This Saturday will see the players, coaches, managers, volunteers and supporters of the RBSI Guernsey Rugby Academy boarding a (very) early ferry to take us all over to Jersey for the annual Siam festival against our closest and fiercest rivals.

Each year the festival is played between all age groups from U7s through to our Colts. Whilst we wish all our squads and players the best of luck and hope they all come out victorious, it is important to remember that this is a festival and should be about promoting all that is good about the game of rugby and an opportunity to reinforce the core values of the sport:

• Teamwork
• Respect
• Enjoyment
• Discipline
• Sportsmanship

Please bear this in mind whether you are playing, managing, coaching or supporting and help us to uphold the proud traditions of our Academy, the festival and the Siam Cup itself.

Historically, the annual fixture is of great significance. As many of you will know the Siam Cup played for between Guernsey RFC and Jersey RFC is the second oldest rugby trophy in the world (2nd only to the Calcutta Cup). The Siam Cup is a large circular rose-bowl made from Siamese (Thai) silvera and dates as far back as 1920.

The Cup was brought to the Channel Islands by a Lieut-Colonel C H Forty, an officer based in what was then known as Siam with the Durham Light Infantry. A fellow officer in his regiment was the son of the King of Siam. He was befriended by Forty and his fellow officers, and on eventually becoming King he instructed that the Cup be made from Ticals (silver Siamese dollars) by the royal silversmiths. He presented the cup to Forty and his fellow officers as a token of their friendship.

Forty donated the cup to the islands to be played for annually between Victoria College in Jersey and Elizabeth College in Guernsey (These are the CI equivalents to UK Public Schools). After a time it was decided that the cup should be contested between the two island rugby clubs each season, thus began the annual 'battle' for the Siam Cup.

The original cup is now displayed in the museum at Rugby HQ in Twickenham and a replica that was made by renowned Guernsey jeweller, Bruce Russell, is the one used and kept in the trophy cabinet of the successful island.

It was during the German occupation of the islands that the cup was at its greatest risk, because the Germans wanted it to be sent to their homeland to be melted down and used as funds to support the Third Reich. Strangely enough the cup 'disappeared' and was not rediscovered until after the end of the occupation. To this day, there is no record of the whereabouts of the cup during this period.

So yes, the competition is important and, like all competition, someone must win and someone must lose. Play hard, play fair and, most of all, enjoy yourselves and be a credit to Guernsey and the legacy of all those that have worn the green shirt before you.

Good luck!

Andrew
GRA Chairman