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It may not be the Rugby World Cup, but it certainly will be played with the same amount of passion and joy.

A team of 10 and 11 year old boys has been selected to travel to England to represent the Bermuda in a youth rugby festival.

It is the first time Bermuda has sent away a team of players this young in approximately 30 years, but it is hoped that this will pave the way for similar trips in the future.

Team manager Brett Forgesson said in a press release: "The boys are very excited and are working hard so that they can do their best when we are in England. It is a great opportunity for some of our local players to be exposed at an early age to rugby at a higher level."

The squad of 16 boys was chosen from the group that played in the local mini-rugby league last season.  

The team will be traveling to Surrey in southern England for a long weekend at the end of September.  They will play one fixture against a team from Guildford RFC and on the following day will participate in the Chobham Mini Rugby Festival.

11-year-old Graham Cooke of Warwick Academy said in a press release: "I'm very proud to be chosen for the team and the training has been hard work but lots of fun. I'm thankful to the coaches and sponsors who have made the trip possible".

The popularity of mini rugby in Bermuda has been increasing dramatically over the past few years.  Dave Worsfold, the Chairman of the Bermuda RFU has been coordinating the mini rugby programme for a number of years.  

Worsfold said the numbers have grown steadily from about 35 players five years ago.

"Last year, we would regularly see well over 150 children come down to participate in the rugby programme each week".[[In-content Ad]]

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