Rugby legends, elite athletes, social media personalities and community rugby players came together this weekend to showcase T1 Rugby, the fast growing and fun non-contact rugby union format.
The exhibition match took place on Saturday 25 July at Festival of Sport on Packington Estate in Warwickshire, bringing together household names from rugby and beyond, alongside community players from Ashby Rugby Club and Reading Abbey Rugby Club.
Those joining former and current England men’s rugby and Red Roses stars, Jonathan Joseph, Rocky Clark and Lilli Ives Campion, on the field included Olympic gold medal-winning hockey player Helen Richardson-Walsh, former England international cricketer Ryan Sidebottom, GB bobsledder Joel Fearon and rugby content creator Ruck Star Lizzie.
The action-packed fixture highlighted the speed, skill and inclusivity of T1 Rugby, a format that captures the core elements of rugby union without the contact, making it easy to learn and simple for anyone to play.
Developed by World Rugby and member unions, including the RFU, T1 Rugby features lineouts, scrums, kicking, touch tackles and breakdowns, offering all the fun and elements of rugby union without full contact.
Since its launch in England two years ago, participation in T1 Rugby has grown rapidly. In the past year alone, more than 250,000 young people have been introduced to rugby union through T1 Rugby in schools, colleges, Scouts and Guides groups. In addition, nearly 500 community rugby clubs have been introduced to the format; helping to drive the next generation of players into the game.
Karen Taylor, RFU National Player Growth Manager, said: “It was fantastic to see sporting stars and community players sharing the field and showing just how fun, inclusive and accessible T1 Rugby is.
“T1 Rugby removes many of the barriers people might associate with rugby. It’s suitable for all ages, abilities and backgrounds, and because it can be played almost anywhere, on any surface, at any time of year, it offers a brilliant way for people to experience the game.
“We hope this showcase inspires more people to give T1 Rugby a try and encourages more clubs to offer it alongside their traditional contact rugby programmes.”
One of the rugby clubs offering T1 Rugby is Ashby Rugby Club in Leicestershire, where T1 Rugby has become an increasingly important part of the club’s offer.
The club’s journey began in summer 2024 when a group of mums took part in a free six-week Rugby Fitness programme that combined fitness, rugby skills and touch rugby. Invited to a T1 Rugby demonstration at Allianz Stadium in early 2025, many had never heard of the format and had never played it before.
After discovering the game, they quickly embraced it and transformed their sessions into regular T1 Rugby activity.
Today, the format is thriving at the club. T1 Rugby sessions run throughout the week for men, women and mixed-age groups, while some players now regularly play both T1 and contact rugby.
Louise Caller, from Ashby Rugby Club, said: “T1 Rugby is fantastic because there are no barriers to getting involved. It brings together people of different ages, backgrounds and abilities, while creating a real sense of community.
“It’s become a hugely important part of what we offer at Ashby Rugby Club and we’d encourage anyone, whether they’re completely new to rugby or already play contact rugby, to come and give it a go.”
The stars who played at Festival of Sport are also keen to encourage people to give T1 Rugby a go.
Red Roses star, Lilli Ives Campion said: “It was great to take to the field to showcase T1 Rugby. T1 Rugby is great for everyone, whether you’ve played lots of rugby or never picked up a ball before. It’s easy to play, you’ll have fun and make memories with friends.”
Rocky Clark, a former Red Roses player with 137 caps, said: “I absolutely loved playing in the showcase game alongside other sports stars, famous faces and community players. I enjoyed getting my boots back on and playing with people with different skill levels from different sports, genders and ages groups. T1 Rugby is a fun way to bring people together and play rugby without the contact.”
To find opportunities to play T1 Rugby or contact rugby in your area, visit findrugby.com
Festival of Sport will be returning to Packington Estate from 30 July to 2 August 2027. Tickets are on sale now at festivalofsportuk.com.
With thanks to the RFU
