MORE than 6,000 young rugby players and supporters descended on the Sports Ground and Chippenham for the ever-popular annual Monmouth Young Rugby Festival, reports CLAIRE EVANS.

Blessed by glorious sunshine and recognised as the biggest one-day festival in South Wales, 117 teams took part in a fantastic display of grassroots sport.

All players in U7s to U11s were thrilled to be awarded participation medals by Wales and Dragons star Taine Basham.

In the U12 to U16 groups, competitive games were played for Cup, Plate and Bowl, and all Monmouth teams did incredibly well... particularly the U14s who won the Cup final.

The U16s also played some competitive rugby on a day which marked their last few games for MYR.

Once again, the festival was fortunate to have Haberdashers’ Schools Monmouth as a main sponsor, while local businesses also dug deep to support each age group.

“Without the support of local businesses, it would be impossible to put on such a large-scale event for our young rugby players – we really are grateful to our sponsors,” said Stuart Paterson, chairman of Monmouth Young Rugby.

“The day itself saw 117 teams from both Wales and England attend our festival and we have received some fantastic feedback, so a huge thank you to our organisers, sponsors and teams, and we have already started taking bookings for next year’s festival which will be on Sunday, April 26, 2026.”

Andrew Davies, Monmouth RFC chairman, added: “There was a great atmosphere on the day, the sun shone, and some fantastic rugby was on display.”

Monmouth Young Rugby has a thriving young rugby section from U7s to U16s, offering a safe, fun and rewarding environment to play rugby.

Contact Stuart Paterson for further information at [email protected] and see Monmouth Young Rugby on Facebook and Instagram.