Longhill Rugby Shirt in Debut at Twickenham
Back in the autumn term, four Longhill students, Lois Martin and Daisy Lawlor from year 7, Gene Ronaldson and Oscar Lake-Gouhari from year 8, were chosen to design a bespoke rugby shirt for the Longhill team. The Rugby shirt design is part of a special RFU all schools initiative, sponsored by CBRE in conjunction with Canterbury Rugby.
Last Sunday saw the culmination of the design team’s hard work, with the unveiling of their shirt at the England vs Italy match, which took place at Twickenham as part of the Six Nations Rugby Tournament. For one lucky member of the team, Year 7 student Lois Martin, it was a day out that she will treasure for ever. Lois was the lucky winner of a ticket to the match, which she attended with her Dad, together with Nick Rolf from the Longhill PE Department. Students from all over the country were invited to attend the unveiling ceremony, meeting international rugby stars and enjoying the privilege of walking out onto the hallowed turf of Twickenham.
Lois is a keen sportsperson and has played football for several years. She is a regular at Brighton & Hove Albion, with her own season ticket and enjoys attending matches with her Dad and Grandad. Since joining Longhill from Saltdean Primary, she has been given the opportunity to try playing rugby, which has now become a firm favourite. Lois plays rugby for Hove Rugby Club and would encourage other girls to give it a try. “It’s really good fun” she said “and a great way to make new friends.”
When we asked Lois about the design of the rugby shirt, she told us that it was a group effort, but that she had made suggestions for the sleeves and for incorporating the dolphin into the design. We asked her what the day out at Twickenham was like. “It was fantastic.” She told us. “There were around 82,000 people there and I got to sing the national anthem with a classical singer called Laura Wright. That was just amazing! I also got to meet Billy Vunipola, who is an England international player. It’s a day I will never forget.”
As to the outcome of the match, England beat Italy by 36 points to 15.
We would like to thank all the staff at Twickenham for making it such a special day, particularly Emma Colquhoun, who is the Schools’ Project Officer.
