“In my life I have seen many high rugby entertainment shows and the best was in South Africa as they are rugby crazy people, but I have never ever seen something in the high caliber of the ‘Bradby Fiesta’,” said Gregan at a media conference held at the HSBC head office yesterday.

“This is frankly marvelous and I’m really impressed about it because for me it stands way ahead of the rest”.

HSBC Sri Lanka partnered by the Sri Lanka Rugby and Football Union (SLRFU) and the Schools Rugby Union will hold a Coaching Master class for all Captains and Scrum Halves of ‘A’ Division rugby schools in the country at the CR&FC grounds during his stay.

“I will mentor them and engage in coaching activities both as a former skipper and scrum half,” said Gregan. “I am amazed at the talent and the enthusiasm I’ve seen when it comes to rugby in Sri Lanka.”

Gregan will also be involved with the HSBC Rugby Zone that will kick start at 10.00 am at the Bloomfield grounds today allowing rugby fans of all ages to come and get to enjoy a once in a lifetime experience to meet and interact with him on site as well as receive autographed rugby memorabilia. They can also capture special moments with Gregan at an exclusive photo booth, to make it a memorable and unforgettable experience.

Gregan is Australia’s highest internationally capped player – his illustrious rugby career spanning for over 20 years. He was the 64th player inducted to the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2013.

Chief Operating Officer of HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives Sriyan Cooray said, “As an international bank that has been associated with rugby through several sponsorships both globally and locally, we wanted to bring an international flavour of the sport to local audiences. We are happy to be able to leverage the partnership HSBC Bank Australia has with Qantas. We feel this is a good opportunity to give our commitment and support towards rugby in Sri Lanka to give rugby fans and emerging players a chance to interact with a celebrity player.”

SLRFU secretary Nazeem Mohamed said, “We are delighted to have George in Sri Lanka. It is fantastic for the game and especially for the future stars of Sri Lanka rugby who will meet him. We are thankful that HSBC has taken this great initiative to help and promote the sport in the country.”

Chairman of the Bradby Fiesta Committee, Rizan Nazeer stated, “As the Royal College Union celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, the Bradby Fiesta is scaling up to reach even greater heights than the last two events. This year’s fiesta will see an inclusion of an exclusive rugby zone with exciting rugby games courtesy of HSBC.

“Furthermore, former Wallabies captain and HSBC Rugby Ambassador George Gregan will meet and greet rugby fans young and old at the HSBC rugby zone. This will be first time Sri Lanka will witness a world class rugby zone and rugby legend in one location. All this is made possible by HSBC, the main sponsor of the Fiesta for the third consecutive year”.

Tharanga Gunasekera, Head of Marketing and Communications for HSBC Sri Lanka, said, “Rugby is one of the popular sports supported by HSBC globally and we are delighted to leverage on our global rugby footprint as an international bank to introduce a world class rugby experience to fans here in Sri Lanka.” Softlogic Holdings PLC will join in as one of the main sponsors of the Bradby Fiesta 2016 for the first time. Ford, the iconic US automobile brand would be present showcasing its line up of sought after vehicles from the Ford Everest to the Focus.

A special game zone for kids will be set up by Milo for the young ones to enjoy throughout the day. The fiesta will kick off at 10.00 am and go on until 12.00 mid night at the Bloomfield grounds, Reid Avenue.

The Bradby Shield encounter will be telecast live on LED screens at Bloomfield.

Furthermore, all HSBC credit cardholders will be allowed free entrance to the Bradby Fiesta. Other partners of the Bradby Fiesta 2016 include; Nestlé, CEAT, Elephant House Ice Cream& MyCola.