WHEN THE KNIGHTS MET THE JAGUARS

14th November 2018
Written by Harry Alexander

It was a crisp Friday afternoon and several members of the Farnham Knights senior and youth programmes had made their way to Allianz Park rugby stadium in north London. Donned in their game day jerseys the players has been invited to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars go through their last practice session before their game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Wembley Stadium, the third and final NFL UK game of 2018.

As the Knights watched on from the VIP seating, a crew from the Jacksonville Jaguars social media team interviewed a range of fans, including defensive lineman Ben Blundell. Ben explained that not only had the team come to see the Jags players, they had also come to see how professional athletes train and compete before a big match.

Jacksonville ran scrimmages, which gave the crowds a chance to watch their favourite players such as Calais Campbell, Jalen Ramsey, Blake Bortles and T.J Yeldon go through game day tactics and plays. With it being the last training session before the game, contact was minimal and players jogged through exercises, wrapping up warm against the chilly British weather.

As the practice came to an end, a selected number fans were allowed down to meet players, including the Farnham Knights contingent, and get signatures and selfies. As the players moved round, the Colombia blue jerseys prompted multiple Jags players to ask what team we represented. Sadly, despite trying to convince them, none of the Jacksonville players were able to play for Farnham next year during their off season.

Harry Alexander, the Knights 2018 MVP, summed up the experience; “All of the players who attended the session had the most brilliant experience, and we’d like to thank the Jacksonville Jaguars for inviting us along. To see NFL players go through their paces was incredible, and it’s definitely inspired us as we start preparations for the 2019 season.”