Wimbledon RFC U11s helped celebrate more than ten seasons of the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup by taking part in an event hosted by Harlequins on Saturday.
The Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup, a nationwide series of events, has seen more than 82,000 children take part to date and continues to grow, providing developmental experience for young players to excel in a professionally run environment.
This weekend it was Harlequins’ turn to host their event this season with Staines Rugby Football Club the venue with 16 teams strutting their stuff across an under-12 and under-11 festival.
And in the under-11 competition Wimbledon demonstrated plenty of effort and skill but fell just short of earning a trip to the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final on June 1, where they had the chance to meet a Land Rover rugby ambassador, and join in a Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup Parade at half-time, plus find out who has won the Junior Land Rover Discovery of The Season award.
But despite seeing that honour go to Havant RFC, player Harry Ferguson, from Wimbledon, was still proud of his side’s performances.
“I really enjoyed the tournament,” said the 10-year-old, who attends The Roche School.
“All of our games were exciting, with a lot of action and there was always somewhere to get involved.
“I love playing rugby because it’s so energetic. You’re always running around and there’s always something to do on the pitch.
“I support Harlequins, and Danny Care is my favourite player.
“I love watching him because of the way he plays. He’s such an all-round good player.”
Participating players at the festival also had the opportunity to meet Harlequins’ very own Niall Saunders who took time out of his schedule to watch the young teams as well as offer some coaching tips between games.
And he commented on the importance of grassroots rugby and said: “I think events like this are massive for grassroots rugby.
“It’s great for us to show support for the fans around us. We’d love to get as many kids as possible to support Harlequins because it makes our club bigger.
“We talk to them about hard work and dedication and you never know, the small bits of advice we give to these guys could go a long way for them.
“The more tournaments we can get in, the better.”
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 for more.
