Former England sevens captain Phillips takes part in beach rugby event to help promote Rio 2016

By Gary Anderson

October 10 - Former England rugby sevens captain Ollie Phillips took time out from his Clipper 2013-2014 Round the World Yacht Race commitments to join Brazilian rugby captain, Fernando Portugal, in a rugby skills session initiative supported by the education department of Rio 2016.

Phillips and Portugal were joined by rugby players and coaches from the Rio Rugby Foundation projects in the Rocinha and Cantagalo favelas in the Brazilian city as they put on fun coaching sessions and games for children from the Escola Municipal Guimarães Rosa school in Deodoro, which is close to where the rugby sevens competition will take place in 2016.

The project, called "Rugby is our Passion" is the first of a number of events that will see Rio 2016 work with local schools to help boost awareness and participation in rugby ahead of its debut at the Olympics, and to create a lasting legacy for the sport that extends beyond the Games.

As well as raising participation levels in rugby, which currently sees around 10,000 players in Brazil taking part in games on a regular basis, the project aims to use rugby as an opportunity to bring focus and direction to young people in Brazil's biggest slum neighbourhood, home to nearly 70,000 people.

"Our goal is to take advantage of the Rio 2016 Games and incorporate the Olympic and Paralympic values into our schools' teaching programme, as a way of inspiring kids to be champions in life," said Mariana Behr. head of education at Rio 2016.

"Introducing Olympic and Paralympic sports to students and encouraging them to adopt a healthy, active lifestyle is part of this process.

"It is great that we had this opportunity today."

Ollie Phillips and Fernando Portugal (front right) are hoping to spread the rugby gospel to youngsters in Brazil with the help of the Rio Rugby Foundation

Phillips is also grateful for his opportunity to be part of the Great Britain crew for the Clipper Race which will see the 31-year-old and his crew mates, along with 11 other boats, compete in the round-the-globe 40,000 mile ocean race lasting 11 months.

The 2009 International Rugby Board (IRB) World Sevens Player of the Year is recovering from a calf injury that has ruled him out of action for a large part of the new season and he was a late addition to the Team Great Britain boat, which began the world's only global sailing event for amateurs in London on September 1.

The Brighton-born player returned to sevens in the summer of 2012 after spending three seasons in the 15-a-side game, playing for Newcastle Falcons, Gloucester and a spell with French side Stade Francais, where he played in the final of the 2010 European Challenge Cup final.

Brazilians are used to playing football on the beaches of Rio but these youngsters have swapped the round ball for the oval ball

However, back in the sevens set-up, Phillips is looking to become an integral part of the England side again and is targeting an appearance at Rio 2016 for Britain, and hopes that by the time the Olympics come around that rugby will have gained more of foothold in Brazil.

"Being here in Rio with the Clipper Race and having the opportunity to work with Fernando Portugal to introduce one of the UK's national sports to kids in Brazil has been a highly inspirational and memorable experience," said Phillips, who appeared in 17 World Series tournament between 2004 and 2009, captaining England to wins in Wellington and London during the 2008-2009 season.

"Brazil is famously a footballing nation but the opportunities for young people to be exposed to rugby and many more sports as they prepare to host the Olympics are vast.

"I hope very much to return here in three years as an Olympic athlete and see how the sport has grown in popularity."

Former England sevens captain Ollie Phillips (left) and current Brazil captain Fernando Portugal will be hoping to lock horns again at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Portugal is also looking forward to getting the opportunity to compete for his country on home soil in under three years time and believes that events like this, which took place on Flamengo beach, will only help in generating greater interest in rugby and developing stars of the future.

"With just three years to go before Brazil host the Olympics rugby sevens, we are in a decisive and crucial stage to be promoting and growing rugby in Brazil.

"Events like this today are vital in raising the profile of our sport and inspiring children like the students from Escola Municipal Guimarães Rosa, to be our future generation of rugby players."

"I am grateful to the Clipper Race for providing this opportunity during their stopover in Brazil.

"I wish Ollie and the Great Britain team all the best with the rest of their round the world race and I look forward to meeting him back to Rio in 2016 as my competitor on the rugby pitch."

The 2013-2014 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race consists of eight legs in total, with London to Rio being the first, and the eighth and final leg will see competitors cross the Atlantic from New York back to London in July next year.

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