On the eve of Wales’ clash with the Scotland at the newly-named Principality Stadium, Bargoed will face the Scottish side in a special 50th anniversary match at Bargoed Park.
To mark the extra special occasion, the Gwent club will host players from past and present to celebrate a fifty-year association with their Celtic cousins.
Among the former players expected are Bargoed’s Gordon Adams, Jeff Evans and Quins’ Jock “The Dog” Graham, all three played in the first fixture of 1967, a 16-5 win for the hosts.
Celebrations are expected both on and off the pitch, with a Gala Dinner at Maes Manor Hotel, Blackwood in the evening. WRU Board Member and former Bargoed captain Robert Butcher said: “When Bargoed travelled north to the Scottish Borders in the mid-sixties, few could have predicted an ongoing relationship lasting half a century with Hawick Harlequins, yet here we are celebrating fifty years of competition on, and friendship off, the field and with thoughts of perhaps going on towards a century in the years ahead.
“Without doubt both clubs can be proud of their achievements over the years but what is of even greater importance is the strength of the bond that has developed between them and an association which is the envy of many, and ideally positioned to go forward together in the years ahead.”
The association which began in early in 1967 when the late Glyn Morgan, Chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union forged a link with Hawick Harlequins. The Scottish team is understood to be the first junior rugby club from Scotland to play in Wales. The strong affinity between the clubs has continued to this present day.
