Youngsters from North Bristol Juniors Rugby Club had the training session of a lifetime last night (Wednesday 1st April) when they were put through their paces by Bristol Rugby and Welsh national hero Ryan Jones.
The former British and Irish Lion, who has earned 75 caps for Wales and won three Grand Slams in the process, led sessions for aspiring young players across four different age groups.
The one-off opportunity at the club’s Almondsbury training grounds was organised by Bristol-based recruitment company Resource Solutions Group (RSG), which is player sponsor of the former Welsh captain at Bristol Rugby.
Ryan Jones said:
“There is some serious talent already coming through at North Bristol Juniors and it was a real pleasure to meet and train so many of these enthusiastic young players. ”
“It’s great to see a business like RSG using their sponsor player perks to give back to the community instead of just for internal use and through partnerships such as this we can encourage rugby stars of the future.”
Chairman of North Bristol Juniors RFC David Godfrey said:
“Ryan is a brilliant role model for the sport and inspires juniors of every age.”
“The fact he plays locally also means that many see him in action on the pitch and know exactly how good he is so there was a lot of effort being put in by the juniors to demonstrate their skills.”
“We are very grateful to RSG and Bristol Sport for making this happen. Everyone involved with the Club works hard and this is a great way of saying thank you to them.”
Jon Ball, director at RSG, which is also the shirt sponsor for Bristol City Football Club and the Bristol Flyers basketball team, said:
“Having Ryan going along to a normal evening training session will be something these young people will remember for the rest of their lives and, hopefully, inspire them to keep on working hard so they can play at the top of their game too.”
Photo: Ryan Jones with players from North Bristol Juniors Rugby Club. [©Gavin Crilly Photography]
