As the Rugby World cup looms ever closer, foreign delegates will start to visit clubs up and down the country with the view to boosting rugby participation around the world.

One of the first such actions will be the RRF's visit to Wheatley Rugby Club on Friday. Whilst not the first nation you think of when it comes to rugby, they have had a governing body since 1914 and boast 54 clubs with an estimated participation level of over 7000 and interest is growing.

Rugby Development officer Dusty Miller and the RFU wish to showcase the benefit of collaborative work to RRF and have chosen to use Wheatley RUFC as a Model of Good Practice, with the hope to demonstrate to the RRF the benefits of having the right relationship between clubs and local schools and ultimately influence the growth of the game back in Romania.

Of course the club is only one side of coin and Wheatley Park School will also be involved in the day, hosting a coaching day for it's students and displaying the benefits of rugby in schools.

The below article was written by Head Teacher Kate Curtis, explaining the increase in popularity of Rugby in Schools and how the RFU's "All Schools" programme is helping.

"Rugby on the Rise at Wheatley Park

2013-14 has seen Rugby take off in a big way here at Wheatley Park School. Being part of the RFU’s All Schools programme has made us review every aspect of this exciting sport and push our boys and girls to explore the game that many thought they’d never play.

After signing up in the Autumn of 2013, our first step was to make sure that all our PE staff were trained to be confident enough to teach Rugby; this took a degree of commitment and a sense of adventure, and we were fortunate that the team were up for the challenge and open to developing a new set of skills.

We took some important steps to engage a large group of boys in the sport, many of whom had previously been very attached to football as the sport for them. With a few well-placed role-models, high quality support from the local club and some lively and fast-paced lessons many of them were soon hooked, and numbers at after school training rose dramatically.

Fixtures soon followed, and our teams began to make their presence felt against other local schools. The biggest splash across the community came when our boys were able to design their own kit; in a meeting with the Head, they proudly explained how they had woven in the school colours, the school’s values and some principles that they selected: ‘Participation, Determination, Respect’. The launch of the shirt at Twickenham was a major thrill for one lucky young man, much appreciated by his friends in school. It is worn with pride by the team and one shirt is kept on display in the Head’s office, as a talking point for visitors.

An important step in the early part of 2014 was to start work on involving the girls. Lessons were planned and our female colleagues made excellent leaders, showing the way for young female players with great promise. Girls began to experience the thrill of the chase and the pleasure of the pacey game. We have encountered, and challenged, some barriers for girls...it’s not very feminine, it’s dirty, is it dangerous? We have provided kit, including boots, for some girls, and it has been important to give them encouraging feedback to keep them going. Now their future looks bright and we will aim for the school to have a girls’ team next season. At the same time, our local club is enjoying the opportunity to work with more of our young players at evening and weekend training.

2015 is the year of the Rugby World Cup and we will be planning a build-up of several months, making sure that Rugby is explored across the curriculum. We will be promoting the RFU’s values through our rewards system and celebrating the students who show Discipline, Sportsmanship Teamwork Enjoyment and Respect.

The All Schools project has helped us to get more youngsters involved in a new sport, but it goes beyond that, and over time the impact should be seen in all areas of school life."

Wheatley are incredibly proud and honoured to be recognised by the RFU and can hope that we will be reaping the benefits of Wheatley Park's Rugby programme for years to come!