THIS weekend sees the Dorchester Rugby Club Gladiators embark on their end-of-season tour to Ljubljana.

A mix of all three senior sides from the county town will head to the Slovenian capital to play their final game of the season.

With players in their late teens, through to those in their mid-50s, the side will not be lacking in experience.

This is the 21st time the Glads have toured, and often to unusual locations.

Their first tour was to Chablis and among their finest hours was the tour to Bucharest, where the team inadvertently took on some of the Romanian national side, due to translation errors.

This ended up in appearance on the Richard & Judy Show, articles in national newspapers and a Radio Four interview.

The game has gone down in history as the last chapter in the book Rugby’s Strangest Matches, by John Griffiths.

With a number of young players in the side captained by Nick Hodge, the hope is that youthful speed may overcome the opposition, however with an unknown side to play against and some not travelling well, the result may hang in the balance.

First time tourist, Russell Milford, said: “I am really excited to be touring with the Glads, and can’t wait to get my first international cap.”

Along with the travelling players are a number of former players ready to cheer the team on and impart their much sought after advice. These tour specialists will no doubt enjoy the annual event and everything that comes with it to the full.

The first team squad will also tour in May within the UK, then all senior players can enjoy an off-season break before pre-season training commences in July, ready for next season’s push for promotion.