In the lead up to this special occasion
there was a worry that the weather might hamper the festivities. Luckily, this
was not the case, and Aegeri lived up to its reputation as ‘Sunny Aegeri’.
The plan for the day was to have a friendly
game of rugby followed by a formal dinner with speeches. Emails were sent out
to all the clubs in Switzerland inviting our favourite players to come and play
as the Zug Barbarians. The requirement to play as a Barbarian was only extended
to those players who understand the true morals and philosophy of Rugby (which
we hold dear to our hearts here in Zug) and who are gentleman on and off the
pitch. Invitations were also extended to old players who used to play for Zug.
Just before the match started both teams
where given special playing shirts. As you can see from the pictures these were
fantastic!!
Our referee for the match was Roger P. Zubler
(Ex-President) and for this friendly match we decided to do 4 x 20min half’s
with rolling substitutes.
Once the game started it became clear that
the Barbarians were taking it a bit more serious and deservedly so they opened
up the score line with a great try. It was not long before Zug responded and
from the sideline it was clear we had an epic game on our hands.
At half time several bottles of Champagne were
opened and of course sprayed over all the players. With spirits high the second
half continued with more good rugby.
The game ended with a win for Zug (61-41).
After the game everyone headed to the club
pub for a BBQ and a few beers. After the BBQ and with a quick change into suits
and ties, everyone headed down to the Casino in Zug.
Due to the great weather we delayed the
dinner by an hour while everyone was on the terrace watching the sunset over
the lake of Zug.
At about 8pm the dinner started in the main
room of the Theatre Casino. The table settings looked great and with the lights
dimmed and candles burning, everyone sat back and enjoyed the collection of
photos from the last 20 years that were being projected onto the main stage.
With the wine orders made, Denis kicked off
the speeches by thanking all the Barbarians for coming to play in the match and
then read out a short email message from an old player (David Bevis) who was
not able to make the event. Then Denis read out a message from our trainer Mark
Newman (who was in England on a coaching course with the All Blacks legend Graham
Henry). Denis finished his speech by presenting a framed rugby picture to Beat
‘Fanti’ Iten for all his hard work and dedication that he has put into the club
over the years.

Then the current President (Sebastian Le
Page) took the stage and presented both Ex-Presidents with more framed rugby
themed pictures as a thank-you for starting the club and keeping it going for
so many years. Seb then invited two old Zug players (Rob & Benji) who had
travelled literally half way round the world to play in the anniversary match.
Both Rob and Benji talked about their time in the club and then performed the
‘Haka’. This was the highlight of the evening, especially for the new younger
players in the team, it was a very special honour to witness.
Following this, Ex-Presidents Roger C.
Zubler & Roger P. Zubler began their speech. They talked about the humble
beginnings of the club (established in Pickwicks in Zug) and went onto explain
some of the highs and lows over the last 20 years.
A minutes silence was made in honour of a
fallen team mate, Adrian Hathaway, who sadly passed away. This was an emotional
moment.
Next up was Tommy Styger. He talked about
his many years in the club and announced his retirement, but somehow we know
deep down that he will be back playing soon enough. He ended his speech in
English by adding: ‘My drinking club has
a rugby problem’.
Afterwards, to finish off the speeches,
Denis presented the man of the match award. For the Barbarians Petra was called
onto the stage, but as she was driving, Rob (captain of the Barbarians) was
asked to take her place. From Zug, Elio was called up. Then Elio and Rob linked
arms and downed a pint of beer.
With the speeches done and the dessert
buffet set, the party began. (Thank-you to Mario for organising the huge
speakers and bass boxes).
Drunk of the night award was given to Danni
about 9pm but as the night progressed it was clear that there were other
contenders for this prize, namely Damian and Denis.
Thank-you to everyone who travelled near
and far to come for this special event and also to the staff at the casino for
hosting a wonderful evening.

Lastly, a very big thank-you from the club
to Elio and Denis, for organizing an unforgettable Anniversary. Planning has
already begun for our Christmas dinner which is set to be even bigger than last
year.