Scrum Down! Lawrence Dallaglio and Turkish Rugby Team, Kadikoy, take on an Airbus 330 in Istanbul
Ahead of the European Challenge and Champions Cup Final rugby tournament in Edinburgh this weekend, the Official Airline Partner of the tournament, Turkish Airlines challenged Lawrence Dallaglio and amateur Turkish Rugby Team Kadikoy to a scrum with an Airbus A330 at Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul. Visit www.turkishairlines.com for further information.
In celebration of the European Challenge and Champions Cup Final tournament in Edinburgh this weekend, the Official Airline Partner of the tournament, Turkish Airlines challenged Lawrence Dallaglio and amateur Turkish Rugby Team Kadikoy to a scrum with an Airbus A330 at Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul.
Weighing in at 242 tonnes, with a wingspan of 64 meters and a length of 63 meters the Airbus A330 is far stronger than all the European Challenge and Champions Cup teams combined, yet the eight-strong Kadıkoy team members were eager to pick up the gauntlet to see if they could take on the pack and push the aircraft backwards down the runway, aided by a scrum machine.
In preparation for the challenge the Wasps, England and Lions legend Dallaglio, spent time coaching and putting Kadıkoy through their paces to get them into shape for the stunt, with technique and scrum tips How did they fair? Was their crouch, touch, engage good enough to beat the Airbus A330? Watch the video to find out!
Dallaglio, who won the European Cup as captain of Wasps in 2004 and 2007, said; “It was a hugely fun training session. I’ve scrummed down against a few heavy lumps in my time but it’s not every day you get use of a 242 tonne passenger plane to train with!”
“The guys from Kadikoy are all amateur Turkish players who are very passionate about putting Turkey on the map as a rugby nation. They put everything into it and we had some challenging weather conditions but it was a great experience!”
On Friday night, Gloucester take on Stade Français in the Challenge Cup final followed by Saracens going head to head with Clermont Auvergne on Saturday night in the climax of Rugby Union’s elite European Club competition, The Champions Cup. Both games are hosted at the iconic BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.
Turkish Airlines, Europe’s Best Airline for the sixth consecutive year by Skytrax, have partnered with Lawrence Dallaglio, a two-time European Challenge and Champions Cup winner to champion the sponsorship. The ‘Player of the Cup’ will be awarded a 1-million-point Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles card in recognition of their outstanding performance during the tournament. This will be awarded during the final match.
