Junior players to benefit from Heart of Rugby regional tour visit

YOUNG rugby players from across the region will have the chance to learn from some of the game’s most experienced figures when the Heart of Rugby Regional Tour visits Lismore.

The Harvey Norman-backed initiative will stop at Lismore Rugby Club on Monday 29 June.

It is part of a nationwide tour aimed at growing participation and strengthening grassroots rugby in regional communities.

The tour will deliver 40 clinics across Australia between June and September, providing boys and girls aged 9 to 12 with opportunities to develop their skills under the guidance of Rugby Australia and NSW Rugby coaches, while also meeting former Wallabies and Wallaroos players.

The clinics form part of a broader effort to support young players from their first introduction to the sport through key junior age groups ahead of men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup tournaments in Australia in 2027 and 2029.

Australian Rugby Foundation director Tom Millner said regional communities played a vital role in the future of the sport.

“Rugby is a global sport, but its roots sit firmly in the soil of local clubs and rural communities,” he said.

“Delivering rugby clinics in regional centres helps ensure that young players, wherever they live, have the opportunity to experience the game and develop a lifelong connection to it.”

Every registered participant at the Lismore clinic will receive a free Heart of Rugby Regional Tour training shirt.

The program is designed to make rugby more accessible to young players and supports Rugby Australia’s goal of increasing registered player numbers by 30 per cent by 2029.

“We are indebted to Harvey Norman for backing an initiative that aligns strongly with the Australian Rugby Foundation’s focus on supporting grassroots rugby,” Millner said.

“The foundation firmly believes that strong regional rugby communities are vital to the long-term future of the game in Australia.”

The clinic is free with registrations to be made at australia.rugby/community/the-heart-of-rugby-regional-tour