Centurions player Nick Woolley, who is playing for the GB Teachers Rugby League team in Poland (see article below) - and just helped them to a win - has sent us a photo of some Polish players wearing our old St Albans Centurions strip. We asked Nick to say what it was like, and here is his blog:- " Over half term I was honoured with representing Beaumont School and Great Britain Teachers Rugby League Team in a two match series against the Poland National Team. I left Gatwick not knowing what to expect of Poland or the standard of rugby. I was overwhelmed with the welcome we received, not just our opponents but the whole local community within Lodz. There were huge language barriers but this did not get in the way of the hospitality and generosity shown to us. It was a great privilege to represent my country and profession, singing the national Anthem and even crossing the white-wash twice. It became clear that our trip was about helping to develop rugby league in Poland, their set up and facilities epitomized ‘grassroots rugby’. We played on converted football pitches, with poles attached to the posts for the ‘uprights’ and bench cushions as post protectors. To put it in context, last year there was only one team, but this year it has grown to six with plans to develop more. The passion and pride of the players and supporters were second to none, with local Government Officials and radio stations attending both fixtures. It was agreed that to aid their development we would all take over some old kit and ‘stash’ to share with the Polish clubs. Brian Parker, Chairman of St Albans Centurions, was kind enough to allow me to take nearly a full set of old kit with me. I will not forget their reaction of pure delight when I pulled the shirts out of the bag and handed them to the players. The Polish Captain and Founder was overwhelmed with all the kits and was quick to acknowledge our gesture saying how it would make it possible to use the shirts to develop more teams. If you are eligible to play for Poland and would like to find out more information about getting involved please contact the club. I would be happy to put you in touch so that you can join the legacy." Comments are closed.
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