James Sunderland congratulates rugby on its 200th anniversary, praises Bracknell rugby club and welcomes the expansion of rugby which is making it more accessible to all.
James Sunderland (Bracknell) (Con)
I commend my hon. Friend for his excellent speech about rugby—and, of course, many congratulations to rugby on its 200th anniversary. It is a very important occasion. In Bracknell, of course, we have our fantastic Bracknell rugby club, which is in regional 1 south central of the London and south-east division. I am proud to have that in the constituency. We are also seeing a lot of state schools playing rugby now; it was perhaps previously the reserve of private schools. Does he agree that rugby has come a long way in its 200 years? We are seeing women’s rugby now, and rugby being played across the globe. Does he agree that it is a fantastic thing that it is now becoming much more accessible for all?
Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con)
My hon. Friend is entirely right. The game has grown massively and is played at all levels in all parts of the world and all corners of the UK.