2008:
Tuesday 18 March: v Bedford at Goldington Road (Mobbs Memorial Match) - 19.30 GMT
Wednesday 9 April: v Edinburgh Academicals at Raeburn Place - 18.00 GMT
Saturday 24 May: v Belgium XV at King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels - 18.00 GMT
Tuesday 27 May: v Ireland at Kingsholm, Gloucester - 19.45 GMT
Sunday 1 June: v England at Twickenham - 15.00 GMT
Barbarians (revised): 15 Bradley Davies (Plymouth Albion), 14 Dan Norton (Gloucester Rugby), 13 Paul Emerick (Newport Gwent Dragons & USA), 12 Marc Stcherbina (Cardiff Blues), 11 Justin Bishop (Doncaster Knights & Ireland), 10 Mark Davies
(Gloucester Rugby), 9 Tom Slater (Coventry), 8 David Maddocks (Coventry), 7 Sean Crombie (Boroughmuir), 6 Ben Evans (Sale Sharks & Wales), 5 Steve Martin (Neath Rugby), 4 Andrew Hall (Newport Gwent Dragons & Scotland), 3 Luke Sherriff (Nottingham), 2 Andy Powell (Cardiff Blues), 1 Richard Parks (Newport Gwent Dragons & Wales).
Replacements: 16 Joe Duffey (Nottingham), 17 Nigel Hall (Nottingham), 18 Andy Kennedy (Banbridge), 19 Ledua Jope (Army & Fiji), 20 Harvey Biljon (Blackheath), 21 Oliver Viney (Preston Grasshoppers), 22 Darragh O'Mahony (Old Albanians & Ireland).
Date: Tuesday, 18 March
Venue: Goldington Road, Bedford
Kick-off: 19.45 GMT
Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England)
Tough judges: Locally appointed
