Pupils at Cefn Cribwr Primary School in Bridgend received a special visit from the Ospreys recently.
Wales international Andrew Bishop was joined by young forwards Ben Thomas and Sam Williams for the visit, as they dropped in to meet some of their younger fans.
The visit was arranged by Mike Williams, Participation Officer for the Bridgend District, as the culmination of a five-week rugby development programme that he had hosted at the school on behalf of the Ospreys Community Development team.
The players took part in a Q&A session with the pupils, before joining them for a series of rugby skills games where the children had the opportunity to show off what they’d learned in their sessions with Mike over the previous weeks.
After the fun and games had finished Andrew, Ben and Sam then spent time signing autographs for the children and handing out Ospreys goodies including posters and masks.
WRU/Ospreys Regional Development Manager Ben Rose, said that the visit was the latest in an enhanced schools programme that is seeing the region reaching more children than ever before:
“We are working hard as an organisation to engage with the children in our community. This season there’s been a marked rise in the number of youngsters coming into contact with the Ospreys thanks to the increased levels of activity undertaken in schools and rugby clubs across the region.
“With four new participation officers appointed recently and working hard throughout Ospreylia, along with the existing player and coach development officers, we want the local community to be in no doubt how important they are to the future of the Ospreys.
“We will continue to build closer links with our schools and will be launching a fantastic new initiative in the near future that will underline that commitment. The more children we have actively engaging with the Ospreys and developing a passion for rugby, the stronger we will be as an organisation in the long term. More people playing or watching the game will allow us to create sustainable success for the region.”