Gala cinema hosts world premiere of rugby movie

THE Borders is to stage the 'world premiere' of a rugby film tonight in Galashiels that producers hope will become an online sensation.

The film, entitled Play On, includes scenes shot at Melrose's historic Greenyards ground and features cameo appearances by former Scotland internationalists Gavin Hastings and Cammy Mather, and some Melrose players, while Borders caps Roy Laidlaw, Keith Robertson and Peter Dods will be among those receiving the red carpet treatment at Galashiels' Pavilion Cinema.

The film tells the fictitious story of a Borders rugby star trying to follow in the footsteps of his legendary Scotland internationalist father, with the main parts played by US actor Chard Hayward, who has The Thorn Birds, Lost and Santa Barbara among other his film and TV credits, and his real-life son Adam Gray-Hayward.

The hopeful professional is also featured 'playing' at Melrose and for Edinburgh at Murrayfield, but being told he does not make the grade and instead pursues a career across the Atlantic in American Football with Kansas City.

The film producers have decided to hold the premiere in Galashiels and have sold out the event with over 170 people attending. There will also be appearances by members of the USA team in town to play Scotland 'A' tomorrow night, and an intriguing mix of cheerleaders and the Galashiels Pipe Band.

Pavilion Cinema manager Andrew Poole said: "We're delighted to be presenting this. Rugby plays an important role in Borders culture and putting rugby and cinema together was too good an opportunity to miss."

The film will be released in December, but will not be pushed through cinemas, but instead on the internet where the US-based producers believe it will attract a greater following.

Already there have been 110,000 viewings of the launch trailer for the film. The movie will be released in December with more details available at www.playonthemovie.com.

The number of existing rugby-related movies barely reaches double figures. The best known are Alive, the story of the Uruguyan rugby team who survived a plane crash in the Andes, and Invictus, the story of how South Africa won the Rugby World Cup in 1995.