Watkins hails schools quality

Leeds centre Kallum Watkins has spoken out in praise of the youngsters who played so much high quality rugby league at Wembley on Challenge Cup final day.

Watkins was a special guest at the Finals Day in Richmond last Friday, with eight finals being held over the weekend and ahead of the final itself.

The headline event saw Castleford Academy overcome St Peter’s of Wigan 12-6 on Saturday, with 54 tries and 305 points scored across the weekend as a whole.

 “It’s been fantastic to see how much it means to everyone to take part in these finals,” Watkins told Rugby-league.com.

“There was a lot of quality on show across all age groups. I know the coaches put a lot of work into developing the skills of these guys and it was great to see it all displayed on a great stage.

“It’s been a great event and really well organised to make it as special as possible for everyone involved.

“It’s a perfect reward for all the work everyone has put in to get teams to this stage.

“Schools Rugby League plays a massive part in taking our game to new places and it was great to see a good range of schools involved, including a Welsh team – the weekend has really shown the power of rugby league in schools.

“The girls have been fantastic too and the Castleford Academy Year Nines stood out for me – they were brilliant – but overall it’s great to see them all enjoying rugby league and helping grow our game.”