Pupils from Cwmbran High School took part in a rugby ‘motivational’ day at Rodney Parade organised by Wales Deaf Rugby and the Newport Gwent Dragons.
With varying degrees of hearing loss, the pupils aged 11 to 17 years were taking part in Wales Deaf Rugby’s community project, which aims to encourage young deaf people to give rugby a try.
The pupils took part in a fun packed day led by Mike Sage (Dragons Community Manager), Sophie Cahill (Wales Deaf Rugby), Matt Williams (Dragons Community Education Officer) and Callum House (WRU Community Rugby Coach).
They also enjoyed a tour of the stadium taking in the trophy room, where they saw memorabilia on display from visiting international rugby teams, the TV commentary gantry, weights room and the changing rooms. The session concluded with a presentation on healthy eating and a question and answer sessions with Dragons scrum half Charlie Davies.
Speaking on behalf of Wales Deaf Rugby, project co-ordinator Sophie said; “These sessions form part of our strategy to encourage deaf young people to come along and give rugby a go. Longer term, our objective is to be able to track the progress of each player via our development pathway while guiding them through mini and youth rugby. Identifying players at a young age is key to securing the long-term success of the senior international team.”
Teacher Joel Griffin said; “All the pupils have enjoyed the experience. It’s been a great opportunity for them to try a new sport, gain personal confidence by integrating with pupils from other years and learning about healthy eating. We are very grateful to the Dragons for their generous hospitality and for donating a signed t-shirt and tickets for the pupils to see todays match.”
Dragons Education Coordinator, Matt Williams added, “It is great to be able to inspire the deaf young people and the whole experience has been very rewarding for all involved. Judging by the skills on show during the sessions I’m sure the future of Wales Deaf Rugby is in safe hands, as Wales Deaf Rugby are the current world champions of deaf rugby.”
