Sunderland's potential rugby stars of the future have come face to face with one of the sport's top trophies.

The iconic silverware was in Sunderland ahead of the city hosting the opening match of the Women's Rugby World Cup at the Stadium of Light on the evening of Friday 22 August.

World Rugby unveiled the new trophy last month to tie in with the start of the 100-day countdown to the opening match of the tournament in Sunderland which will see England's Red Roses take on the USA.

The trophy's visit to Sunderland marked the culmination of a nationwide tour of all eight host cities and towns as excitement continues to build for the record-breaking tournament.

Around 150 youngsters from Barnes Junior School and Broadway Primary School got the see the trophy and put their rugby skills to the test when it visited Barnes Park.

They are among almost 800 hundred pupils in primary and secondary schools across Sunderland who have been introduced to the game of rugby as part of the Active Sunderland Community Impact Programme in the lead up to the tournament's opening match in their home city.

Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said: "Hosting the opening match of this record breaking tournament is incredibly exciting for our city and we want one of its lasting legacies to be the impact it has on growing the game in Sunderland and inspiring more girls and boys to take up the sport.

"We know that being active is really important, with all sorts of benefits for our physical and mental wellbeing and it's been fantastic to see so many pupils in schools across Sunderland embracing the game and enjoying everything it has to offer. 

"So it was really special for pupils who have been learning all about the game and the skills needed to play it, to come face to face with the trophy the world's top rugby teams are going to be competing to win this summer."

The ongoing work in the city's schools has included an Active Sunderland Rugby Skills event last October, with another  planned for 2 July.

T1 rugby sessions - a new non contact style of rugby, with an emphasis on fun, fitness and inclusion - have also been delivered to 600 students in primary schools and 180 in secondary schools, along with a series of festivals for different year groups.

During its visit to Sunderland, the trophy also stopped at Hylton Castle and at the Sunderland Food and Drink Festival in Keel Square where people had the opportunity to have their photo taken with it and the bespoke RWC Defender Trophy Tour Vehicle.

Leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Michael Mordey said: "It was fantastic to have the trophy visiting Sunderland as we get ever closer to hosting the opening match of the Women's Rugby World Cup on 22 August.

"Having the opening game here is a brilliant opportunity to showcase our city on the international stage.

"It was also great to see our own young players, who could well be the next generation of top rugby stars, demonstrating their own rugby skills during the trophy's stop offs at Barnes Park and Hylton Castle, and to see so many people coming along to Keel Square to see the trophy for themselves."

The 2025 tournament is the biggest Women's Rugby World Cup in history after selling more than 300,000 tickets - more than twice the total attendance at the last tournament in New Zealand in 2021.

Tickets for the tournament are competitively priced from £10 for adults and £5 for children. This means a family of four can enjoy an evening at the Women's Rugby World Cup Opening Game for £30. To find out more about the Women's Rugby World Cup, how to get tickets and how to get involved in free rugby activities in Sunderland visit:Rugby World Cup 2025 - MySunderland