Felsted School have strengthened their links with Saracens as they look to develop even more stars of the future.
They have been named as an official partner school of the north London Premiership club with the two organisations agreeing to work together to identify talented young players and nurture them on the path towards a career in professional rugby.
Felsted already has a strong track record in school sport and the school has produced eight current players who are making big strides in rugby.
They include Saracens' soon-to-be Bristol and England winger, Max Malins, who led a training session for some of the Felsted scholars.
Other players include Alex Wardell, Sam Bryan, Ollie Stonham, Obinna Nkwocha and Tristan Smith.
Felsted's director of rugby, the former Wasps prop Andrew Le Chevalier, said: "Felsted has enjoyed a very successful relationship with Saracens for more than a decade and we are delighted to be able to partner officially with the club to offer more talented young rugby players the best possible support and opportunities for their development in the professional game.
Under the five-year partnership arrangement, Saracens’ training sessions and academy camps will be held at Felsted in school holidays, as will assessment festivals at which new talent will be identified by both the club and the school.
One Saracens Academy player each year will receive a scholarship to Felsted School.
In addition, Felsted coaches will shadow Saracens’ senior team coaches for a week each season and will have access to Saracens academy coaches for specialist coaching support and workshops.
A Felsted rugby coach will also join the Saracens academy pathway coaching programme in order to signpost players and identify talent.
"This is a win-win situation for both Saracens and Felsted, added Saracens’ general manager Phil Morrow.
"By working more closely together, we will be able to pool our expertise and create a joined-up approach to supporting a greater number of talented young players from an earlier age, setting them on the path to excellence in the professional game."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here