A trio of homegrown young Ospreys spent an enjoyable evening in the rain recently when they visited Bridgend Sports RFC to help with the junior section with their player recruitment for the new season.
Wales cap Ryan Bevington, U20 cap Tom Habbefield and Tom Grabham, a Wales Sevens skipper earlier this year, interacted with children aged between 7-12 years old at the training evening, doing their bit to help create a sustainable future for one of the leading clubs in the Bridgend District, where the three of them all hail from.
They mucked in with club coaches and Ospreys Player Development Officer Tom Cole, lending a helping hand in the sessions and passing on tips to the youngsters who all hope to follow in their footsteps on the development pathway in the future.
Grabham, who made his PRO12 debut in the opening weeks of the season, said:
“It was a great experience to be able to go to Bridgend Sports and work with so many children who love rugby and are learning the game. As someone from Bridgend myself, I can really relate to these boys and girls and hope that I was able to give them some advice that will stand them in good stead for their future in the game.”
Tom Cole said that everyone at Bridgend Sports appreciated the players taking time out to visit:
“Although the start to the season hasn’t been the easiest, these children look up to Ospreys players as heroes so for them to be able to spend time in training with people they usually watch from the stands or on TV is massive for them.
“Ryan and the two Tom’s are great role models for the youngsters at Bridgend Sports. Coming from the local area, they provide a great example of what can be achieved through hard work and dedication, and every one of the children who was present can aspire to follow in their footsteps. That is vitally important if we are to create sustainable success here, both for the Ospreys and the community game, two things that are reliant on each other.
“Hopefully we’ll see some of the youngsters from Bridgend Sports at our game versus Munster at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday (KO 6.30pm)."