Tremendous Touch to Twickenham Success
Almost 3,000 players from 250 schools and colleges across the country have played in the Touch to Twickenham tournament.
How do you introduce many hundreds of young people who have never played rugby before to the sport?
You run a nationwide programme called Touch to Twickenham for Year 9 and sixth form students, where there are fewer opportunities, and offer the winners the chance to play on the Twickenham turf before England take on the southern hemisphere in the autumn.
Between April and June almost 3,000 young players from 250 schools and colleges throughout England enjoyed the competition, with almost 60% playing for the first time and almost half of all those competing being female players.
And as well as development opportunities for players, the local events saw many young leaders helping to run and referee games alongside coaches and teachers.
RED & WHITE
Every team of eight had a minimum of four female players and, to even the playing field, teams who had never experienced rugby competed in the White category, with those who had played previously placed in the Red category.
And there was great excitement surrounding the opportunity for the winners of both categories and both age groups to run out at the Home of England Rugby to play match openers before this autumn’s England Tests against the southern hemisphere.
Winners of the sixth form White competition, Egglescliffe School in Yorkshire, are set to play an exhibition match before watching England v New Zealand in early November.
Teacher Kevin Rudd said: "This is an amazing opportunity for our school and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students who are all very excited about it.
“Being part of Touch to Twickenham, both the local and national events, has been a fantastic experience and has helped introduce a number of students to rugby in a football mad area. “
Andy Blaylock, a teacher from Westonbirt School said: “This was one of the best activities we’ve run for our sixth form and the Touch to Twickenham events gave us, as a small school, the opportunity to play and introduce rugby as a mixed sport.
“Our squad over the two tournaments included eight students who had never played rugby before and, in a total of 18, there were three rugby, seven lacrosse, five hockey and two netball players and a cricketer.”
MORE WILL BE INVOLVED NEXT SEASON
Chris Sigsworth, Schools and Colleges Manager at England Rugby said: “The numbers have been great but so too has the feedback from those taking part on the positive impact of Touch to Twickenham and how everyone’s perceptions of rugby have improved.
“In the new season we want to continue to expand the programme, work with more schools and involve more young people who have never had the chance to enjoy rugby before.”
