Saturday 3 December 2011
Kickoff - 4:30 pm
Some of the greatest rugby players from around the world lined up Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 3 December 2011 for the Heroes Rugby Challenge. The match kicked off at 16:30 and was supported by J.P. Morgan, aiming to raise a substantial sum of money for Help for Heroes.
England World Cup winners, Lawrence Dallaglio and Jason Leonard, together with Welsh legend, Ieuan Evans, managed the H4H Northern Hemisphere XV coached by Dean Ryan and John Kirwan, against an all-star Southern Hemisphere XV side overseen by Australian and All Black World Cup winners Michael Lynagh and Sean Fitzpatrick, and coached by Wayne Smith and Nick Mallett.
The two teams comprised of players selected from the Northern and Southern Hemisphere professional game, the best players from the Armed Forces and the pick of the young Academy players.
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H4H Northern Hemisphere 22 - Southern Hemisphere 36
Almost 30,000 fans ‘did their’ bit for our wounded Heroes this Saturday as the northern and southern hemisphere’s collided for the Help for Heroes Rugby Challenge.
Over £2 million pounds has now been raised from the two Heroes Rugby matches at Twickenham, the first in 2008, and while the day was more about fund raising than keeping score, an Adam Thomson inspired southern hemisphere side ran out eventual 36-22 winners. It was north who struck first, though, after England U20 hooker Scott Spurling, 18, sidestepped the great Wallaby wing Joe Roff to run in the first try of the afternoon from deep inside his own half with Army man Ceri Cummings converting.
That was as good as it got for Dean Ryan and John Kirwan’s side, as the southern hemisphere replied immediately with the South African centre Andries Strauss slicing through the north defence to give Thomson, the south captain and a recent World Cup winner, the chance to dive over. Centre Jackson Willison, from New Zealand, scored a breathtaking second try for the south before their South African lock Inus Ras battered over just before the interval to put Mallett's side in control.
The south suffered a blow when fly-half and kicker Sias Ebherson was taken off on a stretcher moments after the north introduced a couple of illustrious substitutes in another World Cup winner, Will Greenwood, and Sean Long, the former St Helens rugby player who has been playing union of late for Preston Grasshoppers.
Worcester's Josh Drauniniu gave the south a stranglehold on the match with a try following a run from the halfway line after the break, before Long and Greenwood combined to give the centre Tom Gleeson a deserved try.
The impressive South African hooker Pieter Van Vuuren cancelled out the score by crashing over in the corner before the north full-back Cummings rounded off the scoring with a try in the last minute.
Help the Heroes has funded a variety of projects including the £8 million rehabilitation complex at Headley Court, a new £3.5 million treatment centre for combat stress and the creation of a £6 million quick reaction fund to support individuals in need.
A huge thank-you to everyone who played, sponsored and supported what was an epic national show of support for our wounded heroes.
Northern Hemisphere
C Cummings; E Walker, T Gleeson, B Cohen, A Watson; N Mordt, D Pascoe; A Giorgadze, S Spurling, D Bell, D Grewcock, H Vyvyan (capt), A Quinlan, S Betsen, I Boladau.
Tries: Spurling, Gleeson, Cummings. Cons: Cummings (2). Pen: Cummings.
Tries: Spurling, Gleeson, Cummings. Cons: Cummings (2). Pen: Cummings.
Southern Hemisphere
J Roff; A Matsun, J Willison, A Strauss, K Basson: S Ebersohn, J Marshall; S Taumalolo, P van Vuuren, T Mercy, I Ras, J Thrush, A Thomson (capt.), A J Venter, Z Feaunati.
Tries: Thomson, Willison, Ras, Draunioniu, van Vuuren. Cons: Ehberson (2), Little (2). Pen: Ehberson.
Tries: Thomson, Willison, Ras, Draunioniu, van Vuuren. Cons: Ehberson (2), Little (2). Pen: Ehberson.
