The next crop of potential Ospreys picked up tips from the current generation this week when Dan Biggar, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb took a series of master-classes with the U16 and U18 squads at Llandarcy Academy of Sport.
The trio, who have all played an influential role in the Ospreys pursuit of a Magners League play-off place, took time out from their preparations for Saturday’s game against Edinburgh to visit age-grade training sessions, where they were able to give the coaching team a helping hand as they dished out specialist advice to players hoping to follow in their footsteps at the region.
Biggar worked with the young fly-halves and outside backs, Tipuric on the contact area with the loose forwards, and Webb with the scrum halves.
Age Grade Development Manager, Steve Tandy, said that the sessions had gone down well with the young players:
“It was a great experience for the U16 and U18 players. If you are hoping to become a full-time Osprey, what better way to learn than from some of the players who have recently followed exactly the same development path as yourself?
“For the boys to be able to work with Dan, Justin and Rhys can only prove inspirational to them, as it shows that the player development system is working at the Ospreys, and that if they continue to work hard then they too could pull on the shirt one day.”
Elite Performance Director, Andrew Hore, added:
“It was great to see some of the younger Ospreys really working well with the players currently on the elite development pathway. Our mantra at the Ospreys is development from within, and this is a great example of that in action. Not only are our players investing their own time and effort into the development of age-grade players, but it is also helping with their own personal development, allowing them to get valuable coaching experience under their belts.
“This is something we will look to continue, with a considerable number of players keen to give something back and work with our elite development players.”