Sandbach Rugby Club welcomed back LooseHeadz on Saturday for a thrilling afternoon of rugby, with the main aim of raising vital awareness around mental health struggles in rugby.

LooseHeadz are a rugby mental health charity who aim to place a mental health lead in every rugby club around the world and help to tackle the stigma around mental health.

This was the second meeting between Sandbach and LooseHeadz and this time it was bigger and better. The family-friendly day was packed with rugby action, bouncy castles, food, music, and most importantly, support for the amazing work that LooseHeadz do.

The day kicked off with Sandbach Sabres taking to the field for their inaugural match against LooseHeadz Women XV. This was a historic moment as it was the first match for a Sandbach women’s team in over twenty years. With the Women’s Rugby World Cup under way, this was a fitting moment and was made possible by the dedication of all those involved with the team.

The Sabres had a squad made up of players from Sandbach, Crewe & Nantwich RUFC, Eccleshall RUFC, Lichfield RUFC, Ophir RFC and Stone Roses RUFC. They also borrowed two players from LooseHeadz showing true sportsmanship from across the rugby community.

It was a tough first quarter as the Sabres found themselves down by fourteen points and nursing several injuries. With some organisation and leadership, there came a turning point as the players started to get a feel for the game.

At the start of the second half, the Sabres were losing 5-14 but a nice set piece with a neat offload to the fly-half led to a try under the posts, putting them two points behind.

In the final quarter the Sabres took the lead for the first time, but it wasn’t to be and in the last play of the game, LooseHeadz found space out wide and with players in support they got the try to secure the win, 17-19.

The Sabres showed plenty of promise and spirit and will shortly be entering the North's Inner Warrior league as they build their squad. They will be looking forward to hosting LooseHeadz Women again next year.

Following the women’s match was the Bradley Peace Memorial Cup between Sandbach Social XV and LooseHeadz XV. Sandbach were the victors last season in a high-energy clash and today was set to be another hotly contested match.

Both matches began with a minute’s silence, a poignant reminder of why these matches were taking place.

With the game underway, it was a fast start from LooseHeadz and a ferocious opening five minutes. An early try for LooseHeadz allowed the Bach an opportunity to regroup and refocus.

It wasn’t long before Sandbach took control and got themselves into the game. Before long they had tamed LooseHeadz after scoring four tries unopposed. Another try under the posts gave one of Sandbach’s props the rare opportunity to take the conversion, which he duly slotted.

In the second half, LooseHeadz earned themselves another try and the game continued to be very physical with both teams determined to battle it out to the end. Overall Sandbach were too good and in the final quarter they started to run away with it. The Bach have a another try blitz, clearly enjoying the occasion, but LooseHeadz kept their heads up and managed to get two of their own before the final whistle sounded. Tries for the Bach were scored by Connor Benson, Dan Adams, Matt Barlow, George Harding, Dan Simcox, Angus Walker and Nick Brown. The match ended 52-20 with Sandbach retaining the Bradley Peace Memorial Cup.

Regardless of the days results, these games were about showing the finest qualities that rugby has to offer. All the rugby values were on display as the players came together for an incredible cause. Together the teams raised an incredible £2,538 for LooseHeadz to help them continue their vital work.

There’s still a long way to go but these matches did their job of promoting the work that LooseHeadz do and helping to tackle the stigma around mental health in rugby.

To support LooseHeadz or for more information, visit https://looseheadz.co.uk/ and follow #TackleTheStigma.