Oakbank rugby youngsters have weekend to remember in London (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Oakbank rugby youngsters have weekend to remember in London

4:30pm Tuesday 27th November 2012 in Rugby By Sports Desk

From the moment the team bus arrived complete with Sky TV, DVD system, microwave and a hot- drinks facility, the Twickenham-bound party of youngsters from Oakbank School recognised that they were in for a very special treat.

The fact that their transport is normally used by Leeds Rhinos rugby league and Leeds Carnegie rugby teams teams explained the refinements and added to the excitement for the Oakbank group as they headed south for a match against a Middlesex School team later on Friday and attendance at the QBE England v Fiji international the following day.

Nor did the dream end there.

Despite the school re-introducing rugby union to the sports curriculum quite recently as part of the Rugby Football Union’s All Schools Programme to attract more schools into the game, the Oakbank team put on a feast of flowing rugby in which they rattled up an 81-0 win, which maintained the buoyant mood of the party.

Plans were for a relatively low-key evening at the hotel, but once again the trip took another unexpected turn when the group were whisked away to Pennyhill Park, the England team hotel, where they met with England head coach Stuart Lancaster and also had a chance to have a chat and get pictures taken with England players Danny Care, from Prince Henry's Grammar School, and Ugo Monye, an experience that gave added weight to seeing the pair in action the following day.

“The five-star quality of the coach set the tone right from the start and the whole trip took them out of their comfort zone and into a place where their behaviour was impeccable throughout and there was a feeling of respect for what they were experiencing,” said sports master Michael Derrick.

“Isleworth and Syon School didn’t have their top team out, but we simply dominated them. Our rucking and maul was brilliant and we just delivered the basic concepts of the game really well.

“Danny and Ugo were brilliant with the lads and turned that into the favourite part of the trip for some of the group.

“Match-day went very smoothly, with an early arrival at the stadium and the chance to get into the shop to stock up on memorabilia, followed by a few appearances on the big screen which shows replays and crowd shots.

"That produced a few telephone calls from Keighley from parents who had been watching and just added to the buzz.

“Since we’ve been home I’ve had a few calls from parents saying ‘thank you’ for the children getting the chance, and I know it has provided memories that will last for a very long time. My certainly will.”

And a footnote from deputy head Saira Luffman perfectly underlined one of the central themes of the All Schools initiative and a message she hopes the pupils will take on board.

“The banner on the wall behind Stuart Lancaster and our lads says it all,” she said. The message: “It’s just hard work and grafting . . . then anything is possible!”