Pupils from two Wolverhampton schools enjoyed a day to remember at Twickenham on Saturday as they paraded as flagbearers on the pitch ahead of England’s NatWest 6 Nations clash with Wales.

The opportunity was afforded to them thanks to their involvement in the CBRE All Schools programme this season.

Launched in 2012, the initiative has been developed by the RFU to increase the amount of rugby played in schools, encourage new players to join local clubs and create a positive legacy through the sport and its core values.

Last autumn representatives from the RFU’s official partner Canterbury conducted kit-design workshops around the country, one of which was attended by the Bloxwich and Q3 Academies. The bespoke kit designed by the pupils will be delivered to the school in the coming weeks for the teams to play in for the rest of the season and years to come.

Stepping out onto the hallowed turf of Rugby HQ with a packed Twickenham crowd watching on, 16-year-old Bloxwich Academy pupil Connor Male, from Walsall, said it was a day he will not forget in a hurry.

“It’s a wonderful experience to be on the pitch where England and Wales will be,” said Connor.

“It’d be nice to play a game on that pitch one day.

“It’s not something everybody can say so I just had to take it all in.

“Being on the pitch and being able to watch the game live instead of on television is a unique experience.”

The schools were two of 80 to make the trip to South West London having been a part of the CBRE All Schools programme this season.

The initiative aims to take rugby into 750 state secondary schools by 2019 and ahead of the match pupils were treated to a lunch and photoshoot with England internationals Ellis Genge and Harriet Millar-Mills, as well as being given new Canterbury kit to wear as flagbearers.

Q3 Academy pupil Thomas Walsham, 15, from Great Barr, was thrilled to be invited to the event.

“From the talk we had today with the players, they said to keep enjoying playing rugby, keep training hard,” he said.

“I was really looking forward to seeing some of the players and getting closer than you normally would.

“It’s my first game at a stadium for any sport, I’ve never done anything like this before.

“Being in the middle of 82,000 people, the atmosphere is going to be amazing, very loud and maybe intimidating, but I’ll enjoy it.”

Ahead of Saturday’s 12-6 win for England, Genge gave a talk to the visiting schools about what rugby has done for their life and how the sport’s core values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship can apply to many real-life situations – not just on the rugby field.

“When I was younger we didn’t go too far but some of these schools have travelled from all over the country to come down here, so it’s a great day all round,” said Genge.

“It’s great to see all of the young rugby players from around the country coming together as one.

“Some of these kids would never have had the chance to come to Twickenham so it’s a wonderful opportunity in that respect and they all seemed to make the most of it.”

CBRE All Schools supported by Canterbury is one of the RFU’s key legacy programmes, set up to increase the number of state secondary schools playing rugby union in England. Visit www.englandrugby.com/allschools to find out more