PETALING JAYA: Attracting 18,000 new rugby enthusiasts – that is what the Combined Old Boys Rugby Association (Cobra) hope to achieve from their nation-wide three-year schools' rugby development programme.

The England-based Penguins RFC, the most-travelled rugby club after having played against teams from 56 countries, are one of the major players behind the development programme.

The club’s director of rugby, Craig Brown, said they were committed to the programme and would provid six coaches on a rotation basis.

“We are doing this voluntarily. The second of the four coaching clinics for school teachers this year ended in Kuala Terengganu on Friday.

“Apart from 30 teachers who attended the four-day course, we also had about 80 students and they were very enthusiastic about it,” said Brown, who added the programme was tailored to suit local conditions.

Cobra, the kingpins of rugby in the country, took steps to contribute towards the development of the sport at the grassroots level by launching a schools’ development programme this year.

Their aim is to get teachers involved in the sport and the target is to have 360 teachers as qualified Rugby Level 1 coaches at the end of the three-year programme sothat they will be able to train Under-15 players in schools nationwide.

Cobra vice-president Lt Col (rtd) Tommy Pereira said it was important to go back to the basics before talking about doing well at the international level.

“We are targeting the schools and getting the teachers to become coaches so that they can train the schoolchildren,” he said.

“We are looking at having 120 teachers becoming qualified coaches each year. The third and fourth sessions ofthe coaching clinics will be held in Penang (June) and Malacca (Sept).

“We are also inviting two school teams in the Klang Valley to come here and stay with us for four weekends a year for coaching clinics.”

The rugby development programme has received the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, who cooperated by sending teachers to these courses.