Worthing Rugby Club prospects meet England World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson and take in Premiership final on dream Twickenham trip

Worthing Rugby Club’s junior talents were rewarded with special day at Twickenham.
Worthing Rugby Club's under-11 and under-12 players rubbed shoulders with England World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson at TwickenhamWorthing Rugby Club's under-11 and under-12 players rubbed shoulders with England World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson at Twickenham
Worthing Rugby Club's under-11 and under-12 players rubbed shoulders with England World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson at Twickenham

The Gallagher Premiership season may be over for another year but memories of the 2019 final will live long in the memory for the club’s under-11 and under-12 stars.

Thanks to their involvement in the latest Land Rover Premiership Cup competition a group from Worthing headed to the home of English rugby, where they shared the turf with World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson.

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That came after they secured their spot at the showpiece event at the festival hosted by Harlequins.

Reward for their efforts also included the chance to watch Exeter Chiefs and Saracens battle it out for the title, as well as meeting with former England star Johnson pre-match.

Worthing player Tom Kingsley was additionally awarded the honour of the junior Land Rover Discovery player of the season award, with the youngster admitting the whole day had been one to savour.

“It’s a great feeling to be selected and to meet Martin, my friends have supported me all the way,” said Tom.

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“This is my first time at Twickenham so it’s a big deal for me. I took pictures on the pitch which was unbelievable.

“I support Harlequins and got a signed Quins shirt so that was pretty lucky.

“I love the game play of rugby and the running involved in it.”

Worthing were one of 24 under-11 and under-12 teams in attendance for the final – representing two sides for each age category from the festivals hosted by each of the 12 Gallagher Premiership clubs throughout the season.

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This is the 11th year of the national grassroots rugby initiative, with more than 85,000 youngsters participating in the event to date – enough to fill Twickenham Stadium.

Newcastle Falcons’ Callum Chick started life in the Land Rover Premiership Cup, with competition ambassador and World Cup winning captain Johnson praising the opportunities now afforded to young players.

He said: “It’s all about giving people the opportunity to play.

“It’s great to see kids just playing and enjoying themselves. Being here at Twickenham, they will all have a dream that one day they’ll play here for their club or their country.

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“I see lots of guys who didn’t get into rugby until their 20s and 30s and they wish they’d gotten into it when they were younger.

“We know about the health benefits but there are lots of life benefits of playing rugby too, it’s the entire thing, you get involved with something that’s bigger than the whole game.

Land Rover has heritage in rugby at all levels; from grassroots to elite, sharing and understanding the values at the heart of the game. Follow @LandRoverRugby

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