Cancer campaigner Goodburn to deliver rugby match ball

Champion swimmer and brain cancer research campaigner Archie Goodburn will deliver the match ball for Scotland's Nations Championship match against Australia next month. Archie Goodburn is a British champion and European bronze medallist The Edinburgh-born 25-year-old has taken the campaign to bolster treatment and research to Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Scotland's First Minister, John Swinney, in recent weeks. And the Scottish 50m breaststroke record holder is delighted to be guest of honour at Murrayfield in his home city as the Wallabies visit on Sunday, 15 November. "This means the absolute world to me," he said. "The most people I have ever performed in front of before was an audience of 10,000 on the castle esplanade for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

"I was 12 and I sang a solo – What a Wonderful World! So this is an incredible opportunity to deliver the match ball in front of 60,000-plus people." Scots to face All Blacks away in World Cup warm-up Goodburn, who played blindside flanker at Stewart's-Melville College before concentrating on his present sport, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour, known as an oligodendroglioma, in 2024 and has since returned to competitive swimming following surgery. Supporters at Murrayfield will have the chance to donate to two charities leading the fight to help those with brain cancer – Brain Tumour