Referee: C White (England)
Att: 29,251
Monday 21 November
BEN COHEN JOINS ALL STAR CAST FOR 'HEROES RUGBY CHALLENGE'
World Cup Winner Ben Cohen MBE has announced that on Saturday December 3 he will be taking to the field at Twickenham one last time for the Heroes Rugby Challenge. The game, which will see a Northern Hemisphere XV line up against an all-star Southern Hemisphere XV, aims to raise substantial funds for Help for Heroes, the charity that provides practical support for wounded servicemen and women.
Cohen, who retired from professional rugby in May 2011, started his career with Northampton Saints in 1996, where he played for 11 years before brief stints in France, representing Brive and later Sale Sharks. During his playing career Cohen amassed 57 caps for England, becoming the second highest try scorer in England's history. In the 2002-03 season, Cohen was part of the England team that remained unbeaten throughout the entire Southern Hemisphere tour, picking up a Rugby World Cup winners medal in the process. Since retiring, Cohen has taken on the position of chairman for The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, the world's first foundation which aims to combat homophobia and bullying.
Lining up alongside Cohen will be a host of players selected from the northern and southern hemisphere professional game and the best players from the Armed Forces. Cohen's team mates will include fellow ex England internationals Will Greenwood and Danny Grewcock and French hero Serge Betsen. His southern hemisphere opponents feature Rugby World Cup 2011 winner Adam Thomson, former Springbok AJ Venter and Australian legends Joe Roff and Phil Waugh.
Ben Cohen said: "I can't wait to step out onto the Twickenham pitch one more time, I have some amazing memories of playing there and this is surely going to be another one. To be part of the Heroes Rugby Challenge and the Northern Hemisphere team is a real privilege; with so many big names playing it is going to be a great occasion for a very worthwhile cause."
"The aim is to pack out Twickenham and in order to achieve this, we really need the public to get behind the game and show their support for the brave servicemen and women working in areas of conflict. Buying a ticket and encouraging their friends and family to do the same is all it takes."
This year's fixture, which will mark the tenth anniversary of Britain's Armed Forces Operations in Afghanistan looks set to be even bigger than the first Heroes Rugby Challenge in 2008 when over 52,000 spectators helped raise £1.46m for Help for Heroes. The aim of the Heroes Rugby Challenge is to pack out Twickenham Stadium on December 3rd and raise more than £1 million for Help for Heroes.
Heroes Rugby Challenge supported by J.P.Morgan, Saturday 3 December 2011 at Twickenham Stadium, kicks off at 1630. Ticket prices start at £30 for adults, £10 for under 16's, and are available through Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.co.uk or by calling 0844 847 2492. For more info visit: www.heroesrugby.org.uk
Monday 28 November
WALLABY LEGENDS JOIN LINE-UP FOR 'HEROES RUGBY CHALLENGE' FUNDRAISER AT TWICKENHAM
- Roff & Waugh add 175 caps to southern hemisphere squad -
Former Wallabies Joe Roff and Phil Waugh are the latest big names to be added to the Southern Hemisphere XV for the 'Heroes Rugby Challenge' at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 3 December 2011. The match, which kicks off at 4.30pm, aims to raise a substantial sum of money for Help for Heroes, the charity which provides practical support for wounded service men and women. Roff and Waugh will join forces with their former Tri Nations rivals Andrew Mehrtens, Justin Marshall and AJ Venter in the Southern XV, as well as a mix of current and former professional rugby players from the professional game Down Under.
Roff was one of the giants of the Australian game during an 86 cap Test career in which he scored 244 points for the Wallabies. He made his debut at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa and become an institution in the Aussie side after that, making 62 straight appearances at one stage. He was a World Cup winner in Cardiff in 1999 and also played in the 2003 World Cup final on home soil when England carried off the title in extra-time. In 1999 he made five Test appearances at Twickenham, winning two, including the 1999 World Cup semi-final against South Africa, losing two and drawing another.
The 36-year-old Roff spent two-years studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics as a post-graduate student at Oxford before handing up his boots. His last competitive game was as captain of Oxford University in the Varsity Match on 6 December, 2007. The Dark Blues were beaten that day at Twickenham and the Wallaby legend left one of his boots in the dressing room after the game to mark his retirement.
