Rugby posts have replaced the football nets at one Surrey school visited by the RFU’s Sweet Chariot Tour.

The Webb Ellis Cup visited five clubs and two schools during its three days on the road through the county last month – with thousands of players and spectators viewing the trophy and taking part in the events.

Among them were 12 primary schools taking part in games at Haling Manor School in Croydon, where rugby took off as England were chasing World Cup glory in Australia.

PE teacher Peter Mahoney introduced the game to pupils at the start of the season. He now has a club with more than 30 players and is developing links with the nearby Warlingham club.

“We’ve been working with the year sevens, eights and nines, developing numbers and publicising rugby in our assemblies,” said Mahoney

“But doing that at the same time as the World Cup was taking place was a great boost and we’ve now got people who want to play the game.

“We’ve got the posts up on an old soccer pitch and put in rugby markings so the kids have a proper rugby pitch to play on.

“Now we’re developing handling skills and starting to play against other schools – and to have the opportunity of having the World Cup come to Haling Manor is fantastic.”

There were 250 children taking part in games at Haling Manor from the St Peter’s, Christchurch, Howard, Ridgeway, Selsdon, Oval, Parish, Kensington Avenue, Park Hill, Gresham, Hayes, and Regina Coeli schools.

More primary teams were in action two miles away at John Fisher School, who also staged Under-12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 games in Purley.

Primary Links Coordinator Linda Smith organises the coaching for John Fisher’s feeder schools, where sixth formers support the PE curriculum by teach tag rugby.

The primary schools represented during the Sweet Chariot Tour’s visit to John Fisher included Carshalton, James the Great, Laleham Lea, Margaret Roper, Regina Coeli, St Aidan’s, St Anne’s, St Chad’s, St Elphege’s and Stanley Park.

The schools day on March 30 and a reception at the Warlingham club ended the tour that started at Farnham three days earlier.

Farnham had more reason than most to enjoy the Sweet Chariot Tour when the trophy was flown in by helicopter for the evening of Saturday, March 27.

They helped develop Jonny Wilkinson, whose progress through their youth teams is chronicled on the club’s website, and were celebrating being granted planning permission to move to a new site at Monkton Lane.

The following day saw the tour on the road to Richmond for a festival of youth rugby before heading for Esher, where Richmond beat the hosts 30-14 to lift the Surrey Cup.

A massive turn-out the next day saw more than 4,000 young players and fans descend on the Dorking club, where schools and youth sides took part in a day of competitions and coaching for all ages.

Front Page

Tour Itinery

Primary Events