We were delighted to welcome current England International and Leicester Tigers’ Lock, George Martin, to our annual Rugby Presentation Dinner on Wednesday 2 April. As an alumnus of two Schools within the Loughborough Schools Foundation, Fairfield Prep School and Loughborough Grammar School, it was fantastic to welcome George back onto campus to celebrate the success of Rugby at LGS this year.
In a speech to pupils George illustrated his inspiring rugby journey; he remembered fondly his Under 12 tour to Blackpool in Year 7 and even read out his Year 7 rugby report from when he was at school. He also detailed his route into the Leicester Tigers Academy, which was undoubtedly an integral factor in his development as a professional rugby player.
As George’s speech drew to a close, he encouraged pupils to make the most of their time at LGS, from making lasting friendships to being involved in the life and community of the School. Boys then had the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with George and asked questions such as ‘what are the biggest sacrifices you’ve made so far in your career?’, what is a typical week like for you as a professional rugby player?’, ‘what has been your best match or moment for Tigers or England so far?’ and ‘what was your best rugby memory from your time at LGS?’
The evening, attended by pupils from Year 7 through to Year 13 as well as Loughborough Grammar and Foundation staff members, also included a speech from Head of Rugby, Mr Emyr Lewis, who reflected upon the strength of the sport at LGS.
Mr Lewis highlighted the incredible number of pupils who have represented the School through the sport this year: “What’s most important to me is the level of participation and the number of boys eager to represent the School. Around 230 boys have played for LGS this year, whether as C, B or A teams which equates to a quarter of the School playing rugby. It’s particularly rewarding to see that, from Year 7 onwards, every boy is given the opportunity to put on the School jersey.”
Following on from Mr Lewis, pupils heard an insight into the life of Keith Kent, part of the Loughborough Schools Foundation’s Estates team, and his inspiring career in the grounds industry. Keith began his career at Leicester City where he spent 16 years becoming Head Groundsman before moving to Manchester United in 1987. He then moved to the Rugby Football Union (RFU), becoming Head Groundsman at Twickenham Stadium in 2002.
During his career, Keith has been formally recognised for his remarkable contribution to both his profession and to sport. He recalled moments from his rugby career where he witnessed players, managers, referees and coaches who worked hard and remembered their roots and implored the boys in the room to do the same.
A highlight of the Rugby Presentation Dinner saw pupils congratulate their team members who received recognition as players’ player of the year and were presented with their awards by George.
Finally, we heard some fantastic speeches from the captains of each of our School teams who gave an overview of their season and thanked both their coaches and many supporting staff. Captain of the U15 A team said: “Our rugby has come along leaps and bounds this season as a sense of passion and cohesion has been developed throughout the team bringing us to our best season yet.”
The Rugby Presentation Dinner was a wonderful celebration of our pupils’ achievements, made even more special by the attendance of such an inspiring rugby role model.
