Members of University of Derby RFC first XV trained with the Tigers players courtesy of QBE, the business insurance specialist.
They are one of twelve grassroots rugby clubs across the country to be awarded a training session with Premiership Rugby players and coaches after winning the QBE Rugby Pro competition. In addition, the club received £1,000 worth of training equipment.
The prizes were awarded to clubs who best demonstrated the benefits of receiving expert guidance from top Premiership Rugby coaches and players. The judges were impressed by University of Derby RFC’s desire to establish rugby as a key sport at the university having witnessed a growing increase in interest and participation numbers in recent years despite insufficient training opportunities and facilities.
The training session provided them with the rare opportunity to learn from Tigers and pick up specialist advice on core rugby skills and game play.
Tigers and England prop Dan Cole, said: “QBE Rugby Pro is a great initiative and it is important to give something back to the grassroots game.
“It has been fun working with University of Derby RFC and I hope that the access to professional players and coaches during the specialist training today will have taught them new skills and will inspire them to keep playing.”
Matt Williams, Tigers senior rugby development office, added: “The focus for the backs was on handling, strike running and communication to integrate into set piece moves while the forwards focussed on scrummaging with an emphasis on the importance of individual body positioning.
“The QBE Rugby Pro session has been a great platform to build a relationship with the University of Derby and to support the development of rugby to ensure local clubs receive professional coaching.”
Charlie Millen, committee member and University of Derby RFC player, said: “Hopefully this will greatly benefit the squad throughout the remainder of this, and future seasons. We are very grateful to QBE for this fantastic experience as well as the new training equipment.”
QBE Rugby Pro is part of QBE’s Coaching Programme, which aims to improve the quality of rugby coaching in England at a grassroots level. For more information on the winning clubs and further details on QBE Rugby Pro visit www.QBErugby.com
