Dublin MEP to host Youth Rugby Conference

A Dublin MEP and French MEP have teamed up to host a conference on Youth Rugby in Dublin today, attended by experts and young rugby players from both France and Ireland. The event, organised by Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews and French MEP Pascal Durand, takes place at Sutton Rugby Club this afternoon.Former Irish Rugby International and Lions player Jamie Heaslip will address the conference, along with the founder of Rugby and French, Nigel Osborne.  The Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien and the French Ambassador Vincent Guérend will also be in attendance.Young rugby players from the French club Vallée de la Save will attend, and local schools have been invited.Speaking beforehand, Barry Andrews MEP commented, “This is a positive event about the many doors that sport can open for young people.  We will discuss the physical, developmental, social and cultural opportunities that rugby offers to young players.“We are lucky to be joined by one Ireland’s best known former internationals, Jamie Heaslip, who will speak with the young players from France and Ireland today about his own experiences playing rugby as a child and then turning professional.  Nigel Osborne is a former rugby player and IRFU accredited coach who founded Rugby and French and is a passionate believer in the power of sport as a development and educational tool.“This is about sharing experiences.  The young players from France have spent the week here meeting and playing rugby with Irish players, building friendships and hopefully making memories to bring home with them.”