I talked with two school-age rugby players about the benefits of grass-roots rugby. 

"It helps form bonds between you and your friends" said one boy, who I will refer to as Alex. Alex plays through his school, Watford Boys. We talked about how the start of the rugby season co-insides with the start of term. "It's a very exciting, energetic and physical time of year", he continued. Studies have shown that greater levels of participation in sport, especially in school, is associated with higher levels of physical and mental wellbeing. Alex talked about how "Sport can be an outlet for problems off the pitch," and that it is particularly important at the beginning of the Autumn term. "It's an extra sense of coming together at the start of the year."  

He talked about how the season was going for his team. "We're doing well. We've won four and lost two and our next game is against University College School... The squad is confident going into the fixture." They also enjoyed a recent victory over Merchant Taylor's Rugby team.

Max's team has had a rockier start to the season. "We [Ruislip Rugby Club] lost 91 - Nil to Hillingdon Abbots", he reported.  But he's glad he plays for Ruislip: "It creates a sense of community", he said. Ruislip's clubhouse became flooded during the worst of the bad weather earlier in September. The bad weather, however, can be a great opportunity for team building in Max's opinion. "It brings the team closer together", he said. "We have to work together and communicate through the weather" 

I wish both teams good luck in the coming season! 

(NB: Both boys preferred not to be named in this interview; their real names have been substituted for Alex and Max respectively)