Saints meet skipper Sam - and big George - for coaching sessio

Saints meet skipper Sam – and big George – for coaching session

Players, coaches and supporters of St Davids RFC enjoyed a rugby treat of a life-time in mid week as they travelled to the Welsh Rugby Union's 'Centre of Excellence' to share a training session with Welsh captain Sam Warburton and winger George North.

It came about as a result of a sponsorship from the Thomas Cook company with the WRU which allowed clubs to enter a competition where the session was the first prize. It was spotted on line by St Davids player/coach Fintan Godkin and he had to outline why the club would benefit from a session with the Welsh stars. Fintan clearly did a great job because the welcome news came back that the Saints had been selected for the two-hour session.

Full squad – hard work  – but great fun

So it was that a full squad of players left early from St Davids, with club chairman Gareth Price, officials, former players and supporters set out for the centre, which is situated in the grounds of the Vale Hotel, near Pendoylan, in the Vale of Glamorgan. They were welcomed by Kirsty, from Thomas Cook, and John Ali, who works in the sponsorship area for the WRU, and received their special training tops, with their names emblazoned on the back, in readiness for the session.

They were soon on the artificial turf in the indoor training area, with staff coaches Matthew Silva and Joe Davies getting them warmed up in readiness for some focussed work with regard to the contact area of the game, as requested by coach Godkin.

They received some great tips from Sam Warburton, an acknowledged expert in this area of play, with the tips tried out in sustained practice games, led by Silva and Davies, where the Saints impressed by their willingness to take on board what they had been shown.

And it was all done with a great deal of good humour and fun alongside the depth of focus on skills.

Just what they wanted

“It was just what we wanted,” said Fintan Godkin, “the techniques shown are bound to hold us in good stead for match situations in important upcoming fixtures.”

George North also provided valuable advice on how to carry the ball into contact and how to deal with it from there on and the Saints clearly enjoyed their stint with the stars, who still found time afterwards to sign autographs and be photographed with every member of the Saints' contingent.

“

It was a wonderful day for the boys,” said club chairman Gareth Price, “and Sam and George were brilliant with us, as were coaches Matthew and Joe.  We would like to thank Thomas Cook and the WRU for giving us this smashing opportunity.”

PHOTOS:

The Saints' players, and supporters, with Sam Warburton & George North
Fintan & Harvey Godkin with Sam and George
Sam shows his rucking technique . . .
. . . and the Saints give it a try
Sam's busy on the bag
The Saints are all ears