Heath Under 12s girls, boys, coaches and families enjoyed a fantastic weekend of rugby at the home of rugby as they approach the end of what has been an incredible season for the age group.

A 70-strong squad of Heath Girls, players and families travelled to join the nearly 50,000 spectators who witnessed the Red Roses put in a stunning performance against Ireland at Twickenham stadium on their way to the Grand Slam against France last weekend.

An advance party took part in a touch festival at the Stoop where a mixed team of U11s-U14s combined really well, playing some very impressive rugby against teams from all over the south east and receiving some very positive feedback and input from the Harlequins coaching team.

They then made the short trip to Twickenham stadium to meet the rest of the Heath travelling party in the Fan Zone and take up their pitch-side seats to watch a really inspiring performance from the Red Roses. While the result was perhaps never in doubt, the atmosphere was electric with England putting on a show of exceptional consistency, speed and skill, scoring 13 tries on on the way to a resounding 88-10 victory.

Not happy with one trip to Twickenham, the next day saw a return to South West London, this time to Twickenham RFC for one of the few minis festivals that incorporates both U12s boys and girls teams, giving the age group a rare chance to be in the same place at the same time and cheer each other on.

The boys took 53 players across three teams and performed very well against some familiar opposition but also a range of sides they had not met before. Some of these teams were really impressive and the mixed Heath squads had to work very hard to compete, but all three teams recorded victories and learned a great deal from exposure to very competitive, fast and entertaining rugby.

The girls found themselves up against spirited but relatively inexperienced squads from Winchester, Old Rutlishians and Wasps (the latter coached by England International Bryony Cleal), and the girls' speed, range of attacking options and physicality in defence and at the breakdown proved exceptional. The Heath-Uckfield girls ran in a total of 34 tries over their three games, with almost all the squad crossing the line at some point, and all contributing to a very strong overall performance.

The teams go their separate ways for their end of season tours, with the boys heading to Great Yarmouth and the girls attending the Worthing 10s tournament on May Bank Holiday weekend, so following the first year of girls and boys playing separately, this was a great opportunity to bring the squads back together and a fantastic celebration of junior rugby at Heath.

Both U12s boys and girls teams won their respective Sussex championships this season, while the boys also came out on top in the prestigious Defender Cup which will see them return to Twickenham again in June to parade the trophy on the pitch before the Premiership Cup final. While undoubtedly a successful season in terms of results, far more important than that to the coaching teams had been the ongoing growth of both squads, built on an inclusive ethos and a belief that truly rugby is a game for all, combined with the sportsmanship, positivity and commitment shown by all of players throughout.