The renowned Scottish Trip immortalised in a Max Boyce song has reached a notable milestone with a Welsh rugby club celebrating a 50-year link with their chosen counterparts from north of the border.
Members of Bryncoch RFC travel to Edinburgh at the weekend to formally recognise their half century partnership with the Murrayfield club.
There will be a commemorative match between the two clubs and Bryncoch will present a slate plaque to Murrayfield FC bearing a thistle emblem and a Dragon to symbolise the relationship that has grown between them through rugby.
Like many other local clubs a strong bond has developed down the decades with visits in alternate directions each year depending on the location of the Wales and Scotland RBS 6 Nations international encounter.
The first link-up between Bryncoch and Murrayfield occurred in 1965 when the Scottish team and its followers were hosted by the Welsh club on their visit south for the international.
Friendships blossomed and the link forged then has lasted into the new century and up to the present day.
On one past trip the Scottish visitors were pleasantly surprised by an impromptu rendition of the Welsh national anthem inside Bryncoch rugby club by the famous Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins.
On yet another visit the links between the community game in Wales and the top flight were in evidence when the international referee Derek Bevan stepped out to officiate at one of the games.
Bryncoch Secretary and District D Board Director Alan Jones will be in Edinburgh as part of the club contingent travelling north for the celebration.
He said: “The visits have become a tradition between the two clubs and it is great to be able to celebrate 50 years of the relationship.
“This is a wonderful example of how great friendships can be forged through rugby and a mutual love of the game.
“We regularly get 40-plus players and supporters coming to Bryncoch from Edinburgh and they have become great friends.
“We will be presenting them with a commemorative slate to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary and we all hope the link can continue long into the future.”
