Scarborough Ladies RUFC captain Hannah Lewis relished the opportunity to lead out her team at the home of English rugby as part of the RFU’s Twickenham Takeover.

Scarborough was one of eight sides selected to play at Twickenham for the Play Together Stay Together campaign having been chosen by an independent panel for their hard work in establishing player pathways, supporting young stars on their journey through to adult rugby.

Fittingly, the players took to the Twickenham turf a day after Red Roses stalwart Zoe Aldcroft, herself a former Scarborough player, graced the same field and scored a try against Ireland.

“It was a bit surreal being in the changing rooms,” said NHS nurse Lewis, 27.

“It’s the sort of stuff you see on the telly all the time for the Six Nations.

“It was a good job we had ten minutes in there to take it all in. Everyone was just so excited to be at Twickenham.

“It was really special. Coming off the pitch and seeing everyone there, the fans were just as excited as we were.”

Not only did Lewis get the chance to lead her team through the Twickenham tunnel, she also managed to cross the whitewash, ticking off another box on her bucket list.

“Not to blow my own trumpet, but my standout moment would have to be scoring here,” she said. 

“I never thought that would ever happen, so I’ll take that.”

The day had added pertinence for Scarborough’s head coach Jason Lowde, as he proudly watched his side from the sidelines for the final time.

“I retire after today,” said Lowde, a technician in the food industry.

“This is my last coaching day so it’s a nice one to finish on.

“My last playing day was also here two years ago at a veterans tournament, so I’ve been very lucky.”

Scarborough earnt their spot at the Twickenham Takeover for setting up a successful pathway structure which helps juniors progress right up to their senior squads.

The club have an assistant director of rugby in place to oversee this venture, run joint training sessions with their junior and senior players and let their U18s assist with senior team pre-match preparation to make them feel part of the wider club.

Play Together Stay Together is an England Rugby campaign to encourage people to get back into rugby. Want to get back to the action? Find your local rugby club using findrugby.com