Ellon Rugby Club was grateful for a “very special” day out at Murrayfield – under the watchful eye of Scotland star Hamish Watson.
The Aberdeenshire side were chosen from a pool of 130 competition entrants after their efforts in keeping players engaged during lockdown.
The club runs boys and girls’ teams from ages five to 19 and caught the eye of the Scotland flanker during their day out at the national stadium.
“We were so thrilled to be selected for this experience and the team could not have been more excited coming down on the bus,” said coach Andrew Booth.
“You don’t normally get access like this to elite players and to see the girls and boys being coached by one of the country’s top players is such an inspiration for them to stick with rugby and motivate them to keep enjoying the sport.
“Lockdown was difficult for many of the players not being able to see each other and get outside and play.
‘A great day out’ for Ellon RFC
“We decided we wanted to keep up the community spirit though and ran online sessions to make sure everyone felt involved and could find some way to keep active.
“A lot of our players haven’t played a lot of rugby before so for them to get the chance to play at Murrayfield is very special.”
The competition was launched by Scottish Building Society, Edinburgh Rugby’s front of shirt sponsor, to provide unforgettable experiences to young community teams in the regions it serves around the country.
Watson added: “It was a great day out and there’s no doubt there’s some excellent potential making its way through the ranks of grassroots Scottish rugby.
“It was great to see everyone enjoy the day and hopefully, this won’t be the last time we see some of them play at BT Murrayfield.”
