Leicester Tigers Academy two members were given a taste of what it is like to be tasked with adding important points to their group’s tally, in front of a Welford Road crowd which was jam-packed ahead of the fixture against Newcastle Falcons last Friday night.
Harry Glynn and Sam Costelow who both featured all through this season unbeaten run on the way to glory in the Grand Final for the Tigers Academy in the Under 18 National League, were given the break of ten minutes in between the warm-up ending and the kick-off in the Aviva Premiership clash (APC) at the Mattioli Woods end of Welford Road. Under the alert eye of Ant Allen, who is the Tigers development coach and also the former player, the pair was armed with a bag of rugby balls and their trusty kicking-tee for the exceptional experience in front of an outspoken #TigersFamily crowd in the Terrace.
While heading to their pitch, we caught up some pairs to get their reaction to the unique training session. Speaking about his experience, the Wales U18 fly-half Costelow said, “It was an amazing and unforgettable experience, and the presence of the crowd made the experience even better. The crowd on the ground really loud and it added to the nerves.”
"Yes, the training is tough, but this will help us with our development as with such exposures, we will be used to the crowd being so loud so in a game, and then we will be able to cope up with the new environment." The teammate of Costelow Glynn, who the next day started in fly-half in Tigers U17 friendly against Saracens, was as ecstatic as Costelow was after the experience.
He said "It is the best thing I have ever done during any training session. This is a massive privilege and honor."