Meet the all-singing, all-dancing WarriorKEVIN FERRIE, Chief Rugby Writer June 23 2007
Kelly Brown, Glasgow Warriors' new signing, will have the chance to explode on the city scene tomorrow when he takes centre stage at a pop concert.

The Scotland flanker, who has joined the Warriors following the disbandment of the Border Reivers, will be the lead singer at the free concert at Ashton Lane tomorrow evening.

The performance, along with former Reivers and Scotland team-mate Chris Cusiter, re-unites them with the band organised by John Beattie, the BBC broadcaster and former Scotland international player. The two internationalists joined Beattie's band at a show in Edinburgh after the Scotland v Wales international earlier this year in aid of the Hearts and Balls' charity.

advertisement
Brown's starring role, so soon after his move to Glasgow, can only help the Warriors marketing team, led by Ian Riddoch, their newly appointed interim general manager, who have to persuade supporters that the right decision has been made in moving to one of the city's most famous sporting venues at Firhill.

It became clear in midweek, as SRU officials faced representatives of the Warriors supporter club, that there is substantial work to be done to persuade them to move from their former Hughenden home is the right one with issues over seating, stewarding and catering all giving cause for concern.

However, Michael Collins, another of the Warriors' new recruits, gave the flit his vote of approval.

"It had a good feeling about it as soon as I walked down the tunnel because the colours are exactly the same as the Waikato Chiefs strip," quipped the prop who made his name with that Super 14 province, based in the New Zealand city of Hamilton.

While he made his decision to come to Scotland before it was announced that the Warriors would be moving to Firhill, Collins' reasoning seemed to underline why the move from former home Hughenden was good one.

"I want to go out an play running rugby," he said.

"Sean Lineen the Warriors head coach made it clear he wants to do that and some of my Kiwi pals said that if you want to play enjoyable rugby you should go to the Magners League.

"When I came up here to look at the set-up Hughenden was the only thing that stuck out as a problem."

n Edinburgh officials have dismissed suggestions that Chris Paterson, the current Scotland captain, is set to leave them to join French club Perpignan. Speculation grew yesterday after respected French newspaper L'Equipe suggested that the world class goal-kicking full-back/winger who many believe should be Scotland's stand-off, suggested that he was set to be recruited by the Basque side.

It was given extra credibility because the Perpignan squad already includes one of Paterson's closest friends, Nathan Hines, the Australian-born Scotland lock, alongside whom he played at Gala and Edinburgh.

However Alex Carruthers, Edinburgh's chairman, said there is no prospect of their captain leaving in the near future. "He is contracted to Edinburgh until the end of the 2007/08 season," he said.

This article was posted on 23-Jun-2007, 10:54 by Hugh Barrow.