Pierre Schoeman says farewell to trademark hairstyle as Dave Cherry shaves his head

So hair it is, merry Christmas.

Hair today, gone tomorrow: Pierre Schoeman had his head shaved to raise funds for Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity.

Pierre Schoeman said goodbye to his flowing locks on Wednesday when he allowed his Edinburgh team-mate Dave Cherry to shave his head for charity. The prop’s trademark mane quickly disappeared as Cherry gave his front-row colleague a swift buzzcut in front of staff and patients at the Royal Hospital for Children & Young People in the capital.

With the 1872 Cup clashes with Glasgow Warriors looming, Schoeman’s aim was to raise £1872 for the Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity. He reached that amount in under 30 minutes and by 8pm last night the total had surpassed £8000.

The Edinburgh squad were making their annual Christmas visit to the hospital, and Schoeman and Cherry were joined by Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie, Ben Vellacott and Chris Dean.

The focus will turn back to rugby on Thursday when both Edinburgh and Glasgow name their teams for the first leg of the 1872 Cup clash which will take place at Scotstoun on Friday. The newly streamlined Schoeman will be looking to help his team-mates reclaim the inter-city trophy after Glasgow won both matches last season.

Both clubs go into the games on the back of impressive results in European competition. Glasgow beat Bayonne 12-11 in France in the top-tier Champions Cup last Friday while Edinburgh defeated Castres 34-21 at home in the Challenge Cup on Saturday. They have also been in good form in the United Rugby Championship with each team winning five of their seven matches this season. Glasgow are second in the standings by virtue of having won more bonus points than Edinburgh who are fifth.

It will be a first experience of the 1872 Cup for Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt who joined the club in the summer. He will be up against Glasgow counterpart Franco Smith and it is the first time the two clubs have faced each other with South Africans at the helm. The 1872 Cup second leg will take place at Murrayfield on December 30 with a record crowd expected.

To donate to the Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity go to the Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/page/edinburgh-rugby-schoeman