London Welsh - who are out to make an impact in their first season in European club rugby - are also making their mark off the pitch.
The Amlin Challenge Cup newcomers, who face Grenoble in back-to-back Pool 5 matches next month, surprised the schoolchildren of Sandhills Primary School, Oxford, when London Welsh club captain Jonathan Mills and Wales and British & Irish Lions star Gavin Henson turned up to their weekly Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme session.
The London Welsh duo, along with the club's managing director John Taylor, were in attendance to help launch the club's community programme in Oxfordshire.
Under the supervision of London Welsh community development officer Alan Awcock, the children got the chance to show off their rugby skills to Jonathan and Gavin, while the end of the session brought the opportunity for autographs and photos.
Headed by the club's community coaches, Alan and his colleague Matt Walsh, who are based at our offices in the Oxford University Sports Complex off Iffley Road, the club's community programme is being rolled out in schools and clubs across Oxfordshire.
The core programmes will involve London Welsh coaching TAG rugby in over 70 schools within the Oxfordshire area, and will include the Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme and the MBNA Tackling Numbers programme.
In addition, the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup and JP Morgan 7s Cup provide opportunities for clubs to compete in local Oxfordshire tournaments, and the chance to attend the Aviva Premiership Rugby Final and the JP Morgan 7s Final for the winners.
London Welsh can already boast strong links with schools, with one of the club's major sponsors, Eteach, being the leading education jobsite for teaching jobs, support staff jobs and all the latest jobs in education across the UK.
London Welsh captain Jonathan Mills said: "It was great to see first-hand the work being done by Alan and Matt - they're doing a fantastic job.
"The kids really seemed to enjoy the session and I think they would have been happy to have kept playing all afternoon.
"The club is working hard to establish itself in Oxfordshire and the community programme is vital to that work, as these children are the future of the club. They're all future London Welsh supporters.
"We're here for the long haul. The Kassam Stadium is now our home and we have to build the club and its support base. We want people to come and support us not just because we're in the Oxfordshire area, but because they genuinely want to come and cheer us on and the community programme is a key part of developing that affinity with the club."
Gavin Henson said: "The children really seemed to enjoy it and they picked up the basic skills of the game very quickly.
"Hopefully today will inspire some of them to take up the sport and perhaps even join a local club, as well as coming along to watch London Welsh in action at the Kassam Stadium."
