IT was a beautiful evening for a spot of rugby as Crediton Ladies U15s took to the pitch on Thursday, APRIL 11.

Instead of their usual drills, however, the girls were put through their paces by three stars from Exeter Chiefs after winning a nationwide Train with your Heroes competition launched by Gallagher, the community insurance broker and proud title partner of Premiership Rugby.

Alongside coaches from the Premiership side, Exeter Chiefs Captain Jack Yeandle, who trained at the club as a youngster, was joined by teammates Harry Williams and Alec Hepburn to run the exclusive skills-sharpening session with a focus on line out lifts, handling and decision making.

Lynn Rouse, Communications Manager at Gallagher, said:“From the earliest days of our partnership with Premiership Rugby, we wanted to champion the wider rugby community, recognising all those individuals and teams at a grass roots level like Crediton RFC, that go above and beyond, day-in, day-out, to protect and grow the game in an inclusive way.

“That’s where our Train With Your Heroes competition came from.

“It’s our way of giving something back and saying thank you for everything.”

“This is being done at a local level to take rugby and its values of trust, teamwork and respect to an ever wider audience.”

It was Crediton girls manager, Suzy Keast who put forward the winning nomination, sharing how in a few short years the club has gone from zero to more than 100 girls and ladies signed up and playing regular rugby all over Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, including nearly 80 girls aged from 11 to 18 years training and playing a great standard of rugby each week.

Recent research from Gallagher reveals that 92 per cent of young women gain new-found confidence through playing sport.

To illustrate the many benefits of getting involved, U15s player Caitlyn Yeandle described how playing rugby has not only given her a great group of friends but wider life skills which she puts into practice on and off the pitch.

Lynn added: “It was Crediton’s emphasis on encouraging everyone to play and take part in rugby, as well as their focus on building a squad off the pitch, just as much as on, in developing lifelong friendships, that helped secure their competition win.”

The Train with your Heroes competition marks Gallagher’s latest celebration of the rugby community following the launch of its Heroes of the Game campaign – a pledge by Gallagher to recognise and highlight the positive work being done by all those who embody the spirit and values of the game, and are the lifeblood of rugby clubs within their local communities.