DESPITE being a man who "lives and breathes rugby", Worcester Warriors' hooker Niall Annett's passions extend further than just the game itself.

At a time when many people are struggling around the world and there is much doom and gloom, it is important to applaud those who are doing their bit for others, and Annett is certainly doing his.

Since 2017, Annett has been an ambassador with Acorns Children's Hospice, a charity that offers a network of palliative care and support to children and their families with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses.

The 29-year old's role within the charity was brought to the forefront following the death of Warriors' former President Cecil Duckworth, who was a benefactor of Acorns himself.

When asked about his involvement, he admits it's something he is "hugely passionate" about.

"My role as ambassador means I am the connection between the rugby side and the hospice itself," he said.

"In a normal world I am basically trying to get the boys down once every two weeks to come in and mingle and spend time and to help raise funds, as we saw with Dunky's (Duncan Weir) hair.

"My role is to tie the rugby side to the charity side and it is something I am hugely passionate about and to be involved with.

"It's an amazing place that allows me to get away from rugby - it keeps me very humble and I really enjoy getting down there.

"The important thing for us is to try and help them as much as possible and to get our younger boys and those boys from different environments to get down there and see what we're about and how important the connection is.

Niall feels it is imperative to have focusses outside of rugby as it acts as a release and one of the many benefits for him is the impact that has on his game.

"I cannot stress that enough (getting away from rugby)," he added.

"I am someone who is fanatical about rugby, I live and breathe it.

"I have seen first hand that when you make rugby everything, it can actually affect your performance.

"Some of the best days I have had is when you spend a full day down at Acorns and you come back to train on a Thursday evening with the boys and it's different, you have a different perspective and I think that's really important.

"It's so important rugby players have an outlet and that can be anything, anything you are passionate about or anything that helps you take your mind off rugby.

"I think it's even better, for me personally, when you feel like you're making a difference, that's really important."

Annett wanted to reiterate how much he personally benefits from his role with the charity and his dedication to the cause.

"The whole reason I agreed to do this role was because I wanted to help people down there," he said.

"Sometimes just rocking in to see the staff, the kids, the families - sometimes it does more for me than it does them and that's the honest truth.

"I just want to keep that relationship going as strongly as possible."