Newark Rugby Club youth team travelled to France for the Armistice International Rugby Festival
Young players from Newark Rugby Club were given a sporting, cultural and history learning experience during a tournament in France.
The Newark under-16s rugby team were invited to France to compete in the Armistice International Rugby Festival.
The Kelham Road-based side joined Wales, Netherlands, and France in the tournament, which is part of the World Rugby Memorial Project.
The competition not only offers the chance for clubs to play against teams from all across Europe but also emphasises the importance of remembering former rugby players who served and fell in the first world war.
The Newark team met early for the long trip ahead through the channel tunnel before arriving at the magnificent ground of their hosts Compiegne Rugby Club.
The side got to visit the Aisne and the Somme, which saw some of the most horrific battles of the war.
The experience provided sobering moments for many of the players, especially when they realised that some of the combatants were no older than themselves.
The tour also went on a pilgrimage to the World Rugby Memorial, set up in memory of the fallen rugby players in the first world war — it is a little-known fact that rugby lost more international players than any other sport in the war.
Players got to see examples of propaganda posters inviting rugby players to join the war effort.
The Newark side started their rugby campaign by playing two warm-up matches against Den Haag and Llandovery school
Newark played some fantastic rugby and went through both games undefeated.
The next day saw the official start of festival matches and the lads from Newark were ready to play.
The format was seven, ten-minute games with local rules of no tackling above the ball and no pushing in the scrums enforced for safety.
The Newark team played some magnificent rugby throughout the festival and defeated some very strong sides.
Newark came together and played as a team, putting on strong, cohesive displays of rugby.
Their biggest challenge came from a Welsh side which, despite providing a good contest ,were defeated by Newark.
A spokesman for the club said, the games were played with intensity and led to quite a few memorable tries that garnered many new supporters for the Newark Rugby Club.
Good sportsmanship was displayed throughout as Newark remained undefeated.
The trip not only provided the side with some good rugby but was also an educational experience.
