Land Rover Premiership Cup 2017
By Mark Stevens
9/10/17
The Aviva Premiership Rugby final may still be eight months away but youngsters from Penryn RFC and Redruth RFC are already counting down the days – thanks to their efforts and skill at the recent Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup.
Penryn Under-11s and Redruth Under-12s both took to the field for the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup, hosted by Exeter Chiefs at Exeter Saracens RFC.
Not only did they get to strut their stuff in front of a host of onlooking Chiefs players, including academy star Charlie Wright, but the players also secured the opportunity to appear at next May’s Aviva Premiership Rugby Final at Twickenham, where they will take part in a special half-time parade.
More than 30 Under-11 and Under-12 teams took part in the grassroots rugby festival – which is celebrating its tenth anniversary year and has seen more than 70,000 children take part to date – with Penryn and Redruth both loving every second.
“It was good here today, we played really well and we won,” said 11-year-old Redruth player Josh Pengilly. “It feels great that we’ll get to go to Twickenham, it’ll be so good.
“My team played well today, we had good lines and strength in attack - we were able to score tries off that and it’s the start of a great season for Redruth.”
As well as taking part in the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup Parade during next May’s final, Redruth and Penryn can also look forward to meeting a Land Rover rugby ambassador at Twickenham and hear which of them has won a club MVP award.
They got a taste of rubbing shoulders with rugby’s elite when they met Chiefs players and Wright, who played in the tournament with Sidmouth RFC five years ago, admitted he had been impressed with what he had seen, in particular stressing the importance of grassroots rugby.
“I played in the tournament for Sidmouth and I remember playing in the final against Topsham,” he said. “It’s a really good experience for all the young players, they look a lot smaller than what I remember playing against. This is the tenth year and it’s really important to start at a young age, it’s just fun for the boys and girls.
“You have to have enjoyment and not get too serious, it’s really important for them to get involved now and progress through the age groups.”
- Land Rover is celebrating its ‘Testimonial Season’ ten years of the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup. The national series of grassroots rugby festivals is testament to Land Rover’s continued support of grassroots rugby through its ‘We Deal In Real’ campaign. Follow @LandRoverRugby #WeDealInReal
