Bracknell is actively involved in the Berkshire Active Sports programme, which helps to deliver coaching to local schools while also attempting to boost playing numbers.” Youngsters from two East Midlands schools were on the hallowed turf before the England v Australia match, when the 13-year-old year eight pupils from Moulton School Northampton and Alameda School in Ampthill played a curtain-raiser game and provided a guard of honour as players took the field.

“It was a day I’m sure they will remember forever,” said David Fraser, one of the East Midlands Rugby Development Officers. “We arrived at the ground at the same time as the England team so they got their autographs which got the day off to a great start and they got a marvellous ovation from the crowd when they did the lap of honour after they had played their curtain-raiser.”

Both schools will be back in action in the New Year when they compete again in the East Midlands Emerging Schools Festival. Before England recorded the biggest ever Springbok defeat boys and girls from Wisewood School, which is next to Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium, demonstrated why they prefer rugby to football.

The school is currently trying to raise funding to build a sports hall and become a specialist sports college. They have already visited Rotherham Rugby Club for a coaching session and ran a rugby Olympics coinciding with the Commonwealth Games.