Monday 11 May 2015 The Leeds Rhinos rugby league squad swapped their stadium for a school field this week when they spent a training day at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL). As well as providing a change of scene for the Rhinos, the day was an exciting opportunity for the school’s U15 rugby team to watch and learn from some big rugby league names, including Jamie Peacock, Kevin Sinfield, Rob Burrow and Danny McGuire, and see how they measured up to the professionals in a shared training session. The Rhinos coached the school team in drills and played some small-sided games with them. The boys were not the only ones with their fitness to prove – head coach Brian McDermott had to perform 50 press-ups himself after losing a bet over the number of catches and passes the U15s could successfully complete. Brian said: “We’ve had a big training day at GSAL – it’s our work day and we’ve got out of it what we needed to do. It’s important we do this sort of thing…we can always remember a time when we were kids coming through and those brief instances when we rubbed shoulders with a pro player and thought it was great we got to do that.” John Mackenzie, GSAL’s head of rugby, said: “It’s been superb to host the Rhinos; they are the elite rugby league side in the country. It’s great for our U15s to see them performing an average daily training session, going through skills in the gym and then out on the pitch. Seeing some of the guys they watch on TV and the professionalism they show is inspirational for the boys.” Year 10 student Will Woodhall, captain of the GSAL U15 rugby team, said: “I’ve watched a few Rhinos matches so it’s really exciting to train with the team. Although we play rugby union, we can learn from both codes – seeing how the elite players train, with such strength and intensity from the off, has really helped us to improve our skills and knowledge.” General Senior School News
