Inverness youngsters from Highland Rugby Club train with top Scotland players such Pierre Schoeman, Boan Venter, D’arcy Rae and Ben Heal as well as meet Duhan Van Der Merwe in Edinburgh
YOUNGSTERS from an Inverness rugby club had a once in a lifetime training session with some of Scotland’s top rugby stars.
Highland Boys Under-13 won a competition to train like professionals at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh.
Scotland Prop, Pierre Schoeman and fellow Edinburgh Rugby players Boan Venter, D’arcy Rae and Ben Healy put the youngsters through their paces.
Duhan van der Merwe then led a question and answer session with the Edinburgh Rugby players, giving the youth players an insight into what it is like being a full-time professional rugby player.
The day concluded with a signing session for the young players to cap off a memorable experience.
The competition, which was organised by Scottish Building Society and Edinburgh Rugby, saw over 110 clubs applying for the chance to be coached by their heroes.
Edinburgh Rugby and Scotland, prop, Pierre Schoeman said: “It was an incredible day and it was great to see all the teams come along to Hive Stadium and give their all in the training sessions. Even the questions we got were tough.
“There are a few players who I will need to keep my eye on in the coming years. This might be the first of many games they play here at Edinburgh.
“I would like to thank the Highland Boys players for all their effort and wish the players all the best in their upcoming games”.
The session was part of Scottish Building Society’s ‘Win a Training Session’ programme, which has now provided more than 20 youth clubs with the opportunity to train and be coached by some of Scotland’s top rugby players.
Paul Denton, chief executive, Scottish Building Society said: “When we first launched the programme back in 2021, we wanted to give youth teams a once in a lifetime experience, giving back to young players to inspire the next generation of rugby stars.
“We have now provided over 20 clubs the chance to train in an elite environment and inspired over 500 young rugby players with training sessions with their heroes.
“The coaches and players at Highland Boys were fantastic and I am glad they all enjoyed their day.”
