Sidcup U9s & U10s had the opportunity of a lifetime when they were invited to take part in the Work Rate & Honesty minis festival on the 4G pitch at Saracens Allianz Park stadium on 4 January 2020. Both age groups entered teams and all the players, coaches and families had a brilliant day out. It was an early start as the festival took place in the morning, ahead of Saracens' Premiership fixture against Worcester which formed part of the experience for the youngsters.

Each team was in a pool of four, playing the other teams twice, so a total of six matches. The kids were super-excited to be playing in such a special venue and against opposition they'd never come across before. They played some excellent rugby, especially as this was their first outing on a pitch for a few weeks due to Christmas and New Year break. The festival was really well organised, with all games running to time and Saracens development team refereed the matches, coaching as they communicated their decisions to the players.

A real highlight of the day was the Sidcup U9s and one Sidcup U10s team being selected based on 'core values' to play a 'final' at half time in front of a packed stadium. What an experience!

But perhaps an even bigger highlight was the chance for the kids to see international rugby stars in action for their club, and players including England captain Owen Farrell, Billy Vunipola and Elliot Daley were very happy to have photos taken with the kids after the match.