Glossop Rugby Club's Juniors Shine at Festival

Hundreds of young rugby players got the chance to showcase their skills on Sunday as the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup returned to Sale Sharks. 

Manchester Rugby Club hosted an exciting Under-11 and Under-12 grassroots developmental festival, where the best teams in the area met to lock horns and show off their talent, with sportsmanship prevailing on a memorable afternoon. 

This successful series of nationwide events, now running for nearly two decades and organized by Land Rover – the Official Vehicle of Premiership Rugby – has seen more than 100,000 children take part, with some realising their dreams of going on to play for Premiership Rugby clubs. 

Glossop, Chester, Eccles and Wilmslow were just some of the 35 featured teams competing on the day across the two age groups. 

And for Glossop Rugby Club’s Theo Zachariades, it was a memorable experience as his side showed some incredible talent against tough competition. 

Zachariades, 11, said: “I’m not the tallest, so I was a bit nervous at first, but it’s been really nice to be here and play some really fun matches.” 

The competition was a fantastic spectacle for those in attendance, with the highly competitive fixtures providing a meaningful platform for youngsters to develop their rugby skills. 

There will be an Under-12 ‘winning’ team at each festival, with the prize being a Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup Trophy and a trip to Twickenham for the Premiership Rugby Final, while the successful Under-11 team will be selected for the same prize based on their demonstration of the core values of the game during the festival – respect, togetherness, strength of character and composure. 

The highly competitive fixtures have a history of providing a platform for youngsters to develop their rugby skills as they realise their ambitions, and the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup counts Harlequins’ Louis Lynagh and Newcastle Falcons’ Callum Chick amongst its graduates. 

Land Rover ambassador and Sale Sharks player James Harper said: “It doesn’t seem so long ago I was here playing – about ten years now. 

“It’s really good to see the kids enjoying themselves. We’ve been around to see some of the teams today and we’ve also luckily been blessed with the weather!” 

Sale teammate Nick Schonert added: “Grassroots rugby is about being social and having fun – it’s great to see the kids back on the pitch and making lifelong bonds.” 

Land Rover has been supporting grassroots rugby in the UK for nearly two decades through the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup. Follow the latest Land Rover rugby activity on Twitter @LandRoverRugby #DiscoverRugby