Cambridgeshire coach shares key to grassroots growth from Rugby World Cup
England play Fiji in the quarter-finals today
A rugby coach in Cambridgeshire says being part of one family can help encourage more youngsters to try the sport.
England play Fiji in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals today and a win could mean a repeat of the 2019 final if holders South Africa beat tournament hosts France tonight.
Paul Humphreys has been involved in the game for around 30 years:
"Whack seven bells out of each other on the pitch, come off the pitch shaking hands, having a laugh and a joke and I think that's the beauty of rugby," he said.
"It's serious on the pitch but when we walk off, we're all friends, one big family and we enjoy the fun that goes with it."
Sport England has invested more than ÂŁ70 million into improving the infrastructure in grassroots rugby across the last 10 years, such as providing good quality pitches.
And with England going deep in the tournament, Humphreys feels the grassroots game will have a better chance of growing.
"Things improve by word of mouth"
"For me, rugby is addictive; it's one of those things when you start playing it, you want to play more and more," he said.
"When you come here (at grassroots), it's a neutral environment where you can forget about things and that's where you see the natural side of people where they start to relax and enjoy themselves.
"Things improve by word of mouth, so the player base will grow and the results on the pitch will show.
"It's then getting the facilities and the ability to get better."