REDDITCH rugby clubs are expecting a surge of new recruits to knock on their clubhouse doors after England's World Cup final triumph over Australia.

But one local leading figure in the sport doesn't believe the excitement of Jonny Wilkinson's last-gasp kick to give England victory in Sydney will be enough to shift the town's traditional football roots.

Redditch Rugby Club's team manager Steve Moore expects that more youngsters will now be attracted to playing the country's second sport while older players may be tempted to scramble for their boots again.

"We had a recruitment drive at the start of the season when we tried to persuade potential new players, young and old, to take up the sport and we mentioned the impact the World Cup could have then," said Moore. "We believed that we would get some take up whatever England did in Australia but to go and win the World Cup was absolutely fantastic!

"Now England are champions we feel there's bound to be a splurge of people wanting to play and it could mean more people coming down to the club to support our teams."

North Midlands 1 outfit Redditch already has a thriving junior mini section (under-seven to under-15s) running on Sunday mornings.

And although Moore says that more and more youngsters are developing an interest in the sport, he admitted: "It's a good time for rugby but football will always rule the roost in Redditch. What we need to see now is rugby well promoted and well supported."

Former Alcester skipper Andy Flynn, meanwhile, believes all the clubs in the area, many of which postponed their league games on Saturday to watch the match, are set to benefit from England's glory.

Flynn, whose club also has a successful youth section, said: "I certainly think there will be an impact here and I hope that other clubs in the area like Redditch and Kings Norton benefit too. It was just such an achievement and a joyous day for everyone that it's bound to increase the interest in the sport.

"We already have an unofficial tie up with the school here which sees a lot of their boys playing for us but now we have all been given a tremendous platform on which to build further."