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England rugby legend Steve Thompson made one local schoolboy’s dreams come true at the weekend as the lucky youngster won a trip of a lifetime to the 2015 Rugby World Cup Finals to be hosted by England.
Tom Watson, 12, was drawn out of the hat and will be flown to London on an all-expenses-paid trip, culminating in attending the tournament to personally deliver an official match ball to the referee before the kick-off of one of the big games.
The opportunity was provided by DHL Express, the tournament’s official logistics partner, and of which Thompson is an official rugby ambassador.
British School of Bahrain pupil Tom, who lives with his family in Janabiya, said: “I’m so happy, I can’t wait to go on the pitch with all the great players. I’m so excited, I really can’t put it into words!”
He has been playing rugby for two years, preferring either the full back or second row position and is also a keen Saracens supporter. However, the England national side is his true passion.
“I love watching England. I make sure I see all of their matches. We’ve got a good chance of winning the World Cup since it’s at home, so we will have a tremendous amount of support behind us,” he added.
Along with his pre-match prize, Tom, who comes from England, will also receive a memento pack which includes a signed rugby jersey and autographs. He will be one of 48 children given the privilege of handing over the ball at the start of each match; one for each fixture played at the event which runs from September 18 to October 31.
The prize draw marked the culmination of a weekend of activities at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club (BRFC), which began with a thrilling contest between the touring Scottish Cancer Crusaders and the Bahrain Cancer Warriors. The fixture was hosted to highlight men’s health and the fight against cancer.
This was followed by a coaching session for the BRFC’s young players on Saturday morning, presided over by Thompson, 2003 World Cup winner and England’s most capped hooker.
After happily signing swathes of jerseys, caps, boots and trainers and posing for numerous photographs with the children, Thompson spoke of his delight at the turnout over the weekend.
He said: “It’s great to see so many young faces here enjoying their rugby. It shows how popular the game has become and that there’s a real passion for it among the younger generation. I met all my best friends through rugby so it’s a pleasure to see these young guys smiling and playing in a team with their friends.
“The parents play a big part in this too, as ultimately it’s their responsibility to push their kids into sport and outdoor activities as a whole. I didn’t start playing rugby until I was 16, so I imagine most of these young ones are better than I was at that age!”
Thompson, 36, is now based in Dubai having emigrated there three years ago, and as a member of the UAE Rugby Federation Strategic Advisory Committee, he has seen a notable spike in interest in the sport in the last couple of years alone.
He explained: “Rugby is a young sport and it’s really developing in the Middle East. At first it was just the expats playing, but now the locals are getting involved too and really buying into the values of Rugby Union as a big family sport.
“It’s great to come here to Bahrain too and see that it’s just as popular. I always wished I had started at a younger age, and these boys I coached today have started early. It’s rewarding to see them running around playing touch rugby, and when they get a bit older they’ll go into the tackle and develop into full players.”
Although he still has contact with many in the England camp and keeps in touch with his old teammates, Thompson is less optimistic over England’s chances next year.
He added: “We’ve struggled a bit this year and it’s going to be very difficult. The performances have genuinely been decent over the autumn internationals, but performances don’t win you games and we seem to lack a bit of the grit and killer instinct required to start actually winning tournaments.
“We have a good bunch of lads and a great coaching team though, so anything is possible. As a true Englishman, I really hope they do it and can win in front of the home fans.”
