THE Brighton College Rugby Academy, in conjunction with the Sussex RFU, will be launched next month.

It aims to help the county lead the way as the nation picks up the pieces after its World Cup flop.

France clash with Australia in this year's final at the Millennium Stadium today with England licking their wounds after their quarter-final exit

But Academy director Geoff Wappett and Sussex development officer Gary Henderson hope their project can help restore national pride as well as boosting Sussex rugby.

The former England under-19s coach intends to succeed by encouraging development of basic skills after Clive Woodward's men were criticised for their lack of them during their Cup campaign.

The focus is on helping youngsters aged from 11-14 from across Sussex in a non-competitive atmosphere.

Wappett will enlist top national coaches and use video footage from the World Cup.

He said: "We're here to improve Sussex rugby but it'd be nice to think that the county can do a bit towards making sure we have a successful World Cup one day.

"Some foundations in this country haven't been laid as far as far as basic skills to play the game at a higher level are concerned.

"There are a lot of fixtures in schools and clubs for younger players. That means the coaches have to concentrate on how to win matches rather than coach individuals in skills.

"This is where our Academy will help. There will be NO matches. It will just be general skills, position-specific with clinics for each position. We want to teach correct and subtle techniques.

"At the end of each 12-week course we hope there will be a dramatic improvement.

"Sussex have a good development set-up, and we're lining up good quality coaches like England coaches Brian Ashton and John Mitchell, plus Jed Glynn, who is with the England under-21s, and Welsh coach Paul Turner.

"Already we've got Simon Hodgkinson, the former England fullback, coming down to help just with the Brighton College kids, but as you can tell there are plenty of guys who are willing to help us when the Academy gets going next month.

"Watching a few video clips to illustrate some of our points will help and we would welcome students coming up with their own ideas. There is a need to be open minded.

We want our Academy to help rejuvenate the game and be a model for it in this country."

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