O2 Takes Care At Touch Rugby Session

England and Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care surprised a group of O2 Touch players who were taking part in their weekly training session this week, by turning up to host a drills and skills session to reward regular O2 Touch devotees and show new players how the summer O2 Touch sessions will run.

The England player, one of the stars of the recent RBS 6 Nations, surprised players at London’s Old Alleynian RFC in Dulwich on Tuesday. 

Care, who was on hand ahead of the upcoming England tour to New Zealand, said of the sport: ‘Touch rugby forms an important part of my training regimes; be that with the boys at Quins or during England camps, where we use it to warm up or to sharpen our skills. But you don’t have to be a professional to get involved. It’s genuinely a great way to improve your fitness and have some fun – whatever your age, shape, size or ability.’

‘Especially in the summer, it’s a great way of getting friends together who may not have had any experience playing rugby, to get outside and socialise in the sun while also getting that exercise kick. I’d definitely encourage people to go along to their nearest centre and give O2 Touch a go.’

To demonstrate the fitness benefits of O2 Touch the International Sports Performance and Analysis Company, PGIR was commissioned by O2 and England Rugby to conduct a research survey at O2 Touch centres across the country. 

The preliminary results showed that in an hour session of O2 Touch participants can lose over 400 calories, with players covering distances of around 4 miles and reaching average speeds of 12mph.

Ed Curran, O2 Touch operations manager, RFU commented: ‘Broadening the reach and appeal of rugby through O2 Touch is one of our key areas to create a lasting legacy for the sport beyond the World Cup next year.’ 

‘Touch is one of the most inclusive sports available and the rules are simple. It is a non-contact form of rugby which means there is no tackling and no scrums or line-outs. It’s a great way for people new to rugby to get involved in the game – you can get fit, hone your skills and meet lots of new, like-minded people.’

There are currently just under 14,000 registered O2 Touch players at centres located across the nation, with over 200 established O2 Touch Centres with 38 recently launched in February and 50 due to launch in September this year.