Edinburgh Rugby Pre-Season Friendlies Kick Off

Edinburgh Rugby have lined up two pre-season friendly matches against the cream of the Aviva Premiership Rugby_in a bid to ready the team for the rigours of the campaign ahead. Rob Moffat’s side will play Bath (Recreation Ground, Saturday 21 August) and London Irish (Murrayfield, Friday 27 August) ahead of their return to Magners League and Heineken Cup action.Edinburgh Rugby have lined up two pre-season friendly matches against the cream of the Aviva Premiership Rugby_in a bid to ready the team for the rigours of the campaign ahead. Rob Moffat’s side will play Bath (Recreation Ground, Saturday 21 August) and London Irish (Murrayfield, Friday 27 August) ahead of their return to Magners League and Heineken Cup action. The trip to the West Country follows on from the two keenly-contested European clashes between Edinburgh and Bath last season. The capital club lost narrowly in the away fixture, but emerged victorious a week later at Murrayfield, one of three home pool victories in the Heineken Cup. Edinburgh also have experience of winning at the Rec. Led by former Bath captain, player and coach Andy Robinson, they triumphed 19-8 the last time they played a friendly at the famous old ground in the summer of 2008. The Bath game will kick off at 3.30pm, and tickets will be on sale from Friday 16 July. They can be purchased via telephone (0844 448 1865) or on www.bathrugby.com. Tickets are priced _10 for adults and _5 for concessions and Under 18s. Edinburgh will make their Murrayfield seasonal bow against London Irish six days later, with the match kicking off at 7.30pm. Irish last travelled north in 2003, when Edinburgh defeated them 32-25 at Meadowbank in the Heineken Cup. The previous fixture, in 2002, saw Irish beating the visiting Scots 24-8. Tickets for the Irish game go on sale today, Monday 5 July, from 5pm and can be bought by calling 0131 346 5180 or visiting www.edinburghrugby.org. Tickets are priced _10 for adults and _5 for concessions and Under 18s. Tom Smith, the Edinburgh assistant coach, today endorsed the two fixtures as perfect preparation for the new season. The former Scotland and British and Irish Lions prop said: Both Bath and London Irish play an attractive brand of rugby, and the games will be good to watch as well as a real test for our players. Sir Ian McGeechan joining Bath will give that match extra spice from a Scottish perspective, and bringing a quality side like Irish to Murrayfield will make for an excellent spectacle for our supporters.Edinburgh season tickets are on sale now! Benefits include: – Seating in the most central sections in the stand – Entry to ALL eleven Magners League home games at Murrayfield – Entry to ALL three Heineken Cup pool games at Murrayfield – FREE entry to the away leg of the 1872 Cup derby match between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby at Firhill Arena