Ellon Rugby U14 team and their families had an unforgettable experience at BT Murrayfield on Wednesday 13th April 2022. They, along with teams from Marr Rugby and Wolves Rugby, won a training session with Edinburgh Rugby and Scottish International player Hamish Watson. Hamish, along with his Edinburgh Rugby teammates Blair Kinghorn, Damien Hoyland and Ben Vellacott, gave an hour’s training session across a number of skills in the Spring sunshine.

The anticipation of meeting their rugby heroes, combined with the incredible feeling of walking into a quiet Murrayfield Stadium in full kit and ready to train, created an electric atmosphere on arrival. The boys were in awe of this amazing venue and excited to meet the players and train with them.

First up was Damien Hoyland, Edinburgh’s right-winger, who led the boys in a space awareness drill, with the aim to score a try at Murrayfield! The team showed good passing skills along with excellent communication and several never-to-be-forgotten tries were scored.

Next, Ben Vellacott, Scotland International and Scrum Half for Edinburgh, led the boys in a game of Hawick Ball, which tested their evasion skills and gave them a chance to stretch their legs on the Murrayfield pitch.

For the final training session Hamish Watson and Blair Kinghorn delivered contact and jackal drills. This was an amazing opportunity to meet and train with two Scotland Internationals and the highlight of the session, with the boys split into smaller groups and getting one-on-one time with them. With guidance from one of the worlds’ best No 7s the boys all put in a great effort in attack. The professional players were very natural and easy with the team who all thoroughly enjoyed the session.

Finally the teams were given the chance to kick goals from the 22 line and a couple of our Ellon U14 boys gave it a go. There was plenty of time at the end for a Q&A session and lots of flags and rugby balls were signed and photos taken. The Edinburgh Rugby players were great sports and chatted easily with the boys and their families. While Chester Mulliner managed to win Hamish Watson’s cap by kicking a goal from outside the 22, Matthew Graham was shown up to Princess Anne’s heated seat for an alternative view of the pitch!

The afternoon finished off with the obligatory team photo in the Murrayfield tunnel and many dreams of returning one day to play.

Thank you to Edinburgh Rugby and Scottish Building Society for organising the session, and to the players for being so generous with their time. It was truly an incredible day and a fantastic opportunity for this group of boys and their families who had missed out on their planned tour of Northern Ireland in 2020 due to COVID-19. Thanks also to Andrew Booth, the U14 Parent who submitted the winning entry to make it all possible and also organised a lovely meal afterwards at the Murrayfield Hotel.
Finally thanks to our brilliant coaches who always support and encourage the boys to be their best. Hopefully their focus and enthusiasm from this amazing session will pass through to future training sessions back home!