YEAR 11 pupils at Milford Haven Secondary School were able to fire questions at an inspirational rugby figure on Monday.

Former Wales second row Ian Gough, who won 64 caps for his country, was on hand to speak to youngsters as part of the ‘Reach for the Sky’ programme run by ESS.

The scheme encourages students to aim for excellence, and is designed to help deal with the pressure and expectation levels that go with GCSE exams.

Gough, currently half way through the programme that will see him visit 10 schools around Wales, said: “The pupils were excellent and gave exactly the type of engagement we look for.

“They really bought into it and the questions they asked were superb.”

Gough, who represented the Ospreys and Dragons at regional level, spoke on a number of issues, including the influence Jonah Lomu had on the game, and the pressures of playing in front of more than 70,000 people at the Millennium Stadium.

Also present were Stephen Martin, WRU Hub Officer for Milford Haven School, and Jamie Lonergan, a PE teacher at the School.

He added: ‘It is fantastic to see elite sports performers using their position as role models, to make pupils aware that they can succeed in both the sports arena and in academic studies.

“The link between exercise and academic success is well known, and hopefully these pupils can use the skills, that they already employ in sport as part of their own training and competition regime, to achieve good results in their exams next summer.’

Gough will return to the School in January for a second session - and for the third and final meeting the youngsters will have a tour of the Millennium Stadium.