Match to raise funds for ex-rugby star's MND charity

Two rugby teams are taking part in a special fixture to honour a former player living with motor neurone disease (MND).

Gloucester Rugby will play Leicester Tigers for the Slater Cup, named after Ed Slater who represented both clubs, at Villa Park in Birmingham to raise money for the charity founded in his name, 4Ed.

Slater was diagnosed with MND in July 2022 and 4Ed was set up to help other families affected by the disease by providing specialist equipment along with financial and emotional support.

His former team-mates Mike Tindall and Martin Johnson CBE are taking part in a head-to-head team cycle race to Villa Park from their respective home stadiums in Gloucester and Leicester.

MND causes muscle weakness that gets worse over a few months or years, affecting movement, speech, breathing, and swallowing.

It is usually life-shortening and there is currently no cure but treatment can help manage the symptoms.

In a trailer ahead of the match, Slater said he was initially "a little nervous" about the idea of The Slater Cup when it was first conceived as a way of raising money because he "didn't think I was deserving of it".

"Over time, I have seen the impact the game is having on the MND community, which means it's much more than just myself," said Slater, who will attend the game at the home stadium of Premier League side Aston Villa.

"It's an exciting opportunity for me to have this game at Villa Park from a fundraising perspective but I would have loved it as a player to be able to play in a Premier League stadium."

Teams of ex-Gloucester and Leicester players will cycle about 45 miles (72.4km) from their home stadiums of Kingsholm and Welford Road to the match as part of the fundraising effort.

Former England and Gloucester centre Mike Tindall said: "It's hard hearing Ed's words saying he's not deserving of it... that's just not the case," Tindall said.

"I love the fact we come together when someone's in a time of need and we are galvanised as a sport and we can raise these sorts of funds to help him."

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