The Leicester Tigers community team have been enjoying warmer climes with the club's first-ever South American Rugby Camp in Chile.

Based at the Old Grangonian’s Rugby Club just outside of Santiago, Tigers coaches this week ran two three-day camps.

The first camp was for players aged 11-14 and was attended by 27 children. The group included young players who made the journey from Northern Chile, more than 2000km away.

The second of the camps was for children aged 14-17 and more than 30 budding young rugby players taking part.

Steve Hanna, Tigers community rugby manager, spoke to leicestertigers.com about the new addition to the worldwide Tigers Family.

“We have been really impressed with the skill levels of the children on these camps,” Hanna said.

“They play an exciting style of attacking rugby akin to the sevens game, due in part to the firmness of the pitches here in South America.

“It has been great to share some ideas with the players and coaches as we aim to equip them with the tools to solve scenarios on the pitch. The willingness to learn and their thirst for knowledge is really encouraging.”

The Chile camps are the latest addition to the club's international rugby camps programme. Tigers have held camps in Japan, USA, Italy, Kuala Lumpur, Holland and Belgium, and the club is building links in China, India and the Caribbean.

Scott Clarke, Tigers head of community and global partnerships, said “We are delighted to be working with our new friends in Chile on what we hope will be the first of many visits to a country that has a real passion for the game.

“We are keen to continue expanding our global family and look forward to an exciting and challenging 2018 here in the United Kingdom and around the world."

For more information on Tigers global partnerships and activities, or  to partner with the team on international outreach programmes, contact Scott Clarke by emailing [email protected]