Eastbourne’s young rugby stars impress Harlequins

The young Eastbournian players were lucky to train at the elite facilities, and many ate their lunches sitting next to current Harlequins first team players and coaching staff – a star-studded affair.

The fact that 11 Eastbourne players had been nominated by their schools (Cavendish; St Catherine’s College; St Andrews Prep; Ratton; Gildredge House; Eastbourne Academy and Hailsham Community College) and by Eastbourne RFC was an amazing recognition of the quality of coaching being delivered by the club and the PE input from schools.

The club, working with schools, has developed an exceptionally strong stream of players.

Key to Eastbourne RFC’s success is its diversity agenda, and the club have been successful in attracting players from different backgrounds.

The player profile of those who have been successful is not the ‘atypical’ public school profile often seen in rugby.

There were more Eastbourne RFC players represented at the assessment than any other club in Surrey and Sussex.

More than 250 players with elite playing ambitions attended trials over two days.

Five Eastbourne RFC players – Felix Hawthorne, Ted Warner, Charlie Hewitt, Ethan Swanepoel and Hugo Bressard – now join the Harlequins DPP, the largest single intake into the DPP programme in the club’s history.

Eastbourne RFC U14 head coach Jean-Luc Bressard said: “The fact Eastbourne community sport and Eastbourne schools were able to identify 11 talented athletes to attend the trials places Eastbourne and its rugby programme firmly on the UK sporting map.

“We’re delighted for the five who have been selected for the Harlequins programme.

"It rewards the extraordinary effort and dedication they, their families and their teammates put in.”

Any young person is welcome to visit Hampden Park at 10am on a Sunday for rugby, fitness, camaraderie and bags of fun.