Friday 16th March 2012 KO 7.45pm
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THE England – Ireland Rugby Legends series continues to tempt some of the greatest retired players to put their boots back on, face up to old rivals and raise invaluable funds for their teams’ nominated charities.
England will be hosts for the 2012 England vs Ireland Legends clash at The Twickenham Stoop. This St Patrick’s weekend fixture is played the night before the two countries meet in the Six Nations at Twickenham.
Following a crowd of 11,000 in the last home game, the Legends will aim to sell out this highly competitive clash with a capacity crowd of 14,000 at The Stoop. The Irish will be challenging for The Stuart Mangan Memorial Cup, currently held by the English Legends who reclaimed the trophy at Donnybrook in 2011.
The money raised from the match will be donated to the IRFU Charitable Trust in Ireland and to the RFU Injured Players Foundation and RPA Benevolent Fund in England. The three charities raise money to help deal with life threatening injuries for both professional and amateur players within the sport.
England’s team will be led by former captain and British and Irish Lion Martin Corry. Martin is joined by several members of the England 2003 World Cup winning team including, Jason Leonard, most notably England’s most capped player, Josh Lewsey, Kyran Bracken and Dan Luger. Other heroes include Austin Healey and Mark Regan. Completing the team sheet are internationals, Darren Garforth, Tim Stimpson, Matt Perry and Garath Archer– all subject to availability.
Ireland’s team will be led by Ireland and British and Irish Lion Shane Byrne, previouslyLeinster’s most capped player. His team will include such Irish legends as Nick Popplewell, Rob Henderson, Mick Galway, Mal O’Kelly, Eric Miller and Girvan Dempsey. Other legends also in attendance will be Justin Bishop, Simon Easterby, Jonathan Bell, Kieron Dawson, Richard Wallace, Paddy Johns and Anthony Foley - all subject to availability.
Looking forward to the game Jason Leonard said, “The Legends series has seen some really competitive clashes and the 2012 game will be no exception. We will certainly be looking to entertain in front of a home crowd and retain the Stuart Mangan Trophy with some lightning speed and slick passing….. or perhaps with just a little luck and the buzz of getting back on the pitch! It is such a great opportunity for all our players to support those who need our assistance and to give something back to this wonderful game.”
The score so far for the Stuart Mangan Memorial Cup is Ireland 1-1 England.
THE STUART MANGAN MEMORIAL CUP
TICKETS
Tickets for the Ireland Legends v England Legends Match on Friday 16th March 2012 at The Stoop are...
Between 22 metre lines:
£20 for Adults, £15 for Concessions and £10 for Under 21s
All other remaining tickets:
£10 for Adults and £5 for Under 21s
Seats for this match will be all allocated and available via the following outlets:
In person at:
The Twickenham Stoop, Langhorn Drive, Twickenham TW2 7SX
Online via the 
website: 
TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE GATE
The England Legends vs Ireland Legends Stuart Mangan Memorial Match is proud to support Tickets for Troops at the game.
Platinum-selling, X-Factor star Andy Abraham, will be performing to the crowds before the game at 19:15 ahead of his UK tour - History of the Big Bands.
ABOUT THE CHARITIES
IT is a sad fact of everyday life that people suffer personal injuries through accidents in their homes, workplace, on our streets and roads and also in the pursuit of leisure activities and sports. In this regard rugby is no different from any other contact sport and unfortunately player injuries occur from time to time. Such injuries can be of a very serious nature, resulting in permanent disability in some cases.
The IRISH RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION CHARITABLE TRUST was formed in 1978 to assist severely injured rugby players in their everyday lives, and help to restore their confidence and independence.
There are currently 33 seriously injured players registered with the Charitable Trust in Ireland, most of whom are wheelchair bound and have some form of permanent paralysis.
The support provided by the Trust takes many forms and includes financial assistance for medical, nursing and caring expenses, home alterations, education and training costs, provision of wheelchairs and specialised equipment together with motor vehicles and vehicle conversion costs. The Trust also maintains regular contact with each injured player and their families.
Over the past few years the average annual cost of financial support provided by the Trust has been approximately €200,000. This is partly funded by direct grants from the IRFU along with various fundraising campaigns and donations. Fundraising events include sponsored walks every two yeas to coincide with Lions tours and the Rugby World Cup, golf tournaments, sports quizzes and gala dinners on the eve of a home Six Nations match along with the Friends of the Charitable Trust scheme.
The IRFU Charitable Trust is registered as a charity in the Republic of Ireland under Charity Reference CHY6120.
In Northern Ireland the charity has a Registered Charity number XR87763 and is registered as the IRFU Charitable Trust (Northern Ireland) to take advantage of Gift Aid tax concessions.
To find out more about their work, click on the logo.
IT is every rugby player's dream to combine his job with his passion and pull on the jersey for his career, his club and ultimately his country. But what happens when it all goes wrong? A bad tackle, an unfortunate accident, an illness off the pitch - who is there to pick up the pieces?
The RPA BENEVOLENT FUND - the Players' Charity - provides advice, support and financial assistance for players who have suffered serious injury, illness or hardship.
Through the RPA Benevolent Fund we are able to assist players with essential medical costs and provide a support network which the player or family can turn to for help, advice or encouragement.
The RPA Benevolent Fund is registered charity No. 1113160.
To find out more about their work, click on the RPA logo.
THE RFU INJURED PLAYERS FOUNDATION (IPF) is a charity that looks after 132 clients and also has a valuable role in the prevention and management of injuries. For many years now, and uniquely amongst sports National Governing Bodies, the Rugby Football Union has insured all amateur players for serious and catastrophic injuries. The insurance cover has increased over the years and those injured prior to 1995 would have received a far smaller sum while those injured, say, in the 1980s or before received very little indeed.
In addition to this, SPIRE (Support Paraplegics in Rugby Enterprise) was created in 1993 by the then President of the RFU Ian Beer to help out when catastrophically injured players were having difficult times. Since its creation, the major donor has been the RFU, although donations have come from all levels of the game. The SPIRE capital fund has gradually been built up and invested to provide a sustainable income, which has been used to provide grants to the ex-players. Through SPIRE hundreds of grants have been made over the past 15 years.
SPIRE has changed its name and transferred its capital fund to the Injured Players Foundation, the charity being run by a new Board of Trustees. The new Board has been formed from the Trustees of SPIRE and new Trustees appointed by the RFU, which include experts in spinal rehabilitation. The Chairman is Ian Beer, who originally founded SPIRE.
Registered in England and Wales under number 6438698.
Registered Charity number 1122139.
To find out more about their work, click on the logo.
