THE young rugby stars who were in awe during the day they spent as VIPs at the home of England Rugby.

Several lucky pupils from Ulverston Victoria High School and Millom School were the special guests of Twickenham for the 2017 RBS Six Nations weekend which saw the England men's and women's sides beat France on Saturday.

The Year Seven girls were selected to represent Cumbria after forming a guard of honour on the pitch in front of 70,000 people as the national anthems played ahead of both games.

The youngsters also got to play a game of tag rugby on the hallowed Twickenham turf in the morning, as the international teams warmed up. They were graced by a visit from England head coach Eddie Jones even came over to support the young people.

The school group then had top seats to watch both England victories.

UVHS and Millom School were selected by Cumbria rugby leaders as they have invested a lot of time into developing rugby union teams that year.

Kirsty Hayton, head of sport at Ulverston Victoria High School, said: "It was a fantastic experience, something that the pupils will never forget. To play on the pitch, while the England team warmed up beside them was incredible and then Eddie Jones came to watch.

"They formed the guard of honour for both games, sang the national anthem and then watched the games. Then to top off the phenomenal weekend, they met the England women’s team, who came over and signed autographs. The girls were in complete awe, meeting their role models.

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

Gary Hartley, assistant head at Millom School, said: "It was a fantastic experience for the students. We impressed on them that this is an opportunity that very few have.

"They loved the whole day. They played touch rugby on the pitch and they formed a guard of honour. To be in there and have 70,000 people singing the national anthem was quite something."