London Irish Amateurs receive scrummaging masterclass      

Almost 50 young rugby players turned out at the London Irish training ground at Sunbury on Thursday 17 September to learn the art of scrummaging from London Irish prop and former All Black, Clarke Dermody.

The youngsters from the London Irish Amateur club came from the U10 and U11 age groups.  Several amateur club coaches also turned out to learn the intricacies of scrummaging from one of the leading props in the Guinness Premiership. Dermody was also assisted by AASE (Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence) Student and England U18 hooker, Pete Austin.

Those taking part in the session got to learn about the major components of a scrummage as well as learning specific techniques, methods and the safety aspects of the scrum.

Jack Heald, the London Irish Community Coach for Spelthorne commented: “It was good to see so many players at this session and to see them learning what the scrum is all about.  It is important that they are taught the right techniques early on and Clarke and Pete were fantastic tutors.

“It was also really promising to see so many coaches in attendance which shows real commitment to the teams within the London Irish Amateurs.”

 Jack Heald conducts regular coaching sessions at a number of schools in the Spelthorne area, including Thamesmead, St Paul’s, Chennestone, Matthew Arnold, Thomas Knyvett, Town Farm and Sunbury Manor. Schools wishing to get more information should contact Jack at jack.heald@london-irish.com