Bermuda Rugby Football Union chairman Dave Worsfold has hailed as a success this season's mini-rugby programme which concluded last weekend after ten weeks of coaching.

And he has confirmed a tour to Washington in the USA later this year which will feature the best of Bermuda's school players.

Worsfold, who ran the programme with the help of John O'Kelly-Lynch and Allan Pinches, said that children who took part in the Sunday sessions had shown "great potential.".

"Every week we have had around 50 children, no matter the weather," he said "Indeed the wetter weather seems to prompt the older children to want to progress to a game involving more contact than the touch version we play on a Sunday."

Worsfold believed the success of mini-rugby along with inter-school matches being played between Saltus Grammar and Sandys Secondary as well as Warwick Academy, would allow the BRFU to increase participation in the game among Bermuda's youth.

"Over the years playing rugby has enabled many locally-based players to travel overseas to play in international tournaments including the World Cup qualifiers in the Caribbean and in 1997 to Santiago, Chile.

"Several of our leading players have also competed for the West Indies in major tournaments in the United Kingdom, Argentina, Chile and Hong Kong.

"With this in mind Brian Toms (who has been coaching the Saltus under-12 team) along with Chris Naylor (who has been coaching the Sandys Middle School under-12 team) will be selecting a representative side to travel to Washington in early May to compete as the Bermuda Under-12s national Side," added Worsfold.

Meanwhile, with the senior season also in its final weeks, the focus for both the senior and mini/junior sections will shift towards this years World Rugby Classic in October.

"The BRFU have approached several international teams with regard to this year's Classic and hopefully in the not too distant future we will be able to confirm which team will play the Bermuda national team in a two-Test series during the Classic," said Worsfold.

"We will also be using the platform to showcase our youth programmes, with both mini rugby and schools rugby being played as curtain raisers to the main games."

Any parent with a child interested in playing should contact Worsfold on 295-0071 or via e-mail at bermudarugbyibl.bm.