RUGBY EXPLOSION ECHOES AROUND EASTERN COUNTIES.

A volley of gunfire and an explosion of interest in the game greeted the Sweet Chariot Tour in the Eastern Counties.

The artillery was provided by the Seventh Parachute Regiment RHA who fired a salute from a 105mm light gun at Colchester RFC. “ We’re based at Colchester so we’re representing the garrison and helping the local club make as big an event as possible of having the World Cup here,” said Captain Ed Cleland.


“ We’re all rugby fans and enjoyed watching the World Cup and we’re hoping to get a photo with the trophy.”

You can’t argue with someone who has that sort of firepower at his disposal and you couldn’t miss the new recruits lining up to see the trophy, with an evening queue 100 metres long snaking away from the Mill Lane clubhouse.

And the impact of England’s triumph in Australia has been felt throughout the region with junior player numbers increasing by as much as 30 per cent at some clubs.

One club even saw it’s under-13 squad treble in size – from 16 to 45 – in the wake of the World Cup victory.

The Eastern Counties tour started with a shopping centre display at Castle Mall in Norwich and a trip south via the Sudbury and Thetford clubs before its arrival in Ipswich on Monday, March 15.

Hundreds queued to see the cup displayed in the town hall and the local club reported a record rise in junior players following England’s victory on November 22 last year.


“ We reckon we’re 30 per cent up in the under-six to under-13 age groups and we’re attracting more kids into the under-16s through our links with schools,” said Ipswich RFC’s David Coyle.

There was a military presence there too, with Lance Corporal Gavin Good and Corporal Scott Patterson from the Army Air Corps in Wattisham on guard duty.

“ We’re chuffed to be looking after the cup. The majority of us are rugby players, so it’s a dream come true,” said Patterson, who plays for the Hadleigh club.


Then it was on to Colchester, where the Webb Ellis Cup drew a crowd of 2,500 and the photographers were working overtime.

" We got through everyone who wanted their picture taken. I think we were going at a rate of one every eight seconds for the last half-hour," said director of rugby Andrew Sarek.

"We already had plenty of players but its getting bigger and bigger here. Next season we'll be playing junior 'B' fixtures for the first time and we now need extra pictures. "When this happens you also need more coaches, but we've had a good reaction with more volunteers getting involved."

The next day saw the tour head north for West Norfolk RFC to host the trophy with a youth rugby event at the Lynnsport Leisure Centre in King’s Lynn.

“ It was a great day for West Norfolk and the King's Lynn area and has really put us on the map in rugby terms,” said Nick Pressling, the chairman of West’s youth section.

“ Over 1500 people have passed through Lynnsport today expressing an interest in rugby and none of this would have been possible without the vision and guidance of (Rugby Development Officer) Nick Greenhall.

“ We will build on today's successes by working still more closely with local schools and encouraging still more local children to join us on a Sunday morning."

In Ely – the birthplace of England head coach Sir Clive Woodward - children from Little Downham School provided the entertainment and the Ely Town Military Band the soundtrack.

Then it was back on the flat and into horseracing country at Newmarket and Shelford.
The Webb Ellis Cup was on show at Scaltback Middle School, who share their site with Newmarket RFC, a level 10 club that has experienced a similar boom in participation.

“ It’s the biggest day in this club’s history,” said Newmarket chairman Neil Osborne. “We’ve probably recruited 80 extra youngsters since England won the World Cup.”

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