A WOLLASTON pupil had a Valentine’s Day to remember after appearing in front of 82,000 people on the pitch at Twickenham.

Libbie Russell, 15, of Ridgewood High School, had a special day out at the home of English rugby being out on the pitch before kick-off at the RBS 6 Nations match between England and Italy on February 14.

She appeared at the game due to representing her school as part of the All Schools programme, an initiative, run by England Rugby and kit supplier Canterbury, which aims to get more state secondary schools playing rugby.

As a member of the programme, Ridgewood received new equipment, staff training and mentoring, the opportunity to offer young leader course and were also invited to design their own kit.

The pupils attended a workshop at Stourbridge RFC where they took part in an interactive session on the history of the rugby shirt.

They also looked at the practicalities of design, before being given free rein to create a shirt, without the help or influence of their teachers, in which their school rugby team will play in.

At the end of the workshop the final design was signed off by the school and handed over to Canterbury for production.

During her day at Twickenham, which included meeting England Women’s World Cup Winners, Sarah Hunter and Emily Scarratt, Libbie joined 99 other students from across the country to showcasing the uniquely designed kits.

As the players ran out of the tunnel Libbie lined up on the pitch with the other student, holding a large St George’s flag which they waved before the singing of the national anthem.

The students then got a chance to watch the match, which England won 47 – 17, from the stands.

Chris Stephenson, CEO of Canterbury, said: “We have been a big supporter of All Schools since the beginning.

“It’s now in its third year and it is an amazing programme which has already shown fantastic results among the schools taking part.

“I know the students will feel proud wearing a shirt they’ve personally designed.

“Seeing all the unique designs together on the pitch was a great spectacle for us to witness and hopefully a very proud moment for them.”