RUGBY League stars from the Pacific islands braved the North-East winter cold to put local teenage enthusiasts through their paces in the sport.

Gateshead Thunder head coach Stanley Gene was joined by elite squad members, Charlie Wabo and Gary Lo, giving a masterclass in the 13-man form of the oval ball game, at New College, Durham.

They oversaw tackling, passing and running drills, aimed at improving students’ skills and maintaining interest in the sport.

Both the coach and players hail from Papua New Guinea, where Rugby League is the national sport.

Mr Gene hopes to help the game to grow in England, beyond its heartlands of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria.

“If more people are involved it will get bigger.

“I was fortunate to become a professional and hopefully others can be inspired too.

“The best advice I can give them is to enjoy it, train as much as you can and work hard.”

All today’s (Wednesday January 14) participants are members of the college’s Rugby Development Centre and recently took part in trials in the hope of playing at a higher level.

Centre manager Karl Stephenson, from the Rugby League stronghold of Hull, said: “It’s a big coup for the college to get such massive names as Stanley Gene to train with the players.

“These lads are hugely interested in Rugby League and the opportunity to train with World Cup players is fantastic.”

Gateshead Thunder are preparing for the new season in Championship One, the third tier of Rugby League in this country, starting their fixtures at home, at Gateshead Stadium, also known as The Thunderdome, against Barrow Raiders, on April 3.