THE SCOTSMAN REVEALS

Rugby: Warriors grateful for Murray Park offer from neighbours Rangers

By david ferguson
RANGERS FC have again linked up with the Glasgow's rugby team to help the city's bid for a weekend double.

Glasgow Warriors will today train at Rangers' Murray Park facility ahead of the deciding leg of the David Lloyd 1872 Cup at Firhill tomorrow (3pm). Rangers, who travel to Inverness for an SPL match on Sunday, offered the facility last year when bad weather left Glasgow with no decent pitches for training ahead of their Heineken Cup tie with Saracens.

Gordon McKie, the SRU chief executive, contacted his former manager, Sir David Murray, the Rangers chairman, who was happy to oblige, and with Glasgow head coach Sean Lineen and Rangers' assistant manager Ally McCoist being friends from their own Scotland playing days, a new sporting relationship was struck up.

"The players and I are extremely grateful to Rangers FC and Sir David Murray for this fantastic opportunity to train at Murray Park ahead of Friday afternoon's game against Edinburgh," said Lineen. "It's hugely important to get the very best out of the players in the build-up to such a big game and it's thanks to Rangers and Sir David that we have the chance to train on such a great surface."

The SRU has recently installed a new 3G pitch at Murrayfield, but with Edinburgh using school pitches and Spartans FC's artificial pitch at Ainslie Park in the capital recently, there remains a woeful lack of proper facilities in Scottish rugby.

Tickets for tomorrow's game – priced at £20 for adults, £10 for concessions and £5 for under-18s – are available online at www.glasgowwarriors.org and can be purchased on the day.

This article was posted on 1-Jan-2009, 09:46 by Hugh Barrow.