YOUNGSTERS from rugby clubs a Minchinhampton and Painswick under-11 and 12s will embark on the first step towards a dream Twickenham appearance on Sunday as the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup returns for its seminal testimonial season; celebrating its tenth year.

The under-11 and under-12 grassroots rugby festival is part of a series of nationwide events which provide aspiring young players the opportunity to play in a competitive event and meet professional players from Gloucester Rugby.

With over 25 under-11 and 16 under-12 teams competing at Dean Close School, Dursley U11 + U12, Minchinhampton U11, Painswick U12

will get a true taste of the professional game.

And for Gloucester and Wales back row Ross Moriarty, there is nothing more important than supporting youth rugby.

“When I was a child I was lucky enough to be able to go to training with my father and got to watch some of the heroes I used to watch when I was a kid and that was a great experience,” he said.

“I’ve really come to appreciate the efforts which people go to, to enable people to play club rugby, parents, families, coaches which may or may not get paid.

“You don’t realise that as a young player but I appreciate it a lot more now and obviously the coaches who’ve coached me even though they’ve not had to be there, but they have been there.

“All the things these people have done for me, I understand it all a lot better now.

“I speak to a lot of people from the local clubs and coaches who coached me, friends for life.

“Just because I’ve moved away from home doesn’t mean I’ve shied away from that at all.”

In addition to Sunday’s event, one team from each age group will receive a trip to the Aviva Premiership Rugby Final on May 26, where they will meet a Land Rover rugby ambassador, join in a Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup Parade at half time and hear which of them has won a club MVP award.

The events are designed to provide young players with a chance to play competitive fixtures in a format that is appropriate for their ages and stage of development, all within the spirit of rugby’s core values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship.

And in the decade since its inception the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup has seen more than 70,000 children take part, from all over the country.

Land Rover is celebrating its ‘Testimonial Season’; ten years of the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup. The national series of grassroots rugby festivals is testament to Land Rover’s continued support of grassroots rugby through its ‘We Deal In Real’ campaign. Follow @LandRoverRugby #WeDealInReal