ENGLAND Red Roses scrum-half star Leanne Riley notched up another success with Midhurst Rother College girls.

Leanne led a motivational session to introduce female students to rugby, as well as raise awareness of the game within the school.

Girls from primarily years eight and nine, who have shown skills at other sports such as netball and hockey, were invited to participate.

The session started with rugby netball, using the more familiar game and adapting the rules so the girls rapidly developed their rugby passes. 

Very soon, the girls were playing a full game of rugby without contact, and after a suitable warm-up, they progressed to a more physical game.

Midhurst Rother College principal Stuart Edwards said: “We are delighted to have hosted Leanne in college with us to work with some of our girls.

“This was a fantastic opportunity for them and it is clear that the girls took a lot away from the day.

“The college will focus heavily on rugby next year and will introduce a ‘rugby academy’ to produce teams to compete against other schools and colleges.

“I am also very grateful to Dr Inche for his drive to make this happen.

“We are looking forward to seeing more rugby matches at MRC next year.”