Bermuda was well represented by a youth rugby contingent in England, with 75 players travelling to Chichester, West Sussex, to compete in a festival this month.
Six age groups spanning from an under-9 team to an under-14s side.
Accompanied by 50 parents and greeted by a total of 130 supporters, the touring contingent totalled a group in excess of 250.
The youth festival involved 71 teams competing across eight age groups with 12 British-based clubs taking part alongside Bermuda.
The Bermuda teams were competitive across all age groups with under-10s side securing the island’s best finish, placing second out of ten teams.
A pre-festival warm-up match against a strong Havant Rugby Club resulted in the under-13 and under-14 sides securing hard-fought victories.
The under-13 side won 35-20 thanks to four tries from Jayson Simons, while the under-14 side triumphed 29-12.
Chris Naylor, the youth coach, said: “The aim of the tour was to expose the boys to high quality competition and to assess the quality of the rugby programme we run throughout the year here in Bermuda.
“We are very happy with how it went; the boys played some great rugby and had a fantastic experience, while from a coaching perspective we are reassured that we measure up well to similar rugby programmes in the UK.
“Over the course of the tour, there were a number of standout performances from each team and Bermuda should be very proud of how these boys represented the island.”
