A RUGBY festival for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds took place in the county last week.

Over 150 youngsters played in Urban Rugby Squad Festival at Sixways Stadium including representatives from every Premiership Rugby club as well as London Irish.

The Urban Rugby Squad is an initiative run by Premiership Rugby and its clubs, helping 1,000 young people aged from 14 to 16 from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Premiership Rugby's inclusion and equalities executive Tim Mathias said: “The pitch is fantastic, it looks glorious and it is brilliant to see how proud these young people are in their Premiership Rugby shirts.

“We are really, really happy to have 13 teams here, I think it is a first for us getting so many teams together to compete.

“The spirit has been competitive, fair and now the sun is out, we get to use this fantastic facility.

“We want to get as many people playing rugby that have never played before and I think the best way to do that is through our clubs and inviting kids to our stadiums, our games and getting them to pull on the shirt and be proud of where they come from.”

In its first year, the scheme helped 778 young people and delivered 136 personal development workshops on topics such as anger management and sexual health.

Northampton Saints were the winners on the day, beating Wasps by two tries to one in the final.

Saints social inclusion officer Jordan Letts said: “They have improved so much, some of them have gone from barely even passing the ball to playing at Sixways Stadium.

“To see them win is brilliant, it will boost their confidence no end. Everyone has had a smile on their face and rugby’s core values have been on display all day.”

Many of the participants on the day had never played rugby before.