Youngsters experience RWC fever

By Mark Stevens

Rugby World Cup fever hit Sandy Park today as over 200 youngsters helped to celebrate the start of the global event with a special Tag Festival at the home of the Exeter Chiefs.

For the past year, 20 schools in and around the Exeter area have each adopted one of the participating countries at this year’s tournament – and carried out a wide range of school work, projects and activities aimed at helping to promote the event, which itself will come to Exeter for three fixtures during September and October.

Previously youngsters have showcased their work within the classrooms to officials from Exeter Rugby Club, Exeter City Council and the Rugby Football Union during the recent Trophy Tour – and today they got the chance to master their rugby skills at the the inaugural Exeter Rugby World Cup Schools Tag Tournament.

In a fun-filled day of activity, it was pupils from Broadclyst Primary School who - doubling up as Australia - triumphed in the overall Grand Final against counterparts from Duchy Primary School, whose adopted country was that of Fiji.

The tournament is all part of the city’s legacy pledge to help promote rugby and the World Cup to the local community.

And among those watching the final stages of the tournament was Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter, who said: "It's fantastic to see all these schoolchildren embracing what the Rugby World Cup is all about. As a club, a city and a region, it's brilliant that we have the tournament coming to us.

"For the past two years I know our Community department here at the club have done a huge amount locally within the schools to help promote the Rugby World Cup and today's tournament is testament to the efforts they have put in.

"To have a number of our own players involved in the tournament itself, especially those who are playing here at Sandy Park, just adds to the whole feel of it and I'm expecting it to be a great spectacle over these next few weeks."

Helping to present the trophies and medals alongside Baxter was the Lord Mayor of Exeter, Cllr Olwen Foggin and Exeter Rugby Club chairman and chief executive Tony Rowe OBE.

Mr Rowe added: "The idea of this tag tournament was thought out well over a year ago - with the aim not only to help educate the schoolchildren about the Rugby World Cup coming to Exeter, but at the same time allow them to learn about the different countries and cultures of those teams that are participating.

“Here in Exeter we want to create a Rugby World Cup legacy that last for years to come and this tournament is helping to lay the foundations for a very bright future.”