Sensational success of Luton's Under 16 rugby squad who looked set to fold just a year ago

There weren’t even enough players to make up a side and coach James Maguire made the agonising decision to fold the squad and suggest youngsters join bigger teams at Harpenden, Ampthill or Stockwood Park.

He recalls: “We had only 11 players and we needed a minimum of 18.

"Everyone was devastated. There were tears and frustration as several of the lads, including mine, had been with the team since they were five or six.

"But you can’t play with half a team so we said our goodbyes and left the club for what we thought would be the last time.”

However James reckoned without the passion of captain Ben Spary, whose dad had played and coached until his untimely death from cancer.

Ben rang James to ask what was required to keep the team going.

James admits: “I laughed and said I liked his enthusiasm but we needed a squad of 18 and I’d been trying for years to make up the numbers. Recruiting in Luton always seemed very difficult.”

But Ben was determined to keep the team on track and told the rest of the lads, who all rallied their friends to canvas various schools to drum up interest. They even had flyers printed.

When James tentatively turned up for training a month later, unsure of what to expect, he was met with 19 players – 10 from the original squad and nine new ones.

He smiles: “We were back in business. We got hammered in the first match but no one cared – we were playing rugby.”

It’s traditional for Under 16s to go on tour during the season, so they put together a tour committee with Ben’s mum TJ as fundraising manager. She organised a host of activities including quiz nights, a raffle, auctions and barbecues after games.

By the summer they had exceeded the £20,000 needed to cover costs and had a grand total of £24,000.

Last month 18 players and six adults (coaches, first aid and team manager) toured Portugal with games lined up against two tough Portuguese sides – Santarem and Agronomia.

James says: “Santorem have 53 players in our age group alone – fantastic for a country which does not have rugby in its DNA.

"We had little expectation of winning but beat them 21-0 . . . what a fantastic performance.”

Their second game against Agronomia resulted in an even more resounding defeat. The final score was 46-0 to Luton, in spite of the fact they were playing against one of the top four teams in Portugal with a staggering 89 players in its Under 16 pool.

James still finds it hard to take in: “We had two victories with zero points against us – from a team that had folded a little over 12 months earlier with half the players new to the game."

He adds: “This is probably one of the greatest achievements from a group of young adults in sport.

"I still can’t believe the journey that has taken us to this point.”

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