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Three Bermudian rugby players will have trials in Wales next month.

Aldo Campbell, Andre Landy and Shauntino 'Puppy' Simons will be leaving Bermuda on April 1 to play for Whitland for three weeks. Whitland is the feeder club for Swansea as well as Llanelli and Neath.

This is the first time young Bermudian players have been sponsored to go overseas to train with a top class rugby club.

Simons, who plays scrumhalf, said: "This is a big deal for me. I've never had an opportunity like this before. It's good for all three of us to be exposed to other teams and other types of rugby playing styles.

"The coaches are going to be looking at us to see what kind of players we are. I hope it's going to be real intense so I can build my skills and up my game. Hopefully it will make better players out of us."

Simons says he was surprised when he was told about the chance to play in Wales.

"I was excited that I was selected because I never heard about this happening before. I'm looking to make the most out of this opportunity."

The Under-19 captain started playing rugby in middle school, but stopped in secondary school. His middle school coach thought he had a lot of potential and searched him out to get Simons back involved in the sport.

Onions Rugby are helping sponsor the boys' trip.

Simons said: "I am very grateful and happy we've been given this opportunity by them."

Derek Hurdle Sr. helped work out the deal with another former Teachers' player Brian Toms, who lives in Wales.

"He was out here for the Denton Hurdle Memorial game with his son and we were talking. I mentioned how it would be nice to get some of these younger players out to somewhere Wales to sample a better class of rugby. He went back to Wales and organized this overnight."

Hurdle said, Heath Robinson and Ross Weber from Onions Rugby Club were doing the organizing in Bermuda to help pull this off.

He added the trip "is going to be a great thing. Many people think the level of rugby here is it, until they get to the other side and realize there's a whole new world out there. We're hoping that they work with Shauntino's scrumhalf skills.

"He's a very talented scrumhalf. But his passing from the base of the scrum is not the very best. We're hoping that they can work with him and develop that. They'll be training three and four times a week and then playing two or three times on the weekend will be a bit intense, but it will pay off."

Anthony 'Church' Cupidore, the Under-19 coach, said" "This is an opportunity most of us at the senior level wish we could have had. That's the main reason why we're pushing for them to do this. It could be a big shock to them, but I think they can handle it."

He said they want the trio to help take it to next level. "Their coaches are at the international level so it will greatly improve their rugby. This will be a life changing experience for all three of them."

Cupidore added he hopes when the trio comes back to Bermuda, the knowledge they gain will be imparted to local players and coaches.

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