Cambridgeshire youth coach eyes more success from Rugby World Cup
England play their second group stage game tonight
A junior rugby coach in Cambridgeshire says this year's World Cup can help continue the flow of young talent signing up.
As well as men's and women's teams, March Bears also have a youth setup which boasts around 45 players.
It's been 9 days since the tournament kicked off in Paris as England prepare to face Japan tonight, kick-off 8pm, in their second group stage game 8 days after beating Argentina.
Mal Howard is one of the youth coaches at the Bears:
"The interest that's been developed over the past few years has been great for us to see as coaches because they are coming from the local schools.
"And keeping that flow going is what we want to do.
"Parents don't necessarily want their children to sit looking at screens and phones, and this is a way to get them out there, meet other children, enjoying themselves, learning new skills.
"It's not just about playing the game; there's communication, respect, and it's entertaining."
Development plan helps keep youth on side
More than ÂŁ70 million has been invested by Sport England during the last 10 years to improving the infrastructure in grassroots rugby, such as providing good quality pitches and changing facilities.
But as well as what's on offer, it's also about keeping young players interested in the game.
"It's a community sport, not what it was in 1987 when the Rugby World Cup first started.
"In the 1990s, we moved to professional and from then, it's grown and you do get that uptake after a tournament, which is good news for us," he said.
"We put across a learning plan that develops them but keeps them entertained, it's safe and makes them want to come back each week.
"If they leave with a smiling face and say 'we'll see you next week', that's a tick in the box."
England's Rugby World Cup fixtures
September 17 – Japan: Stade de Nice – 8pm
September 23 - Chile: Stade Pierre-Mauroy – 4.45pm
October 7 - Samoa: Stade Pierre-Mauroy – 4.45pm