TWO girls rugby teams have memories to last a lifetime after playing a part on the opening weekend of the Six Nations.

Year 7 pupils from Millom School and Ulverston Victoria High School were special guests at Twickenham for the matches between England and France in the men's and women's tournaments.

Both teams played tag rugby on the turf before the big games as the men's teams warmed up, with England coach Eddie Jones there to give encouragement before guiding his team to victory.

They also formed the guard of honour on the pitch in front of more than 70,000 people as the national anthems played ahead of both games, before watching the action from the stands.

Both teams were selected to attend the matches and take part in games on the pitch by officials at Cumbria Rugby, as a reward for the time and effort put into developing the game at their schools.

“It was a fantastic experience, something that the pupils will never forget,”

said Kirsty Hayton, head of sport at UVHS.

“An incredible experience was had by all and I am looking forward to continuing developing rugby at UVHS. Who knows, one day we might be watching a UVHS star on that pitch."

Gary Hartley, assistant head at Millom School, added: “It was a fantastic experience for the students. They loved the whole day.”