Scotland A Picture Perfect In Gala

There’s set to be a dramatic double dose of visual thrills in Galashiels this week, with the Scotland A v USA Eagles game at Netherdale on Friday being preceded by a world premiere of new rugby film Play On in the Borders town the night before. Players and management from both teams will attend the eve-of-match showing of the Scottish-American flick, filmed in Melrose, Myreside, Murrayfield and Kansas City. There’s set to be a dramatic double dose of visual thrills in Galashiels this week, with the Scotland A v USA Eagles game at Netherdale on Friday being preceded by a world premiere of new rugby film Play On in the Borders town the night before. Players and management from both teams will attend the eve-of-match showing of the Scottish-American flick, filmed in Melrose, Myreside, Murrayfield and Kansas City. The film tells the story of a fictitious Borders rugby legend, Finlay Kilgour (played by former Thorn Birds and Santa Barbra heart throb Chard Hayward) whose son Keir (played by his real-life son Adam) is attempting to follow in his footsteps. Keir decides to seek fame and fortune in America as a gridiron kicker, but things are not that easy, as he soon discovers. He ultimately ends up at a third rate rugby club in America where he learns the currency of rugby – loyalty, courage and teamwork. Many local faces are in the film, including referee Norman Jackson, Melrose players Ross Miller, Craig Jackson, Kieran Cooney and Stuart Johnson, and local landmarks are used for the backdrop. Scotland A head coach Nick Scrivener, who will attend Thursday’s premiere along with assistant Stevie Scott, said: “It’s a great way to kick off a big couple of rugby days in the Borders. Myself and Stevie are really looking forward to watching the film, and seeing how the event itself captures the imagination of the people in Gala. “The game against the USA should be a great night as well, so here’s to a fantastic couple of days.” Admission to Friday’s game, which starts at 7.30pm, is FREE, as will be the case for the other two Scotland A fixtures at Netherdale this season – against Ireland A on Friday 28 January 2011 and Italy A on Friday 4 February 2011. A few hours before the premiere of Play On, Thursday’s Scotland A captain’s run at Netherdale will be open to the public. It’s due to start at 4pm. Anyone who intends to come to the captain’s run is advised to check www.scottishrugby.org on Thursday for advice on any changes to the venue arising from poor weather conditions. Play On will be released next month and already there have been in excess of 130,000 viewings of the promo. The movie is being released online through the Play On Theatre. For more details visit the website at www.playonthemovie.com.