The Pigbarians RFC responded to a late request from Forresters RFC to assemble a squad for the Edinburgh clubs 50th Anniversary Sevens Tournament on Saturday 24th May 2014.

Pigbarians RFC Committee member and current Langholm RFC player Brodie Smithers was able to call on the assistance of fellow Langholm players Niall Cubbon, Steven Nicol, Gregor Masterton and Allan Tyler as well as coaching input from Gary Brannan.

The rest of the squad was a blend of Edinburgh club players from the likes of Watsonians RFC, Haddington RFC, Stewarts Melville FP RFC and (in true Pigs tradition) a player from the home side, Forresters RFC. Assisting Gary with the coaching on the day was former Scotland Sevens cap Geoff Caldwell with Pigbarians RFC committee members Brodie Smithers and Callum Hanratty adding further off-field support.

First tie was against Queensferry RFC who boasted Henley Hawks RUFC professional player Ruairi McLeod in their ranks. After a slow and slightly shaky start the Pigs soon asserted themselves to eventually win through comfortably by 55-0. Niall Cubbon and Steven Nicol were amongst the scorers with Allan Tyler and Gregor Masterton coming off the bench in the second half.

An hour later and it was touring Northern Irish team Carrickfergus RFC up next in the final game of the group stages. The Irishmen had some good players in their team but due to what can only be described a “tour fatigue” they were a bit below par and the Pigs were able to score a number of tries and win through 47-0 without ever being truly tested. Again Cubbon and Nicol scored in this match as did Masterton, who once again came off the bench with Tyler.

The semi-finals would however prove a tougher proposition in the shape of Boroughmuir RFC who, although weaker than usual, were well marshalled by scrum –half Sam Johnston. The Pigs took the game to them in the first half and a superb individual display in the first half by Captain Steven Nicol had the Meggatland men reeling by half time. Retention of possession was proving the key to success for the men in pink and following some superb individual tries the tie was put to bed shortly after half-time. It wasn’t all one way traffic though with ‘Muir scoring a good try with a few minutes to go.

The final of the competition was to be against Falkirk RFC who had seen off Linlithgow RFC in their semi-final and looked to have some good ball carriers in their ranks. The Pigs started well and their endeavour was rewarded through a piece of individual magic by Niall Cubbon. Again the Pigs looked to retain possession then punish any defensive lapses by Falkirk and this served up a total haul of 62 points for the men in pink. Falkirk had a man yellow carded by referee Alex Pratt for some ‘afters’ and this seemed to spur them on and indeed they finished the stronger of the two teams scoring a brace of tries through Aubrey MnCube. It was however very much the Pigs day another score by Cubbon brought home the final whistle and confirmed the score of 62-10 to the Pigbarians RFC.

Pigbarians RFC Captain for the Day, Steven Nicol lifted the trophy in front a packed Forresters RFC clubhouse to confirm a memorable victory for the charity team.

There were a number of stand-out performances on the day with Niall Cubbon and Steven Nicol in particular catching the eye but it was young Haddington RFC player James Ferguson who won the Forresters RFC Player of the Tournament Award and was also voted ‘Pig of the Day’ by the coaches too.

All Langholm RFC players acquitted themselves very well during the tournament as did Coach Brannan and Manager Brodie Smithers off the field.

All in all, it was a good way for Langholm RFC to finish off a difficult season. It is also hoped that the Pigbarians RFC will be able to visit Langholm for a pre-season game in August.

Players: Niall Cubbon, Steven Nicol, Gregor Masterton, AllanTyler (all Langholm RFC), Nick Hart, Neil Bowie, Nick McGlinchey (all Stewarts Melville FP RFC), Alex Ferguson (Watsonians RFC), James Ferguson (Haddington RFC), Mikey Banks (Forresters RFC)

Coaches: Geoff Caldwell (Currie RFC) & Gary Brannan (Langholm RFC)

Managers: Brodie Smithers & Callum Hanratty (Pigbarians RFC)

Results:
Queensferry RFC 0 - 55 Pigbarians RFC (Group Stage)
Carrickfergus RFC 0 - 47 Pigbarians RFC (Group Stage)
Boroughmuir RFC 7 - 37 Pigbarians RFC (Cup Semi-Final)
Falkirk RFC 10 – 62 Pigbarians RFC (Cup Final)

About the Pigbarians RFC:
The Pigbarians RFC are an invitational charity rugby side whose sole purpose is to raise funds and awareness for the children’s charity Dreamz4U, which makes the dreams of terminally sick children across Scotland come true. Formed in 2007 (the Chinese Year of the Pig!) by Jimmy ‘The Pig’ Michie, ‘The Pigs’ have competed successfully in many tournaments and charity games across Scotland have seen the likes of Scott Hastings (former Scotland and British & Irish Lion), Darren Burns (ex-Boroughmuir & Scotland B) Max Learmonth & Jason Hill (both Heriots RFC & Scotland Club International Caps) Andrew Wilson (former Glasgow Warriors & Scotland) Graham Frisken (West of Scotland & Scotland Sevens) and Mark Lee (British Army & Scotland Sevens) representing the infamous pink, white and black colours.