• • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • Reddit
  • Stumble Upon
  • Furl

The Beach Rugby season continues this weekend in the UK with the latest in the 02 Scrum on the Beach series at Tynemouth.

England’s Paul Sackey and Joe Worsley will be scrumming down on the beach at Tynemouth Longsands this weekend, when the duo will be encouraging rugby fans to get involved at the events and put their beach rugby skills to the test.

There will also be opportunities for fans to meet the England pair and even test their skills against them during the two-day event, which runs from 10am-4pm each day.

Following the success of last year's O2 Scrum on the Beach events, during which the Tynemouth festival was one of the most successful parts of the RFU's Play On scheme, this year the Tyneside event is the sixth of eight events taking place throughout the country.

"The sun is shining, the forecast is good and we're looking forward to a great rugby weekend," said a happy RFU Leisure Rugby Project Manager Dan Brown, who had gale force winds, heavy rain and a relocation to contend with on his last visit to the North at Southport: "We have 30 teams entered for the beach rugby tag competition on Sunday and all's well."

Sackey and his England team-mates have been fronting the free, fun-filled festivals, which offer hours of enjoyment for all the family and a great way for holiday makers in the area to leave the bucket-and-spade in the car and get into something much more exciting and interesting.

Sackey and Worsley will be encouraging rugby fans and families alike to get involved at the event and put their beach rugby skills to the test. There will also be opportunities for fans to meet the Wasps duo and have a chat about life at the elite end of the game.

The focus, though, will be on getting involved and having fun, either by taking part in the beach rugby games or testing your rugby abilities in the Play Zone on one of the inflatable game simulators which often prove as irresistible to parents as they do to their children.

There's also a special incentive for the teams taking part in the beach rugby competition. The RFU is looking for the teams with the best beach rugby style, both on and off the pitch. The eight most stylish teams, judged on style of play, look and attitude, will win the chance to play at a tag tournament at the home of England rugby, Twickenham, in September.

Sackey said: "O2 Scrum on the Beach is a great way to have fun and stay involved with rugby this summer. This year we're looking for some seriously stylish teams - with the most impressive getting to play at Twickenham in September. That should give you even more of an incentive to get down to the events and show off your skills."

O2 customers will have access the exclusive O2 Blueroom on the Beach, a VIP chill-out area with free massages and refreshments. They can also try out their speed reaction skills on 'Batak Duel' and try to beat one of the England players' top scores.

Mark Stevenson, Head of Sponsorship for O2 said: "O2 Scrum on the Beach provides a great opportunity for families to enjoy a day of action packed rugby as well as the chance to meet some of the current England stars. It's fantastic that we are continuing our support of RFU's Play On Rugby campaign, helping to achieve the aim of retaining players in the game and making rugby accessible to all."

Following the success of last year's O2 Scrum on the Beach festivals, this year there will be eight events taking place across the country, the remaining events being:

August 8-9, 10am-4pm, Tynemouth Longsands Beach, Newcastle.
August 15, 10am-5pm, Skegness Beach, Lincolnshire.
August 28-30, 12pm-11pm, Lusty Glaze Beach, Newquay.