Harry joins thousands to watch England train
Prince talks football while meeting trainee coaches from poor backgrounds
>> TWICKENHAM: Britain’s Prince Harry was among a crowd of 12,000 that watched England train at Twickenham on Friday as he carried out his first official engagement as patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU).
Yet Harry, a keen rugby fan who has travelled the world supporting the England team, still found himself talking about football at the ‘headquarters’ of rugby union.
While meeting young people taking part in the Coach Core project, he asked 19-year-old Jack Gair which football team he supported.
Gair replied Manchester United at which point Arsenal fan Harry tried to change the subject following his side’s 5-1 thrashing by Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“I know, let’s not talk about it,” said the Prince, the younger son of Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne.
The Coach Core project, created by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Harry’s brother and sister-in-law) and Prince Harry helps train 16 to 24-year-olds, many from disadvantaged social backgrounds, to become qualified coaches.
Harry, who saw England win the 2003 World Cup final in Sydney, shared a joke with England coach Eddie Jones and talked to team manager Richard Hill.
As the forwards trained on a scrum machine, Hill commented: “He [Harry] doesn’t seem to be showing much interest in going into the scrum.”
England are currently on a 16-match unbeaten run and, following the opening two rounds, the defending champions are the only side left in this season’s Six Nations who can complete a Grand Slam.
They resume their quest for a second straight clean sweep of Europe’s l eading rugby nations when they face Italy at Twickenham on Feb 26.
Jones has said he could make changes for the visit of the Azzurri and one possible switch was on show on Friday when Ben Te’o and Elliot Daly were paired together in a new centre partnership.
It was Daly, playing as a wing, who scored England’s match-clinching try as they came from behind to beat Wales 21-16 in Cardiff last week.
Meanwhile, Scotland suffered a fresh injury blow on Friday when it was announced that No.8 Josh Strauss will miss the rest of the Six Nations with a kidney injury.
The news that Strauss had been sidelined came just two days after it was confirmed that Greig Laidlaw’s ankle injury had ruled the Scotland captain out of the remainder of the tournament.
Both players sustained their injuries during Scotland’s 22-16 loss to France in Paris last Sunday, with Strauss completing the game after Laidlaw went off in the first half at the Stade de France.
A statement issued by the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) said South Africa-born Strauss, 30, had suffered a “blow to his flank” in what was his 11th Test appearance.
The SRU added: “After completing the match, he was scanned in Paris. Both the scan, and the player, were reviewed at Spire Murrayfield Hospital back in Scotland, where the full extent of the injury was confirmed.
“Strauss will now return to his club Glasgow Warriors for further care and a review of the injury will be scheduled in approximately six weeks’ time.”
Scotland continue their Six Nations campaign when they welcome Wales to Murrayfield next Saturday.