Anglo-Welsh rugby returns this weekend and the LV= Cup Media Launch on Tuesday at Sandy Park in Exeter set the scene very nicely for the competition we can expect in the coming months.

360 view of Sandy Park

Normally players are used for the official photoshoot but to emphasise the new idea of the ‘Rugby Family’, one fan from each club was selected to appear in their team’s shirt for the photos. The fans were of all ages and I took the opportunity to have a chat with Pete, a London Irish fan who runs his club’s #rugbyunited fan page @RugbyLI.



“You’re never quite sure what players teams are going to put out in the LV=Cup. Teams like Harlequins have got quite good young players coming through and so do Exeter and obviously Quins are the champions so they’re going to be tough.

“We’ve got to play Northampton in a couple of weeks and, again, they’ve got some quite good youngsters coming through so I’d say they’re going to be pretty tough too,” said Pete.

This year, as well as focusing on the fans and the wider rugby family, the LV= Cup is focused, as ever, on showcasing young talent. “There are a few good youngsters. Speaking from my own team (London Irish) we’ve got Tom Fowlie who was England Under 18s last year and looks to be a really good player who can play on the centre or wings and I’d expect that he’d get a fair amount of game time over the next few weeks.”

With a final word on his own club’s performances so far, Pete had this to say: “I think we’ve done alright this year. We’re tipped to be among the relegation candidates and we’re sitting in 11th at the moment but overall I think we’ve played quite well. We’ve lost a couple of tight ones and picked up some bonus points and obviously signing James O’Connor recently things are looking up and hopefully we’ll start climbing the table!” London Irish fans… do you agree?

Youngster Jack Nowell is interviewed pitchside.

As the afternoon went on, more famous faces popped up with Lewis Moody, David Flatman and Sam Vesty all involved in the afternoon’s proceedings. I was lucky enough to have a few minutes with Lewis Moody and his comments will be available to read very soon!

Nick Heath (@rugbymedia) chats to Lewis Moody

This weekend’s fixtures are as follows:

Friday
Cardiff Blues v Worcester, 19:30
London Wasps v Saracens, 19:30
Scarlets v Newport Gwent Dragons, 19:30
Leicester v Ospreys, 19:45
Sale v Bath, 19:45

Saturday
Exeter v Harlequins, 15:00
Northampton v Gloucester, 17:00

Sunday
Newcastle v London Irish, 15:00

The LV= Cup Launch was a very successful event and fans should definitely be excited to see some young talent in this year's competition.

On Twitter you can get involved in all of this weekend’s action with @LVRugby who will have live updates on Saturday night for Northampton v Gloucester at Franklin’s Gardens, and don’t forget to get involved in the Rugby Family idea by using the hashtag #rugbyfamily!

Thanks LV!