The scheme, officially launched in early October as part of the WRU rugby department’s new strategic plan, aimed to increase regular participation in rugby within schools, help strengthen links to clubs, making them more sustainable, develop good role models within schools and communities and provide playing opportunities for girls and boys of all ages and abilities.
The first set of figures to evaluate the scheme show a clear increase in pupils playing regular rugby within the participating establishments. Amongst the 43 school-club hubs, there are already 1373 more players than last year, and 54 teams which is a 25% increase and 1449 games were played in Term 1 which is 54 more matches than across the whole of the previous school year.
Robert Smyth, head teacher at Llanishen High, one of the school-club hubs, is full of praise for the project.
“This year, since the start of the initiative, we have managed to increase participation levels and double number of fixtures played between years 7 and 13. It’s hard to quantify the impact this makes on pupils but it means that we are engaging pupils in team sport who weren’t previously taking part.
“This has a big impact on pupil self-esteem across the whole school. We now have a girls rugby club and it’s helping pupils from our autistic base to build a rapport with other pupils.
“Our relationships with our feeder primary schools have also improved as we’ve been able to organise rugby tournaments which has helped with pupil transition.
“Generally, the scheme, under our school-club hub officer Harry Trelawny, has a good impact on healthy lifestyle and the ethos and values of rugby union are also having a positive effect on the pupils involved.”
Pontarddulais Comprehensive head teacher Jan Waldron sees the initiative as a way to encourage more boys and girls to develop a lifelong engagement in sport.
“Our rugby officer, Josh Humphries, is working with primary schools and Pontarddulais RFC to create a three way partnership and create an optimum pathway for pupils into the sport. It’s already been highly effective – we are now running two teams in Year 7 and we have girls rugby within the school for the first time.
“It is particularly difficult for girls to get involved in sport outside the school environment so it’s great that through this scheme, girls can be introduced to a team sport that they can pick up and carry on with when they leave school.”
Nationally, First XV Schools rugby has increased (by 18%) and the Welsh Schools Regional Leagues are more successful across the board, with an increase in competing schools not limited to the school-club hubs. This is partly due to the new, aligned season structure and rugby pathway which were also part of the new rugby strategy.
Importantly, it is also clear that those school-club hubs have engendered an increase in junior rugby club registration in clubs – end of term figures show that 15% more players identified themselves as now being members of local clubs compared to the start of the school year.
WRU Head of Rugby Josh Lewsey added, “We are pleased that the school-club hubs have made such an impact on the school landscape in such a short space of time. Regular participation in rugby – and sport generally – is vital not only for the sustainability of our national game but for the health of our nation. However, it’s certainly not all about the figures. There are many examples of the social, cultural and educational benefits of the rugby forming an integral part of a school’s activities.”
At Fitzalan High School, rugby has clearly started to act as a catalyst to bring pupils together and break down barriers. School-club hub officer Stuart Clarke is enthusiastic about the future place of rugby within the school.
“We have seen a huge level of interest already and we have new pupils turning up to training and to play games all the time. Rugby has certainly brought people together.”
It looks like the new level of rugby participation at Fitzalan is also helping to rejuvenate a local Cardiff club too, with the help of Clarke and WRU Player Development Officer Joe Davies.
“Canton RFC only currently run an Under 15 side within their junior section,” added Clarke, “but after working with local primary schools to introduce pupils to rugby, they are looking now to start up under 7 and under 8 sections and that will obviously grow the club and help the school in the future too.
The hubs vary hugely from schools who hardly played any rugby previously but now have thriving rugby teams, often starting with the younger age groups, such as Fitzalan in Cardiff and Llanwern in Newport, to the more traditional rugby schools who had perhaps struggled to continue fielding as many teams or games due to various factors and pressures on teachers, but the new, dedicated member of staff has allowed them to do that again.
