Oswestry youngsters take to the big stage
The Gallagher Premiership Rugby season may be over for another year but memories of the 2019 final will live long in the memory for youngsters from Oswestry Under-11s after their special day out at Twickenham Stadium.
Thanks to their involvement with the latest season of the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup, the Oswestry youngsters headed to rugby HQ where they shared the turf with World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson.
That came after they secured their spot at the showpiece event at the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup festival hosted by Worcester Warriors.
Their reward for their efforts also included the chance to watch Exeter Chiefs and Saracens battle it out for the title as well as meeting with former England star Johnson pre-match.
Oswestry player Aaron Purcell was additionally awarded the honour of being nominated for the Junior Land Rover Discovery of the Season award, with the 11-year-old admitting the whole day had been one to savour.
“It was an honour to be nominated for the Land Rover Discovery Player of the Year award at Twickenham because it is the home of English rugby, and I support England,” said Aaron.
“It was my first-ever time at Twickenham and I loved it. I was excited and nervous to go down onto the pitch, but it was fantastic to see things from the players’ point of view.”
“I love rugby because it is a team sport and I have really made friends with my squad. I loved spending the day with them at Twickenham – the most important thing is that we can all have fun together as a team.”
Oswestry Under-11s were one of 24 under-11 and 12 teams in attendance for the final – representing two sides for each age category from the festivals hosted by each of the 12 Gallagher Premiership clubs throughout the season.
This is the 11th year of the national grassroots rugby initiative, with more than 85,000 youngsters participating in the event to date – enough to fill Twickenham Stadium
Players such as Newcastle Falcons’ Callum Chick started life on the pitches of the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup, with Land Rover ambassador Johnson praising the opportunities afforded to players at a young age.
“It’s all about giving people the opportunity to play,” said Johnson.
“It’s great to see kids just playing and enjoying themselves. Being here at Twickenham, they will all have a dream that one day they’ll play here for their club or their country.”
“I see lots of guys who didn’t get into rugby until their 20s and 30s and they wish they’d gotten into it when they were younger.
“We know about the health benefits but there are lots of life benefits of playing rugby too, it’s the entire thing, you get involved with something that’s bigger than the whole game.
“But, ultimately, I tell kids all the time, why do we play sport? Because we enjoy doing it. We enjoy playing with our team mates, the camaraderie of it, we enjoy the challenge, so anytime you can get people together is good.”
Land Rover has heritage in rugby at all levels; from grassroots to elite, sharing and understanding the values at the heart of the game. Follow @LandRoverRugby
