STOURBRIDGE will be joining a host of Premiership stars in June after securing a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Twickenham thanks to their performance at a Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup event last weekend.

The Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup, a nationwide series of events now running for more than a decade, has seen more than 82,000 children take part to date and continues to grow, providing developmental experience for young players to excel in a professionally run environment.

Last weekend it was Worcester Warriors’ turn to host their event this season with Sixways the venue on Sunday with 44 teams strutting their stuff across an under-12 and under-11 festival.

And in the under-12 competition Stourbridge were rewarded for their effort and skill with a trip to the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final on June 1, where they will meet a Land Rover rugby ambassador, and join in a Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup Parade at half-time, plus find out who has won the Junior Land Rover Discovery of The Season award.

William Shillingford, from Stourbridge, was excited to be there on the day and thanked Worcester Warriors for giving him a special day at Rugby HQ to look forward too.

“It’s a great feeling to have won the competition and it means we can go to Twickenham. I thought we would do well but I wasn’t sure if we’d win so to do that was amazing.

“It means the world to me that we can go to Twickenham. The teams we played were really tough so it’s fantastic to have won.

“We’ve been training for a long time for this and it took all of our effort to win and we eventually did. I’ve never been to Twickenham so I don’t know what it will be like but I think it’s going to be amazing.

“All my teammates are really excited at going to Twickenham as well, we work really hard for this so I cannot wait for next year.”

Participating players at the festival also had the opportunity to meet Worcester Warriors duo Ethan Waller and Jamie Shillcock who took time out of his schedule to watch the young teams as well as offer some coaching tips between games.

And Waller commented on the importance of grassroots rugby, saying: “It’s a brilliant day for rugby. It’s great for these young guys to come down and play; we’ve had 44 teams across the under 11 and under 12 events so it’s been fantastic.

“Everyone gets a chance to play against each other, see what the sport is about and meet new people as well.

“For anyone to get the chance to go to Twickenham it’s a really special occasion, there’s nothing better than stepping on the hallowed turf and it’s something they will savour for a long time.”

Land Rover has heritage in rugby at all levels; from grassroots to elite, sharing and understanding the values at the heart of the game. Follow @LandRoverRugby