Pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Port Talbot were treated to a visit from Ospreys players Kristian Phillips and Richard Hibbard recently.
The pair dropped in to the school to spend time working with enthusiastic Year Six pupils, who thoroughly enjoyed their time our of the class room with the players.
Along with Andrew Thomas, Player Development Officer for the Afan Nedd District, Kristian and Richard led a series of sessions and training drills focusing on basic skill development, fun and participation. They followed that up with a Q&A session, before satisfying seemingly endless requests for autographs from the excited children, who also received Ospreys goodies from the players.
Speaking after the visit, Richard Hibbard said it had been great to spend time at the school:
“Port Talbot is my home town, it’s where I grew up and where I still live today, so I always enjoy visiting schools and rugby clubs in the town. I remember when I was their age and how excited we’d be if we had a special visit to the school, so hopefully the children at St Joseph’s were as excited as I used to be.
“They certainly enjoyed themselves and loved getting their hands on a rugby ball. Fingers crossed some of them will continue playing and will maybe one day follow me and Kristian and represent their region.”
Andrew Thomas added:
“The visit was a big success. Both Kristian and Richard are from the Neath Port Talbot area and so are real role models for children in the county. Everyone had a great time, the two players were brilliant with the youngsters and really helped to ensure they really had fun while learning rugby basics for the first time.”