Harlequins stars visit south London for final Project Rugby class of school year

Mark Lambert and Davinia Catlin helped deliver the session to more than 50 young people on Thursday, 9 May.

They were also joined by two Harlequins Foundation coaches and coaches from the Metropolitan Police Service.

Sergeant Chris Bright, one of the Met’s co-ordinators for ‘Project Rugby’ and a rugby coach in his spare time, said:

“Having Davinia and Mark join us yesterday showed the children that have been taking part in Project Rugby exactly what they can achieve if they are dedicated and committed to the sport.”

Project Rugby is a joint initiative between Premiership Rugby, England Rugby and run in partnership with Gallagher UK.

The Harlequins Foundation and officers from the MPS’s Taskforce Unit are encouraging children who would not usually have the chance to take part in the sport to get involved.

The initiative engages with teenagers and helps to build better relations between them and the police, and aims to deter young people away from crime.

Sergeant Bright, who has been supporting Project Rugby since the beginning of the year added:

“To date, we have delivered the four-week training sessions to 200 children and reached out to more than 2,000 students during Q&A school assemblies.

“I hope that when we return in September that even more children will want to take part and understand the core values of rugby and the benefits it can have.”

Harlequins Ladies Hooker Davinia Catlin, concluded:

“We really enjoyed being able to come down and pass on the training and lessons that we have learnt through playing rugby – lessons we have learnt on and off the pitch.

“We also reminded the students of rugby’s core values: Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship, and that these are values that they should carry with them in all walks of life.

“We definitely saw some young talent running around on the field and you never know, we could have just discovered the next Quins captain!”

Project Rugby will return in September this year (2019). Further information on the scheme can be found here: https://www.premiershiprugby.com/projectrugby/