"I left one boot behind at Twickenham just in case I ever got tempted to pull them out of the cupboard. But the Heroes Rugby Challenge is a different matter, a great cause and I'm really looking forward to it," said Roff. "Twickenham is one of the great grounds in world rugby and I have some enormously fond memories of playing there."
The 79-times capped Waugh announced his retirement earlier in the year, but couldn't resist one last hurrah at Twickenham. His four clashes with England at the iconic venue ended with three defeats, so he will be aiming to go out on a high on his final return. The two former Australians, who have 165 caps between them, will face strong opposition from a Northern Hemisphere XV which includes former England internationals Danny Grewcock and Will Greenwood, ex-French flanker Serge Betsen and Irish legends Malcolm O'Kelly and Alan Quinlan.
This year's fixture, which will mark the tenth anniversary of Armed Forces Operations in Afghanistan, promises to be an even bigger attraction than the first Help for Heroes match in 2008, when over 52,000 spectators helped raise £1.46m for Help for Heroes.
Heroes Rugby Challenge supported by J.P. Morgan, Saturday 3 December 2011 at Twickenham Stadium, kicks off at 1630. Ticket prices start at £15 for adults, £10 for under 16's, and are available through Ticketmaster. For more information please visit: www.heroesrugby.org.uk
Thursday 17th November
Entertainment acts confirmed for match day!
We are pleased to announce that the following acts will be performing on the pitch before the match, starting from 3.45pm and we look forward to welcoming them all on the day. We hope that you will enjoy this fantastic programme!
Blake
The Wessex Male Choir
Spirit Dance Team
Thursday 17th NovemberSouth African Trio join Southern Hemsphere XV
Former Springbok AJ Venter and future stars of South African rugby Andries Strauss and Sias Ebersohn, will form part of the Southern Hemisphere XV alongside All Black rugby legends Andrew Mehrtens and Justin Marshall , Rugby World Cup 2011 winner Adam Thomson, New Zealand Maori Jackson Willison and All Black Under-21 Jeremy Thrush.
Former Springbok flanker Venter played his club rugby for Natal Sharks making his international debut for South Africa against Wales in Cardiff, in 2000. He is accompanied by two of South Africa’s most exciting 
new prospects. Andries Strauss, 27, a powerful centre and Sias Ebersohn, a 22 year old fly-half, both play Super Rugby for Toyota Cheetahs. Strauss was called up to represent the Springboks in 2010 to play against The Barbarians at Twickenham while Ebersohn, a former South African Under 20, is likely to be wearing a Springbok jersey soon.
AJ Venter said:
“I’m delighted to be part of the Heroes Rugby Challenge. It’s definitely a good reason to pull my rugby boots back on and really looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces and maybe settling a few old scores.”
Monday 7 November, 2011
On December 3rd, six servicemen drawn from The Royal Navy, The British Army and the Royal Air Force will join some of the greatest rugby players from around the world when they play in the Heroes Rugby Challenge at Twickenham Stadium.
Representing The Royal Navy will be Petty Officer (AET) Marshall Cormack (845 Naval Air Squadron) based at RNAS Culdrose, who plays second row, as well as scrum half Petty Officer (AET) Dave Pascoe (771 Naval Air Squadron) based at RNAS Culdrose. Joining them from The British Army will be Corporal Electronics Engineer Ceri Cummings (4 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) based at Tidworth, a full back with much presence and tactical awareness, and Sergeant Darrell Ball (42 Engineer Regiment) based Newbury, an attacking second row forward. The RAF players will be the experienced winger Flight Lieutenant (Pilot) Nathan Jones (101 Squadron) based at RAF Brize Norton, and Corporal Technician Andrew Tibbatts based at RAF Marham, a powerful back row forward.
Darrell Ball, a former captain of The British Army rugby team, said:
"It's a dream come true to be asked to play at Twickenham with some of the greatest rugby players of all time. It's going to massive physical and mental test for me but one I'm very much looking forward to. But what makes this experience all the more special is that I will be helping raise money for my fellow servicemen and women who have been injured in the line of duty."
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