DELAMERE Academy pupils received a surprise visit from the stars of an international rugby union team.

The USA Sevens team popped into the primary school to ahead of their visit to Chester this weekend for an international tournament.

The appearance in Delamere was organised by former England and British Lions ace Phil Greening, who is Sports Ambassador for the trust which runs the school.

And the players were more than happy to give pupils the experience of being in a scrum and being hoisted into the sky to catch line-outs.

The staff got a front row view too, with PE Teacher Tom Freeman also getting launched skyward to the delight of the youngsters.

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“Our sporting schedule is always exciting, but the children were extremely lucky to have the USA Sevens team here,” he said.

“It was a unique opportunity to meet professionals, and they made it great fun too.

“Some of our smallest children braved the scrum with some seriously big guys, and I’m still suffering with vertigo after taking part in a line-out

“The team were fun, friendly and we appreciate them taking their time to visit and answer questions, which was truly inspirational for our children.”

Ex-Gloucester, Sale Sharks and Wasps star Greening, who coaches the USA team, works with the North West Academies Trust which runs several schools across Cheshire.

Three of his four children attend Delamere Academy, and he owns The Athlete Factory training facility, set in the grounds of Chester RUFC which will host the international tournament this weekend.

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Teams from England, South Africa, France, and Ireland will also be involved in what promises to be a high-quality affair.

“We held this event for the first time last year and it was a huge success,” Greening said.

“This year will be even bigger and better, and it is the highest level of sevens rugby outside of the HSBC World Sevens Series – and it’s in Chester.”

Entry to the tournament, which will take place on Friday and Saturday, costs £5 for adults and is free for under 16s.

Tickets are on sale via www.afchester.global.