Coaches at Tigers, the English champions, have been working with Melton Mowbray schools as part of their Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme.
The programme introduces tag rugby to Key Stage 2 pupils aged nine and 10. It includes a six-week introduction to rugby and Tigers also work with teachers to continue with tag once the club’s coaches have moved on to other schools. Sets of equipment and teaching resources are also distributed.
Melton Mowbray RFC hosted a tag festival to complete the programme and Tigers players Thomas Waldrom and Pieter Myburgh were in attendance.
Tigers community manager Scott Clarke said: “The children gave 100 per cent and for many it was their first time playing the game against opposition after receiving coaching prior to Christmas.
“All of the schools and Melton Mowbray RFC have supported the programme and we hope the staff can use the resources to good effect and keep the kids playing the game.
“The final element of the Melton Mowbray stage of the programme will be organised shortly. We hope to have hundreds of children from the Melton area attending a fun day at Melton Mowbray RFC and Tigers coaches working alongside the club to introduce them to the family fun environment rugby has to offer.
“Melton Mowbray RFC will then lead on from that and create a new squad within the Rugby Club to play TAG Rugby.”
The Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme is being run by Tigers and the 11 other Premiership Rugby clubs.
The programme represents a significant investment by Aviva into grass roots rugby that will go towards supporting more than 15,000 man hours of coaching and reaching more than 36,000 pupils aged 9-11 years old from 600 primary schools in England over each of the next four seasons.
For more information on the Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme contact the Tigers community department on 0844 856 1880 or click here
