The Spanish national women's rugby team, Federacion Espanola de Rugby (FER), are spending the day at Novos next Wednesday as part of their 5 day training camp in Northumberland. This will involve them having a squad training session in the morning, followed by lunch at the club, and the afternoon spent relaxing. The Spanish women are one of the top international teams, having just beaten South Africa. Their 15-a-side team are currently ranked 9th in the world.

In the evening, there is an opposed training game under floodlights, against a combination of players from Novos Ladies, DMP Sharks, Northumbria University and Northumberland, starting at 7pm. Club members and parents are welcome to come along to watch this, and the bar will be open. It is also hoped that the Spanish will be able to watch / talk to our various girls' teams, who also train on a Wednesday evening.

Why are the Spanish team coming to Northumberland?

This training camp is part of a legacy from the 2015 Rugby World Cup held in England. Both Northumberland and Durham Counties were asked by the RFU to work with colleagues in Spain through the Unity Project, to help develop the game there, including coaching, refereeing, game and club development etc. Officers from Northumberland have continued working with the FER, and the return visit to Northumberland is a testament to the support which has been given by the County to help develop the Spanish game. Many of our supporters will remember a Spanish exchange referee at the club last season, which was also part of the Unity Project.

What else does the Training Camp involve?

The team fly into Newcastle on Monday evening. Tuesday sees them have 2 training sessions at Newcastle Falcons. They will also be doing gym work on Wednesday before coming to Novos on Wednesday. Thursday sees them having rest time during the day, followed by a representative game against a Northumberland President's Womens XV at Whitley Bay Rockliff, starting at 7.30 pm. Again, supporters are welcome to attend the game. The team then fly back to Spain on Friday. Let's hope that they have a great day at Novos, in Newcastle, and Northumberland!