Packwood 1st XV plays at Leicester Tigers' ground

20th November, 2009

What an amazing experience for the 1st XV! On Wednesday 11th November at 5.30pm they kicked-off their match against St Anselm’s, not here at Packwood as originally planned, but under floodlights at Welford Road, home ground of Leicester Tigers.

The occasion arose from a very kind invitation from Sedbergh School, who had secured use of Welford Road for their match against Wellington College: “the best of the north v. the best of the south”. There was the opportunity for a curtain-raiser match, and Packwood and St Anselm’s were offered this tremendous privilege. Needless to say we accepted.

On arrival at the ground, the players were ushered into the Leicester Tigers changing room. Sitting on the benches used in the past by the likes of Martin Johnson, Will Greenwood, Neil Back and Austin Healey, they changed for the match and ran out of the tunnel on to the pitch – certainly the largest that any of them had played on. A great moment. A brief warm-up followed, and then the long-awaited kick-off. It was a very closely fought match, and although Packwood recorded a pleasing 22-10 win, it was the occasion itself that mattered most.

The Sedbergh v Wellington match was outstanding, with Sedbergh having to dig deep to hold off a determined fight-back by Wellington. It was a late return to Packwood, but nobody minded – the boys had enjoyed a fantastic and unforgettable experience. An extract from the ‘thank you’ letter sent to the Headmaster of Sedbergh by our captain of rugby, Johnny Woodhead, says it all: “From the minute we arrived we were brilliantly looked after. Changing in the same room that Martin Johnson has done was a huge honour….I thought that the atmosphere was brilliant and I have never experienced anything like it before. I have still got mud on my knees from the ground and I am never washing it off."