WIGAN and Chester rugby clubs will be joining a host of Gallagher Premiership stars in June after securing once-in-a-lifetime trips to Twickenham thanks to their performances at a Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup event this weekend.

The Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup, a nationwide series of events now running for more than a decade, has seen more than 82,000 children take part to date and continues to grow, providing developmental experience for young players to excel in a professionally run environment.

This weekend it was Sale Sharks’ turn to host their event this season with Manchester Rugby Club the venue on Sunday with 37 teams strutting their stuff across an under-12 and under-11 festival.

And in the under-12 competition Wigan were rewarded for their effort and skill with a trip to the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final on Saturday 1 June, where they will meet a Land Rover rugby ambassador, and join in a Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup Parade at half-time, plus find out who has won the Junior Land Rover Discovery of The Season award.

Tom Curtain, from Wigan, was excited to be there on the day and thanked Sale Sharks for giving him a special day at Rugby HQ to look forward to.

“It feels really good to win the tournament, we’ve all been nervous throughout the day but to finally win is great," he said.

"The team definitely played well throughout the day, and we’ve definitely improved a lot throughout the day especially with handling the ball.

“I’m very happy that we have the opportunity to go to Twickenham, and hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to play there in the future.”

In the under-11 festival all teams displayed fantastic resolve and demonstrated the core values of the game throughout – teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship.

And joining Wigan at Twickenham will be Chester with 11-year-old James Kinsey now counting down the days until the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final.

“It was very wet but it allows us to be very aggressive as a team and that’s how we like it,” he said

“It’s been great to be able to play alongside my mates all day and we’ve played really well.

“We need to work on tackling as a team instead of individually.

“I’d love to play for Sale Sharks in the future, my favourite player is Faf De Klerk because we both play scrum-half.”

Participating players at the festival also had the opportunity to meet Sale Sharks player Johnny Leota who took time out of his schedule to watch the young teams as well as offer some coaching tips between games.

And he commented on the importance of grassroots rugby, saying: “I think it’s extremely important for the game to see so many kids playing rugby on days like today.

"This is where it all starts and this is where you’ll find a lot of future England stars. It’s a stepping stone we all need to go through to become professionals.

"This tournament is something I’d have definitely liked to play in when I was younger. I grew up playing Rugby League but having watched today it’s something I’d love my son to have the opportunity to be a part of.”

Land Rover has heritage in rugby at all levels; from grassroots to elite, sharing and understanding the values at the heart of the game. Follow @LandRoverRugby