In the grand tradition of grassroots sport, it’s perishingly cold out when rugby teams descend on Bromley for the Legacy XP10’s Festival. Parents huddle on the sidelines in huge parkas, their dogs in only slightly smaller jackets, while, in true sporting form, the players stride around without a thought for the weather, fuelled by a love of the sport and the buzz of a group activity.
The familiar roar of coaches, supporters and players carries through the air, rising to a crescendo as young stars sprint for the try line. Teams who have finished their games sit in huddles by bags, conferring bragging rights and showing each other funny videos on TikTok before the big post-match tea.
Excitement levels are heightened by the presence of three wildly popular players who have given taster coaching sessions throughout the morning. No ordinary players these, but 2014 World Cup champions: three of the players who helped to break England’s 20-year drought in the competition. Rachael Burford, the founder of Girls Rugby Club, is joined by former England player (and now a coach at Saracens) Rochelle “Rocky” Clark MBE and Marlie Packer, co-captain of the England squad, who will shortly begin their defence of the TikTok Women’s Six Nations.
World Cup winners encourage team spirit and fair play in the next generation – on and off the pitch
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High flyer
England’s Marlie Packer prepares to defend the TikTok Six Nations
Passing on knowledge
Packer leads a coaching session at Legacy XP10’s Festival
To join the conversation,
go to #SwipeOutHate
Young sports stars joined by rugby royalty
Act of union
Future champs
Beccehamian beat Sidcup to win the Legacy XP10’s Festival trophy
PHOTOGRAPHY: NICK WILSON
Although a relatively compact member of the back row at 5ft 5in (she says she was once missed by TV cameras when escorting her much taller niece on to the pitch as the team mascot), you could easily keep track of Packer’s movements by the sound of excitement. Whispers and cheering break out wherever she goes, shortly followed by photo requests. Progress is slow, but that’s why the players are here, to make the teens’ day and to help develop sportsmanship in the next generation of rugby stars.
Encouraging younger players is a key point for Packer, who joined Yeovil’s Ivel Barbarians when she was five. Her two-year-old son, Oliver, is already getting comfortable on the pitch. “Oliver was mascot for our first England game after the death of the Queen,” she says. “To sing ‘God Save the King’ for the first time with him there – you can’t ask for more.”
Fair play is something that today’s visiting player-coaches are keen to emphasise for their young charges. And indeed, looking at the sides standing for a photo after each match, cheering together in raucous voice, that message has been heard loud and clear. Major players from the men’s and women’s Six Nations teams are taking part in TikTok’s #SwipeOutHate campaign, which seeks to promote sportsmanship and a safe place for all rugby fans to enjoy both tournaments while showing them how to report harmful content or comments.
The Legacy XP10’s Festival’s hosts, Beccehamian Rugby Club, take the trophy, beating rivals Sidcup. And after the celebrations, the home team sits down with Packer to discuss rugby fandom in the digital age.
Packer asks if anyone has encountered any bad behaviour online, and the team captain speaks up. “You see someone having fun and then comments from people being really judgmental,” she says. “There’s just no need, and I don’t think they understand the effect of it.”
“We’re all a team here, and trying to make it better and safer,” says Packer. “Not just for younger people but for older generations, too.”
Like in real life, encouraging positive and responsible behaviour by flagging racist or hate speech on social media is something any parent would be proud of their teen doing.
Packer then adds another element to her coaching – showing the team how to report comments and content on TikTok, by holding a long press on the video or comment to bring up a report form they can use to quickly communicate the issue to TikTok’s team.
The campaign is especially focused on families and fans as TikTok is keen to educate its users about the platform’s safety.
The social media platform has 40,000 safety professionals working with governments, NGOs and third-party organisations to continually improve the safety of its users, while built-in features allow parents and teens to work together to determine safe usage.
Packer reminds the young winners that fair play on the pitch extends into everyday life. “We are all a team, and we have to keep an eye out for each other.”
If anything is clear from the confident, articulate teens playing today, it is that the future of rugby is in safe hands.
We’re all
a team here
“
To join the conversation,
go to #SwipeOutHate