Glencoats pupils are scrum-thing special

May 31 2011 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

SPORTY kids from a Paisley school were transformed into ‘Warriors’ for the day...and their teachers were delighted.

The Glencoats Primary youngsters headed for Scotstoun Sports Centre to take part in a training session with stars from top rugby team the Glasgow Warriors.

And principal teacher Jill Brooks has revealed how several of the pupils were left with another challenge to face when they tried to pose with the rugby aces for some souvenir photographs – because the players are TOO TALL!

She laughed: “One of the players is 6ft 7ins tall and most of the pupils only came up to his waist. It was a struggle to get everyone in the frame.

“It was a fantastic day out and everyone connected with the Warriors made us feel right at home.

“The morning started off with the kids watching the Warriors taking part in a full-blown training session. Then it was time for the children to get their gear on and take part in the session.

“Some of the players held giant pads in place while the kids rushed them.

“They thoroughly enjoyed the experience and didn’t hold back, especially when they played rugby rounders.”

Next up, the pupils took part in a question-and-answer session with the Warriors and, while they were a bit shy at first, Jill revealed how they soon loosened up.

She said: “Before the chat, we watched a video clip of the team in action and that drew a lot of gasps from the youngsters.

“A short talk followed but, when the floor opened up for questions, there was a touch of apprehension among everyone and they were a bit shy.

“That didn’t last long, however, and they were soon firing all sorts of great questions at the coach and his players.

“It was a brilliant session.”

The children were also given some rugby goodies, which included posters, a water bottle, a gym bag and a cardboard mask of one of the star players.

Jill said: “Richie Gray was picked recently for the Magners League Dream Team and the sponsors made up a load of masks with his face on them.

“Some of the children were getting players to sign them and they were joking that they couldn’t sign a mask of someone else’s face.

“The players were great with the kids and really put them at ease, despite being hulking great guys. They all had a ball.

“One or two of the boys have now asked where they can go to get rugby lessons, so there was definitely plenty of interest there.”

The link between Glencoats Primary and the Warriors was fostered by Lindsey Smith, who is rugby development officer for Renfrewshire.

Lindsey, who plays in the front row for Hillhead-Jordanhill and has also been capped at Scotland A level, delivered a six-week rugby course at the school and organised the trip to Scotstoun.

Jill said: “Lindsey has worked incredibly hard for the school and we really appreciate her efforts.

“We now have a rugby club on Thursday lunchtimes, which really has taken off.

“The trip to Scotstoun gave us another opportunity to go somewhere different and the whole experience was very interesting.”