DAN Cole and Matt Smith were on hand to lend their support as Leicester Tigers hosted an exciting under-11 and under-12 grassroots developmental festival this weekend as the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup returned.

This successful series of nationwide 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.

The under-12 competition was a fantastic spectacle for those in attendance with the highly competitive fixtures providing a meaningful platform for youngsters to develop their rugby skills.

It was a competition to watch with Leicester Forest victorious, showing great spirit right up until the final whistle to earn 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.

And new for this season, Land Rover will be introducing the Junior Land Rover Discovery of The Season award, which is intended to identify and reward one youngster who has showcased the values of rugby during the tournament.

Joe Burbidge, from Leicester Forest, was excited to be there on the day and thanked Leicester Tigers for giving him a special day at Rugby HQ to look forward too.

“We played really well and ended up winning the tournament because we played as a team and did everything right. We didn’t concede once and scored a lot,” he said.

“It feels amazing to know that we’re going to be going to Twickenham."

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 Leicester Forest at Twickenham will be Melton Mowbraywith ten-year-old Logan Box now counting down the days until the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final.

“I feel excited because I’ve never been to Twickenham to watch a game, it’s the first time,” Logan said.

“We had tough games, they were really hard, but I had a good time with my friends. 

“With my teammates, hopefully we’ll have a great time at Twickenham. For me I feel like we’ve done really well.”

Participating players at the festival also had the opportunity to meet Leicester Tigers duo Cole and Smith who took time out of their schedule to watch the young teams as well as offer some coaching tips between games.

And Cole commented on the importance of grassroots rugby, saying: “It’s great. You look at how many kids are here today, how many teams are here and how much they’re enjoying rugby - that’s what it’s about.”

While Smith continued, saying: “This is where Dan and I started and there’s a few good players out there as well. We’ve been emphasising the enjoyment for all the young players as well, but I’m sure there’s a few future Leicester Tigers out there.”

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