Meet Ruckley. He’s the latest recruit to the England Rugby team – an English bulldog with boundless energy, bucketloads of enthusiasm and an endless love of rugby.

As well as helping make the sport more engaging and easier to understand for our young fans, Ruckley’s first job will be to help explain and promote Kids First Rugby , the RFU’s new approach to the way mini rugby is played.

Gary Townsend, RFU Player Development Manager, shaped the scheme and explained how the sport is broken down into bite-sized chunks for kids to understand.

“Our Kids First approach aims to enhance the rugby experience for young players, coaches and parents to help keep more players in the game,” he said
“The focus is on the child and giving them a bite-sized, manageable programme so players of all abilities can develop at their own pace. Kids First Rugby also manages the transition through the introduction of contact, which we believe is a vital factor in retaining young players into the future.”

Ruckley was transformed after finding a crystal rugby ball beneath the hallowed Twickenham turf. After accompanying his owner, Harry, to a kicking session at Twickenham Ruckley escaped and began burrowing into the Twickenham soil, much to the dismay of the groundsman who keeps a watchful eye over the grass. It was there that Ruckley found the crystal ball that made him the England Rugby ambassador he is today.

Watch the video at http://www.rfu.com/ruckley This is a MUST WATCH!