HE MAY  have missed out on the chance to walk on the hallowed turf at Twickenham but Royal Wootton Bassett youngster Iwan Floyd insisted he had still loved every minute of his Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup experience.

Floyd was in action for Bassett’s U12s at Reading Abbey on Saturday as London Irish hosted their leg of the Land Rover Cup, the first national grassroots tournament officiated by Premiership Rugby.

In total the 12 legs, one for each top-flight English club, will see over 7,000 youngsters go in search of a spot in the ‘Parade of Champions’ during half-time of the Aviva Premiership Final at Twickenham in May.

And while captain Floyd was unable to lift the Cup trophy for a spot at rugby HQ, the 12-year-old remained proud of his team as they played in front of London Irish stars in the waiting in Cameron Cowell and Ross Neal.

“I like this tournament because we get a chance to play good teams that we haven’t played before and it’s really good fun,” said the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy pupil.

“We know when we go into games we need to work together and have good communication as a team. We all get on really well, we never fight and always listen to each other which I think is important.

“I know it’s my job as captain to make sure everyone’s paying attention and playing their best.”

Casting an eye over proceedings were London Irish Academy players Neal and Cowell and the former insists he saw more than a few players with huge potential.

“Days like these are massively important for the younger guys,” said full-back Cowell, a product of the England under-18 team.

“I used to come down to tournaments like these when I was younger. To play on the professional pitch and to go to the finals I remember was a great day out and I loved it.

“In terms of learning these tournaments are big as well. It was a good feeling to be able to play and it helped me in my development to get where I am now.”

Land Rover supports grassroots rugby and provides the opportunity for over 7,000 youngsters to take part in the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup each season. Keep up to date with the latest Land Rover rugby activity by following @LandRoverRugby on Twitter.