North Waltham Under-12s and Hinckley Under-11s booked their spots at Twickenham at the final Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup tournament before the midwinter break.Launched during the 2008/09 season, the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup is the first national grassroots tournament officiated by Premiership Rugby and run in conjunction with all 12 Premiership Rugby clubs.
In total, more than 7,000 children will participate over the course of the season as they go in search of a spot in the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup Parade of Champions during half-time of the Aviva Premiership Rugby Final in May.
There were plenty of potential stars on show last Sunday at Oakham Rugby Club, as Leicester Tigers hosted 32 teams in under-11s and under-12s tournaments.
In the under-11s, Hinckley were in excellent form, looking impressive throughout the group stages before beating West Bridgford RFC in a tense final.
After falling a try behind, Hinckley battled back and eventually ran in four tries to guarantee a spot at Rugby HQ on May 28, and 10-year-old Ben Kenison could not have been prouder of his team.
“It feels great, absolutely amazing,” he said. “It was a great effort from the whole team and we’re over the moon.
“We didn't start too well but knew we could score some tries and got better as the day went on. I can't wait to go to Twickenham, it should be great fun.”
North Waltham Under-12s were in similar form, sweeping through their pool matches before beating Market Harborough in their final.
And 11-year-old fly-half George Loose believes his side have a star of the future in centre Sam Crossley who scored a hat-trick in the final.
He said: “Before today, we thought we were going to make it to the final, but we didn't know we were going to come out on top overall.
“Sam had a really good game for us. He's a big unit and we use him for a lot of our play, he's a big part of our game-plan.”
Tigers were out to support the day with Academy centre Charlie Thacker casting an eye over the action.
Thacker, who is looking to emulate brother Harry in becoming a key member of Richard Cockerill’s first-team squad, believes he saw several players with huge potential.
“It’s a massive occasion for these kids,” Thacker said. “It’s a great chance for them to showcase their rugby and a fantastic prize on offer with the chance to go to Twickenham.
“It’s really important for Tigers to get out into the community and support these kids, and you can see how much it means to them.”
Land Rover is a proud supporter of grassroots rugby and a partner of the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup for nearly a decade. Land Rover's 'We Deal In Real' campaign aims to champion grassroots rugby. To find out more about the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup, visit premiershiprugby.com/landrovercup. Follow @LandRoverRugby #WeDealInReal
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