The Wallabies on Wednesday unveiled plans to wear a
commemorative Wallaby jersey and hold a memorial match to honour
the victims of last year’s Bali bombings at the Rugby World Cup.
The tournament opens on October 10, two days before the first
anniversary of the car bombings that killed 202 people, including 88
Australians, on the Indonesian resort island.
Australian Rugby Union (ARU) chief executive John O’Neill said
the Wallabies would wear a special jersey embroidered with wattle,
the national floral emblem, in the opening match against Argentina
on October 10.
O’Neill said with Prime Minister John Howard flying to Bali for
memorial services a day after he opens the World Cup, the rugby union wanted its tribute to be discreet rather than dramatic.
”The Wallabies jersey will carry a sprig of wattle embroidered
into the jersey as a mark of recognition for the Bali victims,” he
told reporters.
A minute’s silence will be observed before games played on the
anniversary of the bombing — England versus Georgia, Scotland
versus Japan and Wales versus Canada.
The rugby union will also host a match between an Australian Barbarians
team and the Mekong Pirates on November 12 as part of its memorial
programme.
The Mekong Pirates were in Bali for a 10-a-side tournament and
lost leader Scott Lysaght in the bombing.
O’Neill said the rugby union was hosting the match at North Sydney Oval
on the suggestion of Lysaght’s wife Melissa, who gave birth to the
couple’s daughter Madeline shortly after the bombing.
The Australian Barbarians side will be a low-key outfit,
probably including players from the Forbes rugby club, which lost
three players in Bali, O’Neill said. — Sapa-AFP