'It is something I will never forget' - Falkirk Rugby Club youngster Ramsay Stanners revels in World Cup mascot trip

The under-13s player was selected to be one of the 96 match mascots across the tournament in France after being secretly entered into the competition by Falkirk’s club development officers.

Ran by World Rugby sponsor Land Rover, the ‘Defenders of Tomorrow’ mascot programme was set up to reward young people aged 7 to 13 for the positive contributions they are making in their local grassroots communities.

"We are so proud of him for being picked,” proud dad Derek said. “I have to thank the development officers at Falkirk for putting Ramsay forward. He actually didn’t know about it either, we told him it was a World Cup kit competition.

“He filled in a big questionnaire about how long he has been playing rugby, what rugby means to him and other stuff like that. We were certainly taken aback when when he heard back that Ramsay was selected, and for it to be the opening match of the World Cup against the current world champions was extra special.

“Land Rover looked after us brilliantly throughout the trip and we had a chaperone look after us. It really was a once in a lifetime experience.”

The Scots were eventually defeated 18-3 by the Springboks on the day in their Pool B opener, but Ramsay reckons the moment of walking out the tunnel alongside captain Jamie Ritchie will stay with him forever.

“It was brilliant,” he said. “The experience was amazing and everyone I met was really nice to me. To walk about in front of that size of crowd was something I will never forget. The atmosphere was amazing too and the stadium was lovely. I walked out with Jamie Ritchie and he was really nice to me.

“I am looking forward to going back to school now and telling all of my friends all about it. Going back down to the club too will be nice because everything wants to hear all how it went.

“I love being part of Falkirk and it is a big part of my life.”