GOOSEBERRY Hill Primary School is the latest recipient of equipment and training as part of a program run by RugbyWA to increase school-level engagement in rugby.

The RugbyWA development package will see the school receiving equipment, including balls and hit shields, in addition to teaching resources and future investment in rugby education.

Gooseberry Hill principal Judith Pescodd said bringing rugby into the school and increasing student exposure will be great in involving students in a multicultural community.

“I’m hoping to see more students coming through in WA that will then be able to participate in the Western Force and then onto our national team, the Wallabies,” she said.

“The pathways are endless for them, and it also promotes good teamwork and resilience.”

Gooseberry Hill physical education teacher Jarrad Blight said the package enabled the sport to be taught more effectively and opened doors to further education.

“We’ve gone from a school that has less than five rugby balls to one that will now get a heap of equipment, which will allow us to teach rugby to the kids more often and hopefully feed them into high schools down the track,” he said.

“It’s such a great sport, it fits in with our curriculum really well and the kids really, really enjoy it.

“That’s the main thing, making sure kids have fun while they’re doing sport, because those memories will last, stay with them forever and hopefully keep them involved in rugby.”

Two young Kalamunda players were recently selected to compete as part of Western Force’s junior team, as reported in Young athletes play for Western Force highlighting the area’s reputation for producing quality rugby talent.