WHEN it comes to rugby at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School it is all about quantity and not necessarily quality.

For a school where football rules -- QEGS have won the Independent Schools FA Cup a record three times -- getting players to actually play rugby is a feat in itself.

But Stuart Louden, the school's master in charge of rugby, is slowly beginning to redress the balance.

"You have to accept that rugby will always be in the shadows of football at this school," said Louden who has held the post for the past four years. "While the football team is aiming to win trophies, my aim is simply to keep rugby going."

And it is a challenge Scottish-born Louden is slowly winning.

The school has always had teams competing at every age group, but Louden's success has been to increase the number of players who have linked up with local rugby clubs.

"When I came to the school, my main aim was to forge strong links with the local clubs and that is something we have done. There are more youngsters playing club rugby at weekends than there were when I arrived here. So I am very pleased with that."

QEGS have particularly strong links with Blackburn RUFC where they play their home games while club coach, Bob Fox, helps run the school's Under 13s team.

Louden added: "Blackburn and Bob, in particular, have been a great help. One of our problems is not having enough people to run the teams so he has been invaluable."

Despite the increased interest, the school has lost its Daily Mail Cup status -- the biggest schools competition in the country.

"The Daily Mail Cup is massive but we have not been strong enough in the last couple of years so we have had to pull out.

"It would be great to get back in but it's not worth entering just for the sake of it. We'll enter again once we have a team good enough to hold our own."

Currently, the school has to settle for friendly fixtures against local schools such as St Wilfrids, Clitheroe Grammar School, Ribblesdale High and Stonyhurst College.

Louden, who played rugby in the Scottish Premier League with Ayr, admits to casting an envious eye over the school's football teams.

But it is not all doom and gloom.

For the Under 15s team is showing signs of being something a bit special, QEGS has been earmarked by the RFU as a development school while there aren't many who can call on the services of Australia's assistant coach Ross Reynolds has helped out."