Scrum on down
Paisley Rugby Club is inviting Buddies to The Anchor on Saturday to help give Scotland International stars Kyle Rowe and Gavin Lowe a warm welcome.
The rugby royalty are guests of honour for the Royal Bank RugbyForce Weekend.
The Ross Street setup secured a visit from the braveheart pair after gaining Star Club status in this year’s RugbyForce initiative, which is a nationwide programme run by the bank in association with Scottish Rugby
The club also bagged a £1,000 prize and it will use the money to upgrade the women’s toilets, as well as building an accessible toilet with baby changing facilities. The exterior of the clubhouse will be painted to give the building a fresh look.
On offer on Saturday will be rugby demonstration sessions involving Rowe and Lowe, with a view to encouraging all members of the community — young and old — to get involved.
More than 130 clubs applied for Royal Bank RugbyForce support this year, and an official panel of judges picked winners that demonstrated detailed and creative plans for their RugbyForce Weekend events.
For 2019, the campaign also focuses on helping clubs to make it easier for people to be part of a rugby community.
Jim Hamilton, Royal Bank RugbyForce ambassador, said: “Scotland’s amateur rugby clubs are vital to the continued success of the national game.
“The passion and dedication of grassroots rugby club communities up and down the country is truly remarkable and I’m proud to lend my support to the Royal Bank RugbyForce programme.
“It would be great to see the community come down to Paisley Rugby Club on RugbyForce Weekend, take part in the action and then enjoy the atmosphere.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play the game at the highest level, but when you retire it is the off-field moments that you miss most.
“Having played around the world, I can assure you that Scotland’s rugby community is unique and I would encourage anyone thinking about getting involved to grab their boots and get down to their local club on RugbyForce Weekend”.
Malcolm Buchanan, chair, Scotland Board, Royal Bank of Scotland, added: “We’re very proud to be providing support and funding to grassroots rugby clubs and communities across Scotland for the 11th year running.
“The funding makes a huge difference to these important clubs, their members and the local area.
“We encourage everyone to go down to Paisley RFC during RugbyForce Weekend to get involved and become part of the local rugby community.”
Now in its 11th year, three out of every four clubs in Scotland has benefited from RugbyForce support since 2008 and the programme has distributed more than half a million pounds of funding and kit to community clubs across Scotland.