A Milan Veterans team will visit Ospreylia this weekend, where they will play against a Swansea Veterans XV at St Helen's on Saturday morning before taking in the Ospreys Heineken Cup game against Toulon at the Liberty Stadium (KO 3.30pm).
The fixture will be re-run of a 1957 tour match between the All Whites and Milan, when Swansea visited the Italian city and claimed a 6-0 win. The captain of the Milan Veterans side travelling to Wales this week, Gianmario Ricciarelli, is the son of the ’57 Milan team captain, Giorgio Ricciarelli, who went on to represent Italy.
Ospreys Managing Director, Roger Blyth, has put together a Swansea team that features players who have represented the club over years,including several guest players. Among the players confirmed for the match, which kicks-off at 10.15am, are familiar names such as Colin Charvis, Rhodri Jones, Paul Arnold, Bleddyn Taylor, Anthony Clement, Filo Tiatia, Keith Colclough and Damian Karauna, while Ospreys Elite Performance Director, Andrew Hore, will also get a runout.
Roger Blyth commented:
“We are all looking forward to welcoming Milan Veterans to Wales at the weekend, and showing them some true Ospreylian hospitality. Swansea RFC has a long and proud history of ground breaking tours to developing rugby nations, and the 1957 Italian tour was certainly a memorable trip for those that made it.
“We have invited some of the Swansea players who played against Milan all those years ago along to the game on Saturday, for what will, I’m sure be a wonderful trip down memory lane for all concerned. The response to the game from ex-players has been very positive and there are a number looking to pull on their boots again.”
Admission to the game is free of charge and supporters should head for the main clubhouse entrance to gain access. It will be played under usual veteran rugby rules, with three twenty minute periods.