Around 100 club members and touch rugby addicts will descend on Harwich & Dovercourt RFC early this Saturday morning (Oct. 1) to watch the vital England v Scotland Group B IRB World Cup rugby match and get stuck into a good old breakfast pie and a pint – or drink of their preference.

A large screen TV will be set up especially for the morning and along with the food and drink there will even be two O2 Angels in attendance to give members a quick massage during the match.

It’s all courtesy of the RFUs major sponsors O2 and for the clubs participation in the summer long O2 Touch Rugby campaign that’s not only seen them carry off the Plate Trophy at the recent Twickenham O2 Touch Rugby Finals but also to have been nominated as one of eight clubs from around the country to win the O2 Breakfast Award.

Competition for the O2 awards has been intense, with many clubs reporting significant recruiting successes following the summers touch rugby programmes that have appealed to a wide range of men and women new to the game as well as luring ex-players out of active retirement.

As the RFU’s Eastern Counties Rugby Development Manager, Lee Adamson says: `Harwich & Dovercourt have really bought into the O2 Touch Rugby programme and they have taken touch rugby to a new level in this area.

`They are now reaping the benefits with this O2 Breakfast award and it’s the result of lots of volunteers working hard to make it a success and they richly deserve to celebrate during the England v Scotland match.’  

Between June and August the club staged three fun-packed O2 Touch Rugby Tournaments with teams made up of local businesses, club sponsors, schoolteachers, rugby referees, surrounding local rugby clubs and local football, cricket, hockey and sailing clubs.

Although each team consisted of six players, men and women, per match – only four of whom could be experienced rugby players - each squad was made up of 14 players while 13 different teams, aged from 18 to 60 plus, competed overall.   

Because of the tournaments the club attracted three new male players who went on to continue pre-season training with the clubs full senior rugby union squad and, because touch rugby involves far less contact, several retired rugby players came out of hiding and renewed their passion for the game

At all of the tournaments fun was very much the order of the day with participants actively encouraged to wear fancy dress while they also provided the ideal platform for fathers to play with sons and, in some cases, whole families to turn out and play as a team.

Steve Grainger, the RFU’s Rugby Development Director commented: `Congratulations to the clubs which successfully won full O2 Breakfast screenings. 

`They are well deserved for the energy and enthusiasm put into the O2 Touch programme over the summer, encouraging new interest and membership in the sport from a wide variety of different people.

`The innovation and ideas implemented to bring this programme to life demonstrated how much fun can be had playing touch rugby at a club, being part of a team and the wider rugby family and have been truly inspiring.`