RUGBY School will send one boys and one girls team to compete in the inaugural Rugby Heritage Cup schools event.
The tournament will take place in Loire Valley, Pontlevoy, France ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
More than 700 boys and girls from 48 different schools spanning five continents will take part in the event which will take place from September 2 to 8 later this year.
Director of rugby at Rugby School, Mike Bayly, said: “I hope that by 2123 the world thinks of rugby as a sport that transcends background, gender, race, religion, and other strands of diversity.
“It is already a global sport, but if it could also be one that embraces, encourages, and supports everyone who wants to play, coach or watch, that would, I believe, be a 300th birthday worth celebrating.”
President of the Pontlevoy Heritage Association, Thierry Chenet, and co-organiser of the Rugby Heritage Cup, François Roche-Bayard added: “Through a combination of sporting and cultural events, the tournament offers young people the opportunity to take responsibility, to discover new depths within themselves and their peers, to become aware of their ability to create change and to make things happen.
“For all these reasons, the commitment around the Rugby Heritage Cup is total. The enthusiastic welcome and official support of the local political leaders, the rugby authorities, the companies, and the volunteers who have joined us, strengthen our mission daily to create and launch the Rugby Heritage Cup Pontlevoy 2023®.
“To inspire in young people from five continents the daring and desire to undertake great things! It’s rugby time! Let’s live it together. Let’s prove that anything is possible.”
Rugby are one of three English schools who will take part along with Clifton College and Robert Clack Dagenham.
Schools from Argentina, Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, Georgia, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga, Wales and Zimbabwe will head to Pontlevoy this autumn.
