Dave Emery is hoping to put one over his great mate Wayne Barnes on one of the showpiece rugby days in the Forest of Dean tomorrow.
 
Dave Emery’s Foresters’ Invitational XV will take on Wayne Barnes’ Select XV in the annual charity match at Lydney, with all proceeds from the day going to Breast Cancer Now.
 
Barnes’ team of all stars won 71-57 last year to tie the scores up at 2-2 overall, and Emery is determined to take the bragging rights this time around.
 
“Definitely,” he laughed, “we’ll be pulling out all the stops.”
 
And Emery will be urging his team on from a touchline that he will share with Warren Gatland, the two-times British and Irish Lions head coach.
 
The Wales coach will be there to ‘assist’ Barnes and his merry men and Emery added: “It’s great that Warren Gatland will be there supporting the day. The British and Irish Lions job is probably the biggest in rugby, and it’s another big name after England head coach Eddie Jones came down last year.”
 
Emery confirmed that Barnes, who learned his rugby in the Forest, is expected to play again this year even though he broke a rib last year.
 
And he’ll be lining up alongside some stellar names from yesteryear, with the likes of ex-British Lions Ugo Moyne and Dafydd James set to play.
 
Phil Greening, Mark Regan and Andy Goode are also set to be on the touchline and with the weather set fair, Emery is hoping for a big crowd at Regentsholme.
 
“It’s a good way to end the season,” said Emery, who is first team manager at Lydney. “A lot of people have volunteered to help out on the day. It doesn’t just happen, the planning starts almost as soon as last year’s day finished.”
 
And this year ‘the day’ starts the night before with a dinner at Lydney Rugby Club.
 
Referee Nigel Owens was originally due to be the special guest alongside Barnes for the post-dinner Q&A tonight, but he is required to officiate in Munster so former England and British Lions wing John Bentley has stepped in for the sell-out event.
 
The action tomorrow kicks off at 10am with a series of age group matches before the main match at 2pm. And when the final whistle of that game is blown, it won’t be long before the music starts with bands playing well into the evening.
 
Dave Emery’s Foresters’ Invitational XV squad: Ian Morgan, Tom Emery, Adey Peacey, Brett Scrivener, Max Parry, James Bashford (captain), Rob Newton, Jim McMahon, Tom Paige, Harry Brown, Kurt Brown, Tom Hall, Andy Cooper, Ross Webb, Alex Smales, James Walter, Liam Brady, Matty Williams, Chris Holder, Craig Jones, Kingsley Bower, Nathan Tucker, Nicky Gait, Aaron Ryder, Mitch Baldwin, Dan Chui, Josh Hannam, Tai Lakabuka, James Cooper, Joe McClean.
 
Emery, meanwhile, has confirmed that he will continue as Lydney’s first team manager next season.
 
Lydney were relegated from South West Premier this season, but although their flagship have had a tough campaign it’s not all been doom at the club, because the 2nd XV won the Wadworth Merit Table Gloucester One title.