WITH the big kick-off getting ever closer, Weymouth & Portland chief Paul Harding is hoping his club will benefit from World Cup fever.

Head coach Harding and his players return for their first pre-season training session at Monmouth Avenue this evening (6.30pm), with an open invitation to anyone wanting to give rugby a go.

The club’s Tuesday and Thursday get-togethers during July are all non-contact as Harding tries to get people involved who might initially be fearful of the physicality of the game.

And the first XV head coach is also eager to see the excitement created by this year’s World Cup, which begins at Twickenham on September 18, tempt even more to get out on the field.

“The World Cup is going to be fantastic and it will really raise the profile of the sport,” he said.

“Even if you’re not a rugby fan you can’t help but be enthused by the gladiatorial nature of it.

“We want to be there next season putting out our sides every week and enjoying the game.

“And with the World Cup this year there is going to be a lot of rugby on television, and hopefully people will be inspired to play.

“I look around Weymouth and there are quite a lot of gyms with guys who are fit and fast and might be good rugby players if they gave it a go.

“They may never have even thought of playing so for me it’s about trying to encourage people to do that.”

Going into more detail about what this month’s sessions will involve, he added: “It’s going to be no-contact July.

“It’s a chance for people to come and not have to worry about getting injured.

“One of the biggest concerns for people is that rugby is too physical so we want to take that element away to start with.

“There will be lots of rugby-based matches which concentrate on skills and understanding the games.

“We will then build up from there slowly to the contact side of things.”