FOUR Old Otliensians regulars grabbed the chance to strut their stuff on the big stage at Twickenham Stadium all over again.

Prop Rob Arbuckle, 41, 23-year-old back-row Joe Armitage, Paddy Phipps, 22, and Toby Keep were rewarded for their dedication to grassroots rugby with a place at the NatWest RugbyForce invitational, played at the home of England Rugby.

The Yorkshire quartet were coached by England legend Maggie Alphonsi and supported from the sidelines by Red Rose royalty in George Ford and Paul Grayson.

It wasn’t the first time playing at HQ for any of the four players, who all appeared in the club’s Junior Vase victory last year, beating Devon’s South Moulton RFC 32-21.

Once again on the winning side, defeating a team led by World Cup winner Will Greenwood 26-17, meant it was a perfect day in the sun for Keep.

“Last year, it’s fair to say the pressure was on us as a side,” Keep said.

“If we won we would become the most successful team in the club’s history and in a final, it’s all about getting over the line.

“The invitational was more about soaking up the experience of playing at such a historic, special stadium.

“We took a few more pictures this time and just tried to have as much fun as possible really, but winning is always a good feeling.”

Prior to their Twickenham debut, players were invited to regional training sessions, where they were given elite coaching from the likes of Greenwood, Alphonsi, Grayson and Steve Borthwick.

This year NatWest, the Official Banking Partner of England Rugby, is continuing to make it easy for all in the grassroots rugby community to access the sport that they love.

As part of this commitment, NatWest has evolved RugbyForce for 2019 by introducing the NatWest RugbyForce Invitational fixture.

All registered grassroots clubs were automatically entered into a draw for a chance to have players from their club invited to receive exclusive access to elite rugby coaching and the opportunity to play a game at Twickenham.

Alphonsi, whose women’s outfit were beaten 20-5, hailed the initiative and underlined just how special the day was for her charges.

“This initiative is about recognising the importance of grassroots players and giving them once in a lifetime memories you would never get with any other experience,” she said.

“The best thing about playing at Twickenham is sharing the occasion with friends and family, but it’s also little things like knowing you’ve done the same drive in and used the same dressing rooms as the elite players.

“It’s great to help our clubs, because that’s where all of our top players come from – if we can invest in them knowing we have another generation coming through.

“It took me 10 years to play here as an athlete so I know how special it is. I’ve really enjoyed being able to pass on my experience and expertise.”