Glasgow Warriors lay on buses after Murrayfield switch and offer refunds to supporters

Glasgow Warriors are laying on buses for supporters travelling to Murrayfield for Friday’s EPCR Challenge Cup clash with Perpignan.

Glasgow Warriors' Challenge Cup tie against Perpignan will be played at BT Murrayfield. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

The game has been moved to Edinburgh because the artificial pitch at Scotstoun is frozen and the club is offering refunds to fans who cannot attend.

The decision to switch the game has caused disquiet among some Glasgow supporters who would have preferred the tie be rearranged for a new date at Scotstoun, and Al Kellock, the club’s managing director, admitting that playing at Murrayfield was “not ideal”.

In an open letter to supporters, Kellock said: “Firstly, we were determined to make the game happen at Scotstoun Stadium. Since Sunday, a team of ground professionals, including our own staff, the ground team from BT Murrayfield and a team from local artificial grass specialists, CY Turf, worked on thawing the pitch. Through their efforts, we had defrosted the top layer and were able to maintain a thawed surface, however, the sand below was more difficult to defrost and with the persisting cold weather it was simply not going to be possible to make the surface playable.

“We looked at options with the tournament organisers, and the decision we arrived at ensures the game can be played in line with EPCR competition regulations and gives our players the best opportunity to play this important fixture in our EPCR Challenge Cup campaign.

“We are fortunate to have BT Murrayfield at our disposal, not just from the point of view of the pitch, but through support of Scottish Rugby colleagues who can help to provide a smooth transition to logistically get the game on when moving it away from Scotstoun.

“We understand that the solution to move the game to BT Murrayfield is less-than-ideal, taking it away from our home city, with the ongoing train strikes, and the weather warning that is in place for the central belt on Friday. Therefore, we are offering all Season Ticket Members a pro-rata refund for this game, and all match ticket purchasers a full refund, if you cannot attend.

“We have secured two buses, which will collect people from and return them to stops at Glasgow Queen Street, Kilmarnock, Ayr, and Whitecraigs tomorrow night. Our operations department are continuing to source other buses.”