Heartwarming rugby pep talk goes viral

A young rugby player’s inspiring pep talk to an emotional teammate who was struggling to tackle bigger and older boys has gone viral.

A young rugby player’s inspiring pep talk to a struggling team-mate has gone viral, with praise for the boy’s actions flooding in from across the globe.

The moment was captured during an Easter rugby camp at Sedbergh School in the UK, when cameras picked up on a player who had become overcome by the challenge of tackling bigger and older boys.

“Everyone’s older than me, everyone’s bigger than me,” he told his coach.

Then an even smaller boy approached and spoke directly to him, telling the nervous boy that he had what it takes, the NZ Herald reported.

“Listen to me. Trust me. Look at me, Bob. I am the shortest kid here, it doesn’t matter if you’re short, if you’re young. It doesn’t matter if you’re tall, or if you are fat here. You are a brilliant rugby player.

“Do you understand that? You are insane! You are actually insane for your age. Right, give me a hug.”

A young rugby player (left) has been praised for his beautiful pep talk to a teammate (right) who was overcome by the challenge of tackling bigger boys. Picture: Sedbergh School

The smaller boy, identified by coach Graham Higginbotham as Jack, then pulled his new mate Bob in for a hug before the pair returned to the field.

“Best team-mate ever,” Higginbotham said as the boys re-entered the fray.Sedbergh, a boarding school in Cumbria, shared the video online where it quickly racked up thousands of views.

Higginbotham told The Times that it was a “magic moment” that left him “really emotional”.

“Bob was being stretched in the session from a rugby point of view, which you need, and Jack recognised that and went and supported him so well,” he said.

“It’s phenomenal really, such a young person who came to help his team-mate, and bear in mind they had only met two days before. They weren’t friends before the course.”

“Listen to me. Trust me. Look at me, Bob. I am the shortest kid here, it doesn’t matter if you’re short, if you’re young,” the boy said. Picture: Sedbergh School

Jack action’s won him widespread praise, with social media comments noting his maturity and many saying they were moved to tears by his words.

Whoever is the parents of this young man, you should be so proud to have raised a gorgeous human being,” one user noted.

Jack’s actions were also praised by rugby unions across the world and by the All Blacks, who took to Instagram to say the video represented “the spirit of rugby”.

This article originally appeared in the NZ Herald and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Heartwarming rugby pep talk goes viral