Young people at a Glasgow secondary school were treated to a guest coaching session by Glasgow Warriors and Argentina players, Bernardo Stortoni and Jose Maria Piossek, as part of an inter-school initiative designed to encourage young people to get involved in rugby.

The tag-rugby project at St Margaret Mary’s is part of the xlerate with xl club initiative run in partnership between The Prince’s Trust and Scottish Rugby.

The Argentine pair arrived to support Tag sessions with Glasgow development officer, Ross Aitken, and gave pupils advice on playing the game, and the importance of healthy eating and getting regular exercise.

The school team at St Margaret Mary’s is one of ten schools taking part in the programme which offers an introduction to rugby through multiple Tag-Rugby sessions, access to top level players, educational materials and coaching from Scottish Rugby staff on nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

In addition to this coaching day, the pupils will experience the thrill of the international game first hand at the Scotland v Italy RBS 6 Nations game at Murrayfield on Saturday (28 February), before competing in a Tag-Rugby Tournament at the stadium with all participating schools the following month.

Stortoni, said: “Tag rugby is a good, fun, accessible form of rugby that’s easy to coach, especially to kids as keen as the ones we worked with – everyone had a great time.  

“It’s great that Scottish Rugby and The Prince’s Trust can work together to create such a great programme - hopefully it will continue to encourage young people to be fit and active.

“You can learn a lot of personal, social and team skills through sport as well as developing enthusiasm and motivation in all aspects of life.

Geraldine Gammell, Director of The Prince’s Trust in Scotland, added: “Sport is such a fantastic way to engage with young people.

“The pupils are not only being trained by some of rugby’s leading sportsmen, they’re also building self- confidence, self-esteem and experiencing team building at the highest level. The Prince’s Trust is all about giving young people chances and opportunities – this is one they’ll never forget.”

In 2007, a joint RBS and Prince’s Trust report revealed that young people who do not reach their full potential cost Scotland £1.2 billion in lost earnings. This programme aims to assist young people in schools to make the most of their educational opportunities.

Since The RBS 6 Nations Tag-Rugby Project launched in 2004, over 1000 young people have been helped through RBS 6 Nations and The Prince’s Trust.