Edinburgh players give back in Durban

Edinburgh's Ewan Ashman made plenty of new friends in Sydenham on Wednesday. Brad Hunter

Ahead of Edinburgh's United Rugby Championship Round 13 fixture against the Hollywoodbets Sharks, coaches and players from the Scottish side took part in a coaching clinic in Sydenham, Durban this morning.

Sydenham was once a buzzing rugby community where former Springbok and Sharks player JP Peterson played rugby. The Sharks are actively working towards reviving rugby in this community with the support from Ten Civils. With that, they welcomed Edinburgh Rugby's co-captain Ben Vellacott and fellow teammates Ewan Ashman, Jamie Ritchie and Pierre Schoeman to the Sharks Pups coaching clinic.

100 young boys and girls aged six to 13 were treated to a morning they will never forget with Edinburgh Rugby players and coaching staff taking them through rugby drills, skills and games of tag rugby.

After leading the young fans through the session, South Africa-born, Edinburgh and Scottish International Schoeman said: "Loads of these kids already believe they are the next superstars, that inspires me coaching them today. A special moment for me today was a young girl who in my opinion was one of the best players here today. I am giving her my cap as she is my Player of the Match. She was excellent and much younger than most of the kids. These young kids are all so hungry, wanting to express themselves on the pitch and will chase success wherever they go."

As part of the URC Communities United campaign, BKT URC encourages its clubs to engage in cross-hemisphere community activities with travelling teams, providing fans and players with a unique opportunity to learn about the different personalities and cultures in this uniquely diverse league.

The league is very proud and grateful to the clubs and personnel involved in helping to bring this to life.