"Anyone can play rugby, you just have to go out there and give it a try!" - Justine Lucas spent the day inspiring the students at Hopping Hill Primary School as part of our Bronze Rugby Programme
Bronze Rugby Programme with Justine Lucas at Hopping Hill Primary School October 2021
“You can be anything you want to be and achieve anything you set your mind to with a strong team and support network around you!”
What a special day at Hopping Hill Primary School with the amazing Justine Lucas!
Our amazing Ambassador, former England rugby player, Justine Lucas, spent the day inspiring students at Hopping Hill Primary School as part of this fabulous Bronze Rugby Programme. Throughout the day, pupils gained some valuable insight from Justine following her online presentation and Q&A, as well as during the physical rugby coaching sessions she delivered.
Justine inspired the students to work hard to try and achieve big things and encouraged them throughout the day to take part in all sports, as sport can provide so many opportunities for you to meet new people, take on new challenges and gain valuable opportunities that you may never have had the chance to do.
With a little help from the teachers at Hopping Hill Primary School, the students practised their best try’s, tackles and handoffs during their rugby coaching sessions. Justine challenged them to keep persevering when faced with a tackle from a defender and also to transfer those perseverance and resilience skills into their school and home lives too.
After a fun day of rugby, lots of the students were inspired to go and play rugby in their spare time and Justine encouraged them to go out and get involved with a new team or club, in their local area. We look forward to seeing the future stars from Hopping Hill joining the England squad when they get older!
As part of our day, the students relished the opportunity to ask Justine any questions they had and to learn all about her career. Some of the best questions from our day were:
How did you end up playing for England?
Were you ever scared of someone charging at you when you were playing?
Did you get nervous playing for England?
Can I join a rugby club?
How old were you when you started rugby?
Why did you start playing rugby?
What inspired you to play?
Can you still play sport with diabetes?
What was your worst injury?
How many teams did you play for?
It was a brilliant afternoon for the staff and students at Hopping Hill Primary School, and in a short space of time, it seems Justine’s excellent rugby sessions had changed the mind of most of the students who will now be converting from football to rugby. With one student shouting out to Justine as he left, “Rugby is better than football!”
Justine had a fantastic day with the Hopping Hill Primary School students, and we are delighted that they got to hear Justine’s story but also have some fun, learning some new rugby skills with her too.
The students were incredibly enthusiastic throughout their sessions with Justine and each of them walked away with a signed autograph card from Justine, as well as one student from each group leaving the session with a certificate and medal to celebrate their hard work and persistence during the sessions.
Justine’s final message to the students was to keep focussing on the things they enjoy and keep working hard towards their goals. If they get nervous or worried along the way, that just shows they care about that thing they are putting all their energy into!
If you would like to see the photos and videos from our time at Hopping Hill Primary School, please contact the staff from the school.
We can’t wait to hear the updates from Hopping Hill Primary School about how many of their students go on to take part in rugby and we look forward to visiting them again soon with more of our inspirational Ambassadors!
See the links below to the following rugby clubs in Northampton.
Old Northamptonians RFC (facebook.com)
Northampton Old Scouts RFC (facebook.com)
Towcestrians Sports Club - rugby, cricket, tennis, ladies’ hockey, netball, and softball
If you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with Justine Lucas or any of our other inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website at www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk or with Katie at katie@mintridge.org.uk.
The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities, and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.
Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as FitSwarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.
The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.
To find out more about the Mintridge Foundation, please contact Alex Wallace.