Haywards Heath young guns take centre stage at rugby festival

Harlequins hosted an under-11 and under-12 grassroots developmental festival on Saturday, with Haywards Heath Rugby Club among the competing teams.

This successful series of nationwide events, now running for nearly two decades and organised by Land Rover – the official vehicle of Premiership Rugby – has seen more than 100,000 children take part to date, with some realising their dreams of going on to play for Premiership Rugby clubs.

And for Heath under-12s player Harvey Nolan, who has experienced a frustrating time away from the pitch, it was a memorable experience as his side finally got back to playing.

Nolan said: “I hope we win some matches and play well because it’s a really nice day. I really want to score some tries.

“It was really boring not being able to get rugby as we weren’t able to get out much at all.

“I did a lot of training inside and in the garden with my brother. It’s really good to come back.

“I love the excitement of rugby and when you’re scoring a try and your whole team goes with you it’s really good. I really like kicking and I think I did some good bits today.”

The competition was a fantastic spectacle for those in attendance, with the highly competitive fixtures providing a meaningful platform for youngsters to develop their rugby skills.

Land Rover ambassador Lewis Moody, who racked up 71 caps for England, added: “The return of the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup across the country is a huge boost for grassroots rugby.

“It cannot be underestimated how important these grassroots rugby events are for rugby in the UK.

“Youngsters will learn vital lessons by playing in these festivals, that will serve them on and off the rugby pitch.”

The Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup is testament to Land Rover’s commitment to supporting rugby at all levels; from grassroots to elite.